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You Don’t Have to be in Politics or Law Enforcement to Save Abused Animals

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  While it may be politicians that help pass legislation protecting animals, and law enforcement with the power to remove them from a dangerous situation, each one of us can, and has the responsibility to help an animal that is being mistreated. Some of you reading this may be surprised to learn how much power you have, to make a difference in animals’ lives. Let’s start with being a vigilant neighbour . No one is suggesting you become a spy, just be aware of what’s going on around you. I am sure there are many instances where neighbours genuinely had no idea what was going on next door. Having said that, there are many more times where people know, or at least suspect something terrible is going on, yet do nothing. Don’t say you don’t want to get involved. Would you turn a blind eye if it were a helpless child? Then why ignore an innocent creature that is suffering? Like the child, he cannot speak or defend himself. That’s why each of us has an obligation to help those that cann
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When Silence is Not Golden

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  When your neighbour is beating the crap out of his dog, silence is not golden. When your boyfriend is playing inappropriate “games” with your daughter, silence is not golden. When you have information or suspicions that could save a life and you choose to look the other way, silence is not golden. While you may not have been the one to withhold food from the dog that slowly starved to death, or raised your hand to beat the child, not doing anything to try and stop these horrors, makes you complicit in the abuse. Perhaps not from a legal standpoint, but certainly from a moral one. Take a moment to think about the horrific cases of cruelty you read about. If someone had stepped in, called the authorities, how many of these stories would have had a different ending? Am I suggesting spying on friends and neighbors? Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? Putting yourself, or your family, in harm’s way? Of course not. What I am suggesting is keeping your eyes open, being awa
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No Tears Shed For the Unwanted Animals

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  I’m a long time shelter volunteer, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a tear shed by the person surrendering their pet. Actually, I think that’s a bit generous on my part. I won’t go into the usual “how can someone just casually dump their animal” speech. My friend and I used to say that, every time we saw someone get out of their car with a dog or cat. Although we finally stopped asking the question, (because we realised it’s impossible to understand something that we would never do), that question continues to haunt me. Like many of you kind and compassionate animal lovers out there, I would move heaven and earth, and sacrifice to keep my animals with me, and I have. When I’ve looked for places to live that didn’t accept pets, I did what any animal lover would do. I kept on walking. When my husband went to work overseas, I waited months to get the animals’ paperwork together. Although we visited each other, we didn’t live together full time for six mo
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A Ban on Owning Animals is Not Punishment

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  I feel so helpless whenever I read about an animal abuser’s punishment being a ban on owning animals. Seriously! What a joke. Aside from the fact there is absolutely no way to enforce it, that is not punishment.   Things like compassion and a moral center prevent the majority of us from harming another living being. Since abusers obviously lack these traits, a stiff prison sentence is our only hope of a deterrent. Of course at the moment, they have very little to worry about. How many stories do you read about people doing horrible things to animals, then walking free, that is if they are even caught! Although our animal protection laws are quite weak, they still allow for punishing abusers, yet judge after judge either lets them go, or imposes this ban. I have to ask why they don’t use their position to punish cruelty. I think I know the answer – at least part of one. Society and our legal system see animals as property, with no more value than a chair, so how can we expec
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How to Advocate for Animal Rights

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  Animal rights activism has been spreading (thankfully!), with more and more people recognizing the importance of compassionate care for all creatures. If you are passionate about animal rights and want to make a difference, here are some tips on how to effectively advocate for all animals everywhere. Educate Yourself The first step in advocating for animal rights is to educate yourself on the issues. This includes understanding the different forms of animal cruelty, the industries that exploit animals, and the laws and regulations surrounding animal welfare. By educating yourself, you will be better equipped to educate others and make a strong case for animal rights. Volunteer at Local Shelters One way to advocate is to get involved in your local shelter, caring for animals in need. This hands-on experience will not only make a difference in their lives, it will also give you a deeper understanding of the issues they face. Use Social Media Social media is a powerful and s
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Welcome to Advocate for Animals: A Journey of Compassion

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  Hello I’m Hindy, and welcome to the mission of Advocate for Animals When I was much younger, I remember pouring over fashion magazines and being drawn to the fur coats, trying to figure out which one I would love to wear one day. While sitting at the kitchen table with my family, I saw an article with a picture of a dead emu, which looked exactly like a chicken. This was long before computers, and very long before social media, so I had no idea about animal suffering, and certainly never heard the term animal welfare. Yet…after seeing that emu I swore off chicken from that moment, so something started awakening within me. I was 25 years old before I first came in contact with a dog. We never had pets nor did any of my friends, so the day my boyfriend at the time brought over a puppy, was the day the switch was flipped and I started my advocacy journey. I got a job in a farm animal welfare charity, started volunteering at animal shelters and over time my passion grew, my horror
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