There is something I have been thinking about and wanted to share with you and see what you think. It’s when I hear people say “they were treated no better than an animal” when describing something bad they went through at the hands of another. There is something wrong with that and I’m not talking about what the person went through because, of course, that is terrible. But that it is compared to how an animal is treated. This, to me, is admission that animals are treated poorly, is it not?
Hello all. I hope you have had a good week! As you know, I get ideas for a post on things that happen in my own life (conversations, events, things I read, things I experience, etc.) This past week someone was talking to me about their pet and they used that three letter word “own.” I hate that word when people are talking about their pets. They may be “our” pet but we do not own them. We adopted them and brought them into our family. Do we consider our children something we own because they are ours? When we marry do we now “own” each other?
We do not own anything that has breath. What we have done is made a commitment. A commitment to care for, be there for, and be faithful to whether it be a partner, a baby we adopted, or an animal we brought into our home.
This is a serious topic, for me very serious. I literally cringe when someone uses the word “own.” My mission and logo is to “Change how the world views animals.” But I thought I would throw a little fun into this post. Who has seen “The First Wives Club?” Whether you have or not you may know the iconic song “You Don’t Own Me.” I challenge you to listen to the words when you play the video and to think of animals instead of a man. When you do you’ll see how this can be somewhat fitting to animals as well.
Caring for a pet can help our mental health in many ways, including:
increasing your physical activity. Dog owners are likely to take their pet out every day for a walk or run. This can be a fun way to fit exercise into your routine
providing companionship. Pets can give you a sense of security and someone to share the day with. Caring for them can help you feel wanted and needed. This can be especially valuable for older people or those who live alone
reducing anxiety. The companionship of a pet can help to ease your anxiety
boosting self-confidence. Pets can be great listeners, offer unconditional love and won’t criticise you. This can help your self-confidence, especially if you feel isolated or misunderstood
helping you meet new people. Dog owners often stop and chat to each other on walks. But other pets can be a way to meet people too: in pet shops, training classes or online groups, for example
adding structure to your day. Having to feed, exercise and care for a pet can help you keep to a daily routine, which can help you feel more grounded and focused. It can give your day purpose and a sense of achievement.
I would love to hear about a pet in your life (past or present) and how they help(ed) your mental health.
I am so excited to share this post about a recent follower, Alice. Alice shared the following photo of her and Coconut with me.
I asked her for more information regarding the comment she left with this picture and this is what she said:
My precious, rescued sheep are my angels and best friends.This one pictured here we named Coconut, who was a terrified and abused girl, that was so incredibly loving and tame and trusting of us, we sadly weren’t allowed to take her on though, unlike our other sheep, as the ‘farmer’ insisted on ‘keeping her’. Our precious sheep have changed both mine and my mother’s lives, they came at a very difficult time, starting with our first little orphan lamb, called Poppy. (She is my profile picture, as a painting I did of her, she sadly only lived for 11 months as was poorly, but she was a true angel!) I could go on and on about them!
Here is the the amazing painting of Poppy she mentioned. Wow, such great work! Continue reading →
I want to start featuring some of my favorite products. What does this have to do with animals? EVERYTHING!
The products I want to share are cruelty-free. There is no need to put animals through the torture they endure for us to use household items. If you’re a believer in God and that he created all, we must ask ourselves what would he think of this practice? If you’re not a believer in God, then consider the torture animals are put through. They live in a lab in a metal cage, experimented on, harmed and then treated, and so much worse. This happens to dogs, cats, and rabbits which most of us have in our family. Take a moment to look at your furry family member. It’s their fellow beings this is happening to. There are better ways: https://www.pcrm.org/ethical-science/animal-testing-and-alternatives.
I am featuring SEVENTH GENERATION in this post. These are one of my favorite product lines (https://www.leapingbunny.org/brand/seventh-generation). I currently use the hand soap, laundry detergent, and dish soap. I like the scent free dish soap because I use it to wash Cino’s food and water dishes every day.
Do you have a favorite cruelty-free product? Please share.
So much of this happening right now and it’s so sad that people did not think it through when they brought them home. We must remember animals are not objects to just be bought and returned or thrown out like garbage. This kind of selfishness and irresponsibility is causing them harm.They are living, feeling beings, and a lifetime commitment, just like any other family member.
Animals Are Feeling Beings Too 