FUR FREE FRIDAY 26th November

This is a short post about today being international fur-free Friday... 

How wonderful that a cause this great is getting international publicity, people all over the world are becoming more aware and saying "NO" to fur.
  








Fur is EVERYWHERE... I went into Animania in Bryanston shopping centre and noticed that they sell those small little mice cat toys and they are actually made of real fur, you can even see the pelt glued together underneath! I educated the employee and he was completely horrified at the thought of cat fur being used as a toy for another cat to play with. These are the small things you can do to raise awareness, when you go into pet-shops (hopefully you don't support the ones which sell animals) look at the toys and feel them to see if they are real... If they feel real, they probably are! Take their details and contact Fur free SA http://www.furfree.net/contact.html to notify them and they will send a letter informing them of the fur trade. Many stockists are completely unaware of the toys they buy.

Regarding people wearing fur I have no respect for these heartless souls... as for those celebs who really don't care what people say about them for sticking up for animals... I have the utmost respect for them they really know how to set an example to humankind!






























So tomorrow Fur Free SA is holding a protest outside Hyde park shopping Centre from 11:00 - 13:00, so bring your children, friends, parents and come help us educate the public about the fur trade.
For more information contact Tricia on tricia@furfree.net - Hope to see you there!!!

Peace and Love

Dog behaviour

This is where this is coming from...

On Sunday I was watering my garden and my neighbors 2 fox terriers came to the fence and started licking the leaves frantically... I got a little suspicious and decided to see if they had water, so I jumped the fence and noticed their water bowl was completely dry, I filled up their bowl and they drank like there was no tomorrow!

I was completely horrified and have come to realise that people think that having dogs is the easiest thing under the sun... WAKE UP!!!! its not!!!

Dogs have BASIC needs which include: 

• nutrition
• water
• exercise
• socialisation
• shelter/den

Lets start on the first one, Nutrition: People think that giving dogs left overs, sweets etc is ok... I mean it is all about how we "Love" our animals unconditionally, how we feed them junk and make them obese... this is not healthy, we are only shortening their life span! If a dog is 5 kilos over its breeds average weight, then it is considered obese. So please next time you decide to give your dog all the leftover food and sweets, please think again and consider that you are speeding up the days to their death... Have a look at this list of foods you should not feed your dog http://www.dogchatforum.com/foods-not-for-dogs.htm

Ok next one: Water: dogs need water ad lib (unlimited). Dogs can consume 40-60ml of water per kilo per day. And did you know that dogs do not like to drink their own saliva? They prefer fresh cool water (well who doesn't) So for those of you who only fill up their bowls without rinsing the slime from the bottom..."shame on you!" Dogs need fresh water every single day and please don't put the bowl in the sun.

Exercise: well well, this topic is always a touchy one, I have come across many people who do no exercise their dogs. Dogs need exercise outside of their gardens too, they need to smell pheromones from other dogs to communicate and feel safe in their surroundings. Most unacceptable behaviour is directly linked to the lack of exercise. For instance I chatted to a boy in Matric who has the sweetest chihuahua, he told me that his dog eats his own faeces.  Because they live in an apartment, the dog needs exercise outside every single day! and I guarantee that this behaviour will stop. There is another dog in my complex who is a chow, I feel so sorry for this dog because it is a large breed and is cooped in a small garden the whole day and never gets to go for a walk. The one day it was out and I approached it trying to let it back into its yard and it snapped at me. This aggression is from frustration due to lack of exercise!!! I don't know how much more I can emphasize on how important exercise is...  I think I should start a walking business for the lazy owners...mmmmmmm

moving on to Socialisation: All dogs should be socialised from a young age with other humans and other dogs as this teaches them to be social. Dogs which are bred in puppy mills for instance with little or no human interaction can in the long run be afraid of humans and visa versa, dogs which are only subjected only to humans can be afraid and vicious towards other dogs. So next time you have a puppy take it with you everywhere, expose it to colourful clothing (dogs have poor vision), different props (hats, glasses), take it in the car, take for walks on a leash, and meet other dogs (in the park, at friends etc). This will ensure that your puppy will be a happy and properly socialised.

Lastly shelter: Dogs need a place they feel safe, like a den or bed, and many people fail to provide this simple need. Because dogs have bad vision, they are very sensitive to sharp bright colours (includes white), so make sure their beds, kennels are natural colours (brown, blue, green). Place their kennels, beds in a cool sheltered area where they can get away from the heat and rain.

I know a lot of you know how to look after dogs, but the few of you out there, there are triple the amount who do not have a clue how to look after a dog, they think they are an accessory or security or even a waste of space. (And most of these people have children of their own or eventually will)

So please do me this favour, next time you visit your friends or family, check the arrangements they have with their dogs and share this little bit of information and their dogs will be much happier.

This was a long one I know :)

Peace and Love

In human relations, compassion contributes to promoting peace and harmony - Dalai Lama

Beautiful planet = Selfishness

Ok, there are so many reasons why I love animals and the earth - Let me tell you about a few...

 Because I am really into taking photos - I thought for one of my posts I will show you, through my eyes, the beauty of this world we live in and the one which many people take advantage of!!!

Can you believe that this remarkable rhino is being poached in our country just because some idiot one day decided to say it cured him of cancer!!! Whoever you are, all I can say is "May you die a slow, painful death where every blood cell in your body explodes one by one and you decompose from the inside"

I feel that it is a privilege to be in the presence of something so magnificent! My eyes filled with tears as I sat watching him and his herd and thought of the 200 + massacres which have taken place over the past year... I cannot seem to understand how we as creatures of the same earth can take another creature for granted???
Like I said in my previous post, I am ashamed to be apart of these so called humans!!!

The sky has many personalities and beautiful qualities which I consume every time I stare with envy.

I cannot begin to describe the feeling I experience when I get to watch a beautiful sunrise and sunset.
And to know that we are destroying our planet with so many harmful things!
When I got up at 5am to take this picture I rushed my husband to take me to the open land (he wasn't very impressed- bless him for putting up with me) and I felt like if I miss this, it might be a while before I get to see another, as every one is unique. We are exceptionally lucky in SA to have breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. We all take these things for granted unfortunately, and one day we might not be able to experience such beauty, unless we all stand together and change our habits!

From wild to domestic...This is my beautiful adopted child Grace. Can I ask you to look at her markings and see how perfect she is? Now I ask you again... How can someone choose to hurt this creature who has been created with such perfection? 

I am always preaching to people about adopting animals and not buying from backdoor breeders, puppy mills and pet shops. Imagine my face when someone tells me they believe their pet should have a chance to experience motherhood, you might as well have told me the earth is flat... I begin to do calculations in my head about how rapidly those 4 puppies/kittens will find homes, and there owners have the same idea and in 4 years time, there will be about 130 more puppies/kittens just from that first litter. Hopefully many of them will be in good homes, but most of the time those poor souls end up on the street, neglected and eventually in the pound where they will await their fate. I just cannot justify the ignorance!!!

Lastly, thank you to my friend for this delicious picture :)

There are so many alternatives to eating animals, I will continue to encourage you to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  Not only for you but for the planet... we only have one, so lets protect it and change the way we think!

Peace and love for all living creatures

Weekend Shocker

So the exam went well, I already got my results back and I passed "whew" what a sigh of relief!


I arrived at the "Skin Trade" premier at Hyde Park to volunteer with setting up etc. And I met some really wonderful people. This is what I love about attending protests, premiers etc, you get to meet so many wonderful people who share the same passion and vision as you. Networking = opportunities...lovely!


So let me tell you a little about the movie. http://www.skintradethemovie.com/index.php


It is a documentary produced and directed by Shannon Keith, an attorney who specializes in animal rights law, about the straight forward truth behind your fur coat and even the faux fur trimming on you winter boots/jacket...
I am not going to give away the movie as I think you need to see it for yourself. But one thing which comes to mind is a Chinese lady (well "lady" is too much of a nice word, lets call her a "heartless monster with female resemblance") who owns a fur "boutique" (whatever that means - it should be called "house of HORRORS!"), anyways she began to describe how the fur she sells is green and eco-friendly, I nearly choked on my water! She said that her fur is good for the earth, as it will be recycled back into the earth and the trees and earth will use the energy! I have never heard such bullshit in my life - she obviously does not know the process of tanning - how to keep flesh from not rotting, (that is what fur is, it is dead flesh). The amount of chemicals used to stop the fermenting process is frightening, even the people who are exposed to the chemicals at a tannery are highly prone to getting cancer and other frightening deficiencies! So it is highly unlikely that fur is biodegradable... I will put that comment beside the next best which was all the people who sell the fur tell the buyers that the animals are killed humanely... HUMANELY????????? Ok if you call anal electrocution, breaking necks, slamming on the floor, skinning alive humane, then you can consider yourself a heartless monster as above!!!


Another interesting fact you should know is 90% of faux fur has cat/dog fur. You think I am lying... there is a law in USA which prohibits the import/export of dog/cat fur BUT there is another law which says that any garment/etc under a certain amount does not have to be checked... So there you go, that is how those poor helpless cats and dogs in China have become their no. 1 fur export.
 
So next time you decide to buy something with fur trim or a cats toy with fur, please think twice... If it feels real, it probably is!

Lets talk a little bit about the term "fur farm" (farm definition: an area of land or water where particular animals, birds, fish, or crops are raised for commercial purposes) (Commerce definition:  done with the primary objective of making money) Well do I have to say anymore? The human race has become so self absorbed that we are farming animals not only for food consumption, but also for our own vanity! If this is the case, I don't think I want to be labeled human anymore!

At the end of the movie, there is a famous clip shown of a fox dog which had been skinned alive and left in the bin, as it lifted its head and blinked, the whole cinema tuned into a funeral service... I don't think there was one dry eye in sight!


Even though it is very sad for us to watch something so graphic, I have a theory "The pain we feel and the tears we shed, when we watch the horror, is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that the millions of dear souls have to endear"


What can you do? Fur free is holding a protest in Hyde park on 27th November... you can bring your friends and family and take a stand for the cruelty.



If you prefer to write a letter, you can write to you local embassy and tell them to stop the Fur Trade once and for all!


Peace and love for the animals

The Beginning

So this is my very first post on my blog. Yay!!!
Since I have deactivated my facebook account, I still need some form of social networking without all the prying of unwanted eyes. So here is goes!!!
For my first post I will tell you that I am very proud of myself for doing the "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" photo shoot held by Spread the word last Saturday. All I can say is WOW, what an amazing feeling to be able to take a stand for animals who suffer tremendous amounts of abuse for human vanity. I do wish this cruel trade will go out of fashion once and for all!

Secondly this coming Saturday is going to be a little crazy. I am writing an exam in the morning on basic dog behaviour, I am really nervous and have been trying to grasp the whole studying thing after 10 long years of being out of school. So hold thumbs for me! Then I am going to help out and watch the movie premier of the Skin Trade:

So much of excitement!!!
And then to end my day, my husband and I are going for dinner to our beloved friends "the Chickens". Yes seriously, their surname is Chicken and I love it, as much as I love them :)

So I will update a lot more next week as I have to go and focus on the studying.
Peace and Love