I am small. I am but one voice among many. I am hardly a whisper. In a crowded room I would be hard to find. In a crowded room full of people speaking, I would be difficult to hear. However, my limited silence will not detain me from speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves; animals.
All of my life I have had a passion for animals. From infancy up I have had pets of all kinds. My passion for animals is so strong that I often feel as though I have a connection with each and every one of them. I will never forget the day my cat Snuggles was diagnosed with feline AIDS and Leukemia. The vet called and told me it would be best to have him euthanized. My heart was broken. I drove up to the office and held my baby one last time. I cried and held him. I told him how much I loved him and how much I was going to miss him. I told him how sorry I was that he got sick and how sorry I was about the decision I had to make. After a very tearful goodbye, I handed my baby over only to hear him meow 3 last times. I brought him home and gave him a proper burial. That day still remains as one of the hardest days of my life.
Even though it was tearful and difficult to make the decision to have him euthanized, I realized it was the best option. I knew that he was in pain. I knew that he was sick. I also knew that he was suffering. I realized that it was not fair to him to hold on to him as long as I could just to delay a tearful moment in my life. That was 13 years ago and I still miss him to this day.
It was that day in my life as a young 15 year old girl that I realized how animals have feelings like we do. I realized they hurt, they loved, and they shared emotions just as humans do. That day changed my life forever in so many ways.
Today at 28 years old I am an animal activist and a vegan. I lead a vegan lifestyle not only for the health benefits, but to send a strong message out about my feelings on factory farming. When I became a member of PETA my eyes were opened to the horrible fates that animals have today. With animal research, factory farming, the Canadian seal slaughter, the fur industry, and individual animal abuse, animals are suffering in today's society. They can't tell you to stop. They can't tell you how much it hurts. They can't tell you how miserable they are. They can't tell you they don't want to be your dinner. That is why it is up to us to speak up for them.
If we don't take action and speak up for them, who will? Who will open the eyes of the public to let them know that animals are treated unfairly? According to Genesis Chapter 1:26 "And God Said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." God made it clear that it is our job to care for the animals on the earth.
Many people argue that animals were put here on earth for us to have food and to keep warm with their fur. However, I will counter that argument with several different points. Although it may hold true that animals were put here for us to have food, they were not put here for us to make them suffer in factory farms. They were not put here for us to pump full of growth hormones, raise in cramped spaces, and abuse before slaughter. As far as the warmth goes, we are not cavemen. We now have flannel, cotton, and other methods by which to keep warm. We no longer need fur for warmth. Please visit this site and meet your meat. This website will open your eyes about the miserable conditions of factory farming as well as give you some excellent health benefits of living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
