What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.6 - Fur-Free Action

FUR-FREE ACTION GUIDE - WHAT YOU CAN DO


It can take 40 or more animals to make a fur coat, but only one person to make a difference.
Here are nine effective ways to help end the suffering and killing of animals for fur and fur trim.

To jump straight to our fur-free outreach materials order form, click here .
To order posters, contact furfree@hsus.org.


1. Be Fur Free

The most important thing you can do to protect animals from the fur trade is to buy and wear only fur-free clothing.

Sign the fur-free pledge and join the more than 115,000 people who have pledged to help us tell the fashion industry that the animals need their fur more than we do.

2. Write Letters

Letters to the editor: Writing letters to the editor is one of the best ways to communicate to the public the problems associated with the fur trade.
For almost no expense, and very little time, you can have your arguments against fur read by thousands of people who go to that section specifically to see what other people think about issues. Get tips on how to write good letters on fur.

Letters to stores: Writing letters to stores can help keep a store fur-free, or help convince one that sells fur to stop doing so, especially if you are a valued customer. However, it is generally most effective when done as part of a focused campaign. Contact information for most department stores and big chains can be found on their websites. You can start by contacting "Neiman Carcass."

3. Share Videos

Nothing beats a video when it comes to imparting the cruelty behind fur production.
If you have friends who wear fur, ask them to watch the videos on our multimedia page, like "Cruelty by Design."
Consider asking—in lieu of holiday gifts—that your close friends and family instead watch a video about the fur industry, like the documentary "The Witness."

4. Wear a Fur-Free Message

Make compassion your fashion with our stylish T-shirt.
Our new Compassion Is My Fashion tee is the perfect way to show that it's stylish to be fur free.

Other great ways to send a fur-free message:

# Donna Salyer's Fur Free Compassion Pin
# Fur Free Zone t-shirt
# "FF" necklace

(note from Animal Voice: you can also create your own customized T-Shirt, nowadays there are many self-made t-shirt shops where you can bring your own design and they will stamp it for you on t-shirts, caps, sweaters, mugs etc.).

5. Educate People

Share our literature with individuals who may be against animal cruelty, but who haven't yet considered what buying or wearing fur supports. Keep fur cards on hand to give to fur wearers, or spend an hour with a friend handing out leaflets outside stores that sell fur. We also make a special leaflet designed to be hung on doorknobs. Order outreach materials here.

6. Organize a Protest or Outreach Event

A protest can be a great way to get media attention and educate shoppers on the issue of needless cruelty to animals by the fur trade. Fur-Free Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, and a huge shopping day) is a traditional day of protest against the fur trade nationwide. Read about previous Fur-Free Friday protests here.
Planning a protest? Order cards and leaflets here and contact furfree@hsus.org to request posters.

7. Put Up Fur-Free Billboards

Putting up a billboard is an exciting way to broadcast the fur-free message. The HSUS offers the materials free of charge—all you need to do is identify a location in your area and cover the posting fee to have the visual placed. Thousands of drivers will see your billboard.
For more information about posting a billboard in your community, contact furfree@hsus.org.

8. Give Our Trapping Case Report to Your Local Vets and Shelters

Give copies of The HSUS' Trapping Case Report form to your local veterinarians and animal shelters.
Ask them to keep it on file in the event that a trapping victim is brought to them.
The information we collect from these forms helps us to enact bans on cruel and indiscriminate traps.

9. Donate Your Fur to Coats for Cubs

If you own fur, one of the best things you can do with it is give it back to animals with our Coats for Cubs program.
Your donation will give comfort to orphaned and injured animals.
Fox kits and other baby animals enjoy the maternal softness of a donated fur.



(taken from : HSUS - Fur Free Action Guide)



Few more facts...

Number of animals used to make an average length fur coat:

Bobcats 15
Chinchillas 100
Ermine 125
Lynx 11
Otters 14
Raccoons 27
Ranch Minks 35
Red Fox 18
Rex Rabbits 30
Sables 40
Silver Fox 11


..... Choose compassion. Don’t wear fur!



RELATED LINKS:


- Infurmation
- CAFT - Coalition to Abolish Fur Trade
- API - Take Action
- Respect for Animals - Get Involved
- China's Fur Trade - Animal Voice
- Indian Leather
- Pope wear Fur!

- PETA's Action Centre
- PETA - Helping Animals
- Adopt a College - Leafleting Project
- Petion Corner at Animal Voice
With only few minutes a day spent on signing petitions, you are showing that You care.

Be a visible & hearable voice for the animals!
The Animals Need You!

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.5 - Stop Animal Tests / Vivisection

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP STOP VIVISECTION


As anti-vivisectionsts, we are often asked "But what can I do help stop vivisection?"
A little or a lot, it all depends on you. A drop in the ocean? Maybe - but that is what the ocean is made up of!

In short, it is vital that we do all we can to inform others of not just the cruelties of animal experimentation, but also the harms done to people through basing our health care system on the wrong methodology of vivisection; the ridiculous belief that in some way mice are miniature men.

The following is a list of suggestions which you might like to consider if you want to become actively involved in the campaign to end vivisection. Naturally what you do will be decided by your available time and other factors. All we ask is that you do something.

Inform yourself:

Most importantly, before you are effectively able to inform others first educate yourself to the fraud of vivisection. Purchase recommended books and booklets, and the Lethal Medicine video. Read information leaflets to get some basic understanding of the issues.

Inform others:

1. Lend your books and video to friends and family.

2. Distribute leaflets to houses in your area, or to the pubic in busy places - such as shopping areas or train stations.

3. Leaves small amounts of leaflets in places where they are likely to be picked up, such as in health food shops with the permission of sympathetic owners.

4. Put on video screenings to groups of friends, or members of environmental, animal welfare, womens’ groups, etc.

5. Write letters to newspapers. Remember there is much more chance of it being published in a local paper than a national, and if the letter is clearly typed, and to the point. Don't waffle! Don't be disheartened if it is not published, but try again at a later date. Make copies and send to other local papers. Write your letter in response to recent news items, such as drug damages, the cost of the NHS, etc.

6. Join local or national protests against institutions engaged in vivisection. See the SHAC and ARC web sites for more details.

7. Write to your MP demanding the total abolition of vivisection. Do not be deterred by unfavourable replies! Point out that vivisection has caused, and is causing, terrible damage to human health, the environment, and the economy.

8. Support only the genuine anti-vivisection movement! Support only those groups that demand the immediate and total abolition of ALL animal experiments on both moral and medical grounds. Unfortunately some groups have been infiltrated by vivisectionists in order to ensure the continuation of vivisection. These are recognisable by their cries of abolition of only "some" experiments, or of the “eventual" abolition of vivisection. They often demand the "replacement" of animal experiments with "alternatives", or of the "refinement" or "reduction" of animal experiments (the "3 Rs") - all sly and subtle ways of suggesting that vivisection is beneficial and as yet cannot be abolished immediately.

9. Please consider making a donation to the BAVA. All donations are gratefully received and will go towards the production and distribution of more anti-vivisection literature, and occasionally the publication of adverts such as those we have included on this web site.

10. Put on anti-vivisection displays in public places, such as libraries or in school foyers. Leaflets and other campaign materials can be obtained from the relevant groups listed, or download articles and images from the internet for your display.

11. Obtain signatures on petitions against vivisection. Offer a leaflet to all those signing your petition.

12. Display anti-vivisection posters (legally) where they will attract attention.

13. Avoid animal-tested products. See if the label says "cruelty-free". If in doubt, contact the manufacturer to ask their stance on animal testing.

14. Avoid charities engaged in vivisection. This includes most, although not all "medical research" charities. Probably all of those engaged in "cancer research" fund vivisection. Do not fund these - they are the arch torturers. Contact any charity prior to giving if you are unsure, to ask their policy on vivisection.

15. Publicise the internet addresses of this web site and of the others on our links page, especially at schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions, most of whom will have access to the internet - and thus a wealth of good anti-vivisection information.

As you can see, there is a great deal an individual can do, with some suggestions outlined above. There are probably other ideas you could come up with to help further the genuine anti-vivisection message.

Finally, avoid the prescription pad where possible. Less profits for the drugs industry means less money for vivisection. Perhaps you could consider seeing a registered naturopath, accupuncturist, homeopath etc for medical advice? Remember that doctors are trained in drug-company funded medical schools, and may have financial interests in the drug companies.



FACTS : WHY VIVISECTION IS POINTLESS

Animal experimentation, also known as vivisection, is a fraudolent science according to an ever growing number of doctors and researchers.
More than 800 million animals are tortured and killed in laboratories worldwide every year, yielding misleading results that jeopardize the health and safety of millions of people, often leading to their demise.
The fact that the results of animal tests cannot be safely extrapolated onto humans is even agreed upon by many vivisectors.

Please read the following list of the 33 reasons why vivisection is pointless and get involved in campaigns against vivisection!



(1) Less than 2% of human illnesses (1.16%) are ever seen in animals.

(2) According to the former scientific executive of Huntingdon Life Sciences, animal tests and human results agree only '5%-25% of the time'.

(3) 95% of drugs passed by animal tests are immediately discarded as useless or dangerous to humans.

(4) At least 50 drugs on the market cause cancer in laboratory animals. They are allowed because it is admitted the animal tests are not relevant.

(5) Procter & Gamble used an artificial musk despite it failing the animal tests, i.e., causing tumours in mice. They said the animal test results were 'of little relevance for humans'.

(6) When asked if they agreed that animal experiments can be misleading 'because of anatomical and physiological differences between animals and humans', 88% of doctors agreed.

(7) Rats are only 37% effective in identifying what causes cancer to humans. Flipping a coin would be more accurate.

(8) Rodents are the animals almost always used in cancer research. They never get carcinomas, the human form of cancer, which affects membranes (e.g lung cancer). Their sarcomas affect bone and connecting tissue: the two cannot be compared.

(9) Up to 90% of animal test results are discarded as they are inapplicable to man.

(10) The results from animal experiments can be altered by factors such as diet and bedding. Bedding has been identified as giving cancer rates of over 90% and almost nil in the same strain of mice at different locations.

(11) Sex differences among laboratory animals can cause contradictory results. This does not correspond with humans.

(12) 9% of anaesthetised animals, intended to recover, die.

(13) An estimated 83% of substances are metabolised by rats in a different way to humans.

(14) Attempts to sue the manufacturers of the drug Surgam failed due to the testimony of medical experts that: 'data from animals could not be extrapolated safely to patients'.

(15) Lemon juice is a deadly poison, but arsenic, hemlock and botulin are safe according to animal tests.

(16) Genetically modified animals are not models for human illness. The mdx mouse is supposed to represent muscular dystrophy, but the muscles regenerate without treatment.

(17) 88% of stillbirths are caused by drugs which are passed as being safe in animal tests, according to a study in Germany.

(18) 61% of birth defects are caused by drugs passed safe in animal tests, according to the same study. Defect rates are 200 times post war levels.

(19) One in six patients in hospital are there because of a treatment they have taken.

(20) In America, 100,000 deaths a year are attributed to medical treatment. In one year 1.5 million people were hospitalised by medical treatment.

(21) A World Health Organisation study showed children were 14 times more likely to develop measles if they had been vaccinated.

(22) 40% of patients suffer side effects as a result of prescription treatment.

(23) Over 200,000 medicines have been released, most of which are now withdrawn. According to the World Health Organisation, only 240 are 'essential'.

(24) A German doctors' congress concluded that 6% of fatal illnesses and 25% of organic illness are caused by medicines. All have been animal tested.

(25) The lifesaving operation for ectopic pregnancies was delayed 40 years due to vivisection.

(26) According to the Royal Commission into vivisection (1912), 'The discovery of anaesthetics owes nothing to experiments on animals'. The great Dr Hadwen noted that 'had animal experiments been relied upon...humanity would have been robbed of this great blessing of anaesthesia'. The vivisector Halsey described the discovery of Fluroxene as 'one of the most dramatic examples of misleading evidence from animal data'.

(27) Aspirin fails animal tests, as does digitalis (a heart drug), cancer treatments, insulin (causes animal birth defects), penicillin and other safe medicines. They would have been banned if vivisection were heeded.

(28) In the court case when the manufacturers of Thalidomide were being tried, they were acquitted after numerous experts agreed that animal tests could not be relied on for human medicine.

(29) Blood transfusions were delayed 200 years by animal studies, corneal transplants were delayed 90 years.

(30) Despite many Nobel prizes being awarded to vivisectors, only 45% agree that animal experiments are crucial.

(31) At least 450 methods exist with which we can replace animal experiments.

(32) At least thirty-three animals die in laboratories each second worldwide; in the UK, one every four seconds.

(33) The Director of Research Defence Society, (which exists to defend vivisection) was asked if medical prgress could have been acheived without animal use. His written reply was 'I am sure it could be'.


(tips taken from BAVA - British Anti-Vivisection Association)



RELATED LINKS:

- National Anti-Vivisection Society
- The Absurdity of Vivisection
- Stop Animal Tests
- SHAC
- Stop Animal Test - Animal Voice
- PETA - Caring Consumer
- Choose Cruelty Free
- Total Liberation - Activism
- No Vivisezione (italian site)
- Ask Carla - Caring Consumer
- British Heartless Fundation
- The Military's War on Animals

- Adopt a College - Leafleting Project
- Petion Corner at Animal Voice
With only few minutes a day spent on signing petitions, you are showing that You care.

Be a visible & hearable voice for the animals!
The Animals Need You!

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.4 - Prevent Animal Cruelty

TOP 10 WAYS TO PREVENT ANIMAL CRUELTY

(by Annemarie Lucas from ASPCA)


If you're a fan of the award-winning reality series Animal Precinct, then you've already seen the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement's Supervisory Special Investigator Annemarie Lucas in action. But did you know that you, too, can help crack down on animal cruelty in your own community?
Read on for Officer Lucas's take on making the world a safer place for animals:

1. Be aware. Without phone calls from the concerned citizens who report cruelty in their neighborhoods, we wouldn't know about most instances of animal abuse. It all comes from the public, it all starts with YOU—that's why it's so important to keep your eyes and ears open. Get to know and look out for the animals in your neighborhood. By being aware, you're more likely to notice, for example, that the dog next door who was once hefty has lost weight rapidly—a possible indicator of abuse.

2. Learn to recognize animal cruelty. Here are some signs and symptoms that we see in many of the cases we investigate:

- Tick or flea infestations. Such a condition, if left untreated by a veterinarian, can lead to an animal's death.
- Wounds on the body.
- Patches of missing hair.
- Extremely thin, starving animals.
- Limping.
- An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal.
- Dogs who are repeatedly left alone without food and water, often chained up in a yard.
- Dogs who have been hit by cars-or are showing any of the signs listed above-and have not been taken to a veterinarian.
- Dogs who are kept outside without shelter in extreme weather conditions.
- Animals who cower in fear or act aggressively when approached by their owners.

3. Know who to call to report animal cruelty. We're lucky here at the ASPCA in New York City, because we have Humane Law Enforcement officers who have the power to investigate and arrest perpetrators of animal cruelty in the state of New York. But every state and even every town is different. In some areas, you may have to rely on the police department to investigate animal cruelty; in others, you may have to contact local animal control or another municipal agency. If you aren't sure where to report cruelty visit our Report Animal Cruelty Section.

4. Provide as much as information as possible when reporting animal cruelty. The details that you provide can go a long way toward assisting the investigating officer. It helps to write down the type of cruelty that you witnessed, who was involved, the date of the incident and where it took place.

5. Call or write your local law enforcement department and let them know that investigating animal cruelty should be a priority.
Animal cruelty is a CRIME—and the police MUST investigate these crimes.

6. Know your state's animal cruelty laws. These vary from state to state, and even from city to city. You can visit the ASPCA's online database of more than 550 animal cruelty laws—and their penalties—in all 50 states.

7. Fight for the passage of strong anti-cruelty laws on federal, state and local levels by joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade.It's frustrating when I have built a strong case against someone who has been arrested for cruelty to animals and the judge treats it like a simple violation. But with stronger laws, they'll be more likely to receive tougher penalties. As an ASPCA Advocacy Brigade member, you'll receive emails asking you to write letters encouraging your legislators to pass these laws-and you can send them directly from our website.

8. Set a good example for others. If you have pets, be sure to always show them the love and good care that they deserve. But it's more than just food, water, and adequate shelter. If you think your animal is sick, bring him to the veterinarian. Be responsible and have your animals spayed or neutered. And I always give my own pets lots of hugs when I get home!

9. Talk to your kids about how to treat animals with kindness and respect. I regularly see children in homes where animal abuse has been reported. If a parent isn't treating the family's pets right, I tell kids that their dog or cat would really appreciate fresh water every day, or if they spent some time playing with them. If the animal has been left outside without shelter, I'll say, 'You have a nice house, and if you get cold, you can put a coat on. But your dog can't do that. Don't you think he'd like a nice warm place to go, too?' I know of families who watch Animal Precinct together, and I think this can help children understand that animals are living creatures who have the ability to feel pain, joy and sadness. You can see these emotions on the faces of the animals on the show.

10. Support your local shelter or animal rescue organization. Before I even knew that police for animals existed, I was volunteering at an animal shelter. It's a great way to make a difference. Some of our ASPCA volunteers foster animals who have been abused in their former homes, giving these dogs and cats the chance they deserve to have a good life. You can find a list of shelters and rescue groups in your area in our National Shelter Directory.


Thanx to ASPCA



RELATED LINKS:


- PETA's Action Centre
- PETA - Helping Animals
- PETA - Caring Consumer
- Choose Cruelty Free
- Adopt a College - Leafleting Project
- API - Take Action
- Respect for Animals - Get Involved
- End Misery - Help put a Stop to Puppy Mills
- Total Liberation - Activism
- Viva - Get Active
- Ask Carla - Caring Consumer
- Petion Corner at Animal Voice
With only few minutes a day spent on signing petitions, you are showing that You care.

Be a visible & hearable voice for the animals!
The Animals Need You!

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.3 - Writing Letters

Some of the greatest Animal Rights activists used to be hunters. Then they woke up. Some of the most powerful members of our movement used to work in the meat industry. Most of us used to eat meat. We changed our ways because we saw the light, not because someone insulted us. This must be top of mind as we write letters.
If we insult and alienate someone who may have eventually, even years down the line, become a supporter, then we are venting our anger at the expense of the animals.

If you are writing a complaint to a show or publication whose work you have enjoyed in the past, do not lose the opportunity to pay a compliment .
Then, gently point out the error of their current ways. Forgive the animal cliche but, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." It is human nature to care more about pleasing a friend who has been wronged than an adversary. The reader of your letter is only human.

The reader of your letter is also probably very busy. Keep notes short. Do not get sidetracked from your main point. You will seem to be waffling.
Save other points for future notes.

Use your spell-checker! Rightly or wrongly, people who can spell are assumed to be more intelligent, more educated and are taken more seriously.

Though for the sake of convenience you are sending an email, provide your full name and return address as you would if writing a letter. Thus your note is seen as coming from a real person with real concerns and cannot be mistaken for one of a mass computer generated mailing. (An exception might be if you are commending a news report aired only on local TV and you do not wish to announce to the station that you are writing from out of state.) If you are writing to a publication which publishes letters from readers you must also include your phone number so that they can verify that you are the writer.

The reputation of the Animal Rights community is improving. However, there is still some perception of Animal Right's activists as odd and angry. If our mission is to change the world, then unfortunately we must care about what people think; we must change their perceptions for the sake of the animals. Thus we must make sure that our letters are always rational, to the point, and preferably concerned or disappointed rather than outraged. Anger tends to put people on the defensive whereas concern and a rational argument can get a decent hearing. For the sake of the animals, we must be heard. We will be heard most clearly not when we are shouting loudest, but when we are communicating in such a way that people are willing to listen.


Some more important tips are offered by Peta:
GUIDE TO LETTER WRITING

&

HOW TO BUILD AN INTERNET ANIMAL WELFARE CAMPAIGN


With regard to that mission to change the world, I leave you with those wonderful words of Margaret Mead:

"Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.2 - Dog & Cat Rescue '100 ways to help'

No more excuses for not helping animal rescue ---especially the "I don't know how I can help" one. While the list below specifically addresses dog rescue, most of the items on it are equally applicable to cat rescue (and other species also). It's a long list, & there are some really good ideas on it that might not normally come to mind. Take a look - and PLEASE lend a hand. The animals need YOU.

For anyone out there who might have wanted to help rescue but just weren't sure how.
We're not asking for these things. These are just some suggestions. Can you...

1. Transport a dog?
2. Donate a dog bed or towels or other *bedding* type items?**
3. Donate MONEY?
4. Donate a Kong? A nylabone? A Hercules?
5. Donate a crate?
6. Donate an x-pen or baby gates?
7. Donate a food dish or a stainless bucket for a crate?
8. Donate a leash?
9. Donate a collar?
10. Donate some treats or a bag of food?
11. Donate a halti or promise collar or a gentle leader?
12. Walk a dog?
13. Groom a dog?
14. Donate some grooming supplies (shampoos, combs, brushes, etc.)?
15. Go to the local shelter & see if that dog is the breed the shelter says it is or go with rescue to be a second opinion on the dog?
16. Make a few phone calls?
17. Mail out applications to people who've requested them?
18. Provide local vet clinics w/contact info for educational materails on responsible pet ownership?
19. Drive a dog to and from vet appointments?
20. Donate long distance calling cards?
21. Donate the use of your scanner or digital camera?
22. Donate the use of a photocopier?
23. Attend public education days & try to educate people on responsible pet ownership?
24. Donate a gift certificate to a pet store?
25. Donate a raffle item if your club is holding a fund raiser?
26. Donate flea stuff (Advantage, etc.)?
27. Donate HW pills?
28. Donate a canine first aid kit?
29. Provide a shoulder to cry on when the rescue person is overwhelmed?
30. Pay the boarding fees to board a dog for a week? Two weeks?
31. Be a Santi-paws foster to give the foster a break for a few hours or days?
32. Clip coupons for dog food or treats?
33. Bake some homemade doggie biscuits?
34. Make book purchases through Amazon via a web site that contributes commissions earned to a rescue group?
35. Host rescue photos with an information link on your website?
36. Donate time to take good photos of foster dogs for adoption flyers, etc.?
37. Conduct a home visit or accompany a rescue person on the home visit?
38. Go with rescue person to the vet to help if there is more than one dog?
39. Have a yard sale and donate the money to rescue?
40. Be volunteer to do rescue in your area?
41. Take advantage of a promotion on the web or store offering a free ID tag & instead of getting it for your own dog,
have the tag inscribed with your Club's name & ph # to contact?
42. Talk to all your friends about adopting and fostering rescue dogs?
43. Donate vet services or donate a spay or neuter each year or some vaccinations?
44. Interview vets to encourage them to offer discounts to rescues?
45. Write a column for your local newspaper or club newsletter on dogs on dogs currently looking for homes or ways to help rescue?
46. Take photos of dogs available for adoption for use by the Club?
47. Maintain web sites listing/showing dogs available?
48. Help organize and run fundraising events?
49. Help maintain paperwork files associated with each dog or enter info into a database?
50. Tattoo a rescued dog?
51. Microchip a rescued dog?
52. Loan your carpet steamcleaner to someone who fostered a dog that was sick or marked in the house?
53. Donate a bottle of bleach or other cleaning products?
54. Donate or loan a portable dog run to someone who doesn't have a quarantine area for quarantining a dog that has an unknown vaccination history
and has been in a shelter?
55. Drive fosters' children to an activity so the foster can take the dog to obedience class?
56. Use your video camera to film a rescue dog in action?
57. Pay the cost of taking a dog to obedience class?
58. Be the one to take the dog to its obedience class?
59. Go to the foster home once a wk with your children & dogs to help socialize the dog?
60. Help the foster clean up the yard (yes, we also have to scoop what foster dogs poop)
61. Offer to test the foster dog with cats?
62. Pay for the dog to be groomed or take the dog to a *Do It Yourself* Grooming Place?
63. Bring the foster take out so the foster doesn't have to cook dinner?
64. Pay house-cleaning service to do spring cleaning for someone who fosters dogs?
65. Lend your artistic talents to your club's newsletter, fundraising ideas, t-shirt designs?
66. Donate printer paper, envelopes and stamps to your club?
67. Go with a rescue person to the vet if a foster dog needs to be euthanized?
68. Go to local shelters & meet w/shelter staff abt how to identify your breed or provide photos & breed info showing
the different types of that breed may come in & the different color combinations?
69. Go to local businesses and solicit donations for a club's fundraising event?
70. Offer to try and help owners be better pet owners by holding a grooming seminar?
71. Help pet owners be better pet owners by being avail to answer training questions?
72. Loan a crate if a dog needs to travel by air?
73. Put together an Owner's Manual* for those who adopt rescued dogs of your breed?
74. Provide post-adoption follow up or support?
75. Donate a coupon for a free car wash or gas or inside cleaning of a vehicle?
76. Pay for an ad in your local/metropolitan paper to help place rescue dogs?
77. Volunteer to screen calls for that ad?
78. Get some friends together to build/repair pens for a foster home?
79. Microchip your own pups if you are a breeder, and register the chips, so if your dogs ever come into rescue, you can be contacted to take responsibility for your pup?
80. Donate a small percentage of the sale of each pup to rescue if you are a breeder?
81. Buy two of those really neat dog-items you "have to have" and donate one to Rescue?
82. Make financial arrangements in your will to cover the cost of caring for your dogs after you are gone - so Rescue won't have to?
83. Make a bequest in your will to your local or national Rescue?
84. Donate your professional services as an accountant or lawyer?
85. Donate other services if you run your own business?
86. Donate the use of a vehicle if you own a car dealership?
87. Loan your cell phone (and cover costs for any calls) to s/one driving a rescued dog?
88. Donate your *used* dog dryer when you get a new one?
89. Let rescue know when you'll be flying & you'd be willing to be a rescue dog's escort?
90. Donate a doggy seatbelt?
91. Donate a grid for a van or other vehicle?
92. Organize a rescued dog picnic or other event to reunite rescued dogs that have been placed?
93. Donate other types of doggy toys that might be safe for rescued dogs?
94. Donate a roll-a-treat or Buster cube?
95. Donate clickers or a video on clicker training?
96. Donate materials for a quarantine area at a fosters home?
97. Donate sheets of linoleum or other flooring matls to put under crates to protect fosters floor?
98. Donate an engraving tool to make ID tags for each of the rescued dogs?
99. Remember that rescuing a dog involves the effort and time of many people and make yourself available on an emergency basis to do *whatever* is needed?
100. Do something not listed above to help rescue?

**gently-used dog equipment is always welcomed



(Thanx to ALF for this generous list!)

What You Can Do to Help the Animals pt.1 - General Info

I am receiving many emails and messages from people that are getting more conscious on the way animals are being abused, exploited, tortured etc..
For me, being aware that more people are showing signs of compassion and empathy towards our animal family, it's certainly something that gives me more hope.
One of the main questions i read often in those messages, is "How can I help? What can i do to help the animals?" - so, i thought to make a 'little' practical guide where many and many tips, advises and ideas are listed - going from general issues to more specific subjects as to how to write a protest letter, how to recognize and help with animal abuse, how to help to stop the cruel fur-trade, vivisection etc.
Most of the material here provided comes from articles taken from different websites, which are linked at the end of each part (i have to apologize if some references are missing... i just culdn't trace back to the original font).

A 'Big Thanks!' goes to the people behind these sites;
because of them it's possible for all of us to gain so much important information that help us realize the reality of the facts, and give us a chance to make better & more compassionate choices from now on.


WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP


Know the facts. Read animal rights books and other literature. Visit animal rights websites. Join an animal rights organization.
The more you know, the more you can spread the word.

Go vegetarian or vegan. By doing so, you will be directly saving animal lives. The more people eat meat, the more animals are killed so that people eat them.
The only motive for killing animals for food is profit. Do not fund animal cruelty.

Boycott activities and products that involve animal cruelty.
Let the organizations or companies know that you are boycotting them because you are against animal cruelty.

Write letters to the press about animal rights. Be clear, concise and factual. But please note that exaggeration will not help the animal protection cause.
Unfortunately there is enough animal cruelty around without having to "invent" or exaggerate cruelty. Once exaggerated claims are discovered, you will lose credibility. Always quote the source if you are quoting information from other people or organizations. If what you write is only your opinion, let it be known.

Join an animal protection organization which helps abandoned animals. Do voluntary work with an animal welfare organization.
Give a donation. If you have the time and resources, adopt an abandoned animal.

Take an active part in animal protection activities, protests and demonstrations. Show everyone you care.

Lobby politicians to legislate and provide an animal-friendly environment.
Write directly to politicians and/or write letters to the press giving suggestions, complaints, and where due, praise. Politicians are elected by our votes.
They have the duty to listen. Use your vote wisely. Cross vote (vote for candidates from different parties), but make sure you vote only for politicians who care and work for animal rights. Do not vote for politicians who support, practice or do not care about animal cruelty.
By cross-voting, you will make it possible that candidates who care about animals get elected, making it possible to have an animal-caring parliament.

Report acts of animal cruelty to the police (there is a link to their website on the index page). Follow the case to see if anything is done about your report.
It would also be helpful to write about the cruelty to the press, but if you mention names, make sure you have proof.

Carry rescue supplies in your car. You never know when you'll come across an injured animal who may linger in agony for hours or days without help. Have an animal carrier or a big box, towels, gloves, a leash, a net, etc. And don't forget phone numbers for vets, emergency clinics, police, wildlife rehabilitators, etc.
Remember your own safety in all situations and call someone for help if needed.

Let others know about Animal Rights.



10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE THE NEXT CENTURY BETTER FOR ANIMALS


1. Every time you buy a product, you send a message to that company. Make your message that you will only buy products that are cruelty-free. If enough people do this we'll see only cruelty-free products in the future, and that means less suffering for animals. For a list of cruelty-free companies, call NEAVS (617-523-6020).

2. Write to companies that still test their products on animals and let them know that you won't buy their products until they stop.
At the of this topic there are links to websites that list those companies.
Write to your Senators and Representatives urging them to support animal protection legislation.

3. Spread the word. It's as easy as putting a bumper sticker on your car or wearing a button on your shirt. You can raise the awareness of hundreds of people.
Educate friends and family. Give them literature, show them a video, or just be an example of a compassionate life. Don't be frustrated if they don't all "get it." Remember the ripple effect--if one other person gets influenced, then he or she may influence another, who may influence another, and so on.

4. Learn the facts about vivisection. You already know that animal experimentation is cruel; do you also know that it's scientifically unsound?
For a free book list, call NEAVS.

5. Educate others on the topic of vivisection. Set up a display at your public library. NEAVS will send you a free library kit to get you started.

6. Educate the educators in your town that dissection is a thing of the past. There are hundreds of superior ways to learn anatomy and physiology without cutting up animals that are killed specifically for classroom dissection. Call NEAVS to receive "Beyond Dissection", a catalog that lists over 350 alternatives to dissection.

7. Arrange to have a speaker knowledgeable about animal protection talk at your library or club. Call NEAVS to arrange a presentation.

8. Make sure your charitable donations are not going to wasteful animal experimentation. NEAVS will send you a list of organizations that don't conduct animals experimentation. Remember to let medical charities know why you will or will not contribute to them.

9. Become a vegetarian. You drastically lessen your chances of heart disease and many other illnesses.
If more people adopted this healthy lifestyle, less unnecessary experiments on animals would occur.
The fork is the most dangerous Weapon of Mass Destruction when it comes to animals. Consider replacing all animal flesh, dairy, and eggs with the abundant delicious and healthy alternatives that are available today. We can choose compassion every time we have a meal. It's that easy!

10. If you have the time, money and love that is required to give a companion animal a good home, please adopt a dog or cat from a shelter.
In addition, spay or neuter your dog or cat companions, and let your friends know why they should. Over 17,000,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every year in shelters across the USA because there are not enough homes for them all.


From Vol. 80, No. 1, of NEAVS (New England Anti-Vivisection Society) member's magazine.
NEAVS Online


RELATED LINKS:


- PETA's Action Centre
- PETA - Helping Animals
- PETA - Caring Consumer
- Choose Cruelty Free
- Adopt a College - Leafleting Project
- API - Take Action
- Respect for Animals - Get Involved
- End Misery - Help put a Stop to Puppy Mills
- Total Liberation - Activism
- Viva - Get Active
- Ask Carla - Caring Consumer
- Petion Corner at Animal Voice
With only few minutes a day spent on signing petitions, you are showing that You care.

Be a visible & hearable voice for the animals!
The Animals Need You!

Bear Farming

In countries across Asia (such as Korea, China and Vietnam), thousands of bears live a life of torture on bear farms, so that their bile can be extracted and used in Traditional Medicine to cure ailments ranging from headaches to haemorrhoids.
Bears are confined in cages so small that the animals cannot stand erect or turn around, all of which cause terrible physical and mental suffering.
But their torment does not end there.....the bears are subjected to painful methods of bile extraction which involve crude surgery to implant a steel catheter into the abdomen or the creation of a permanent hole in the abdomen known as the "free-dripping" technique.
Many bears die as a result of the unsanitary surgery and those that survive spend the rest of their lives suffering in pain and deprivation.
Whilst the methods of farming bears for their bile vary across Asia and are continually 'evolving', ALL of them are incredibly cruel and totally unacceptable.
(source: AnimalsAsia)





More insights and details on this issue to be found in the following online articles:

AAF - Bear Bile Farming
AAF - "Traditional Medicine"
AAF - Campaign
WSPA - Bear Farming
WSPA - Methods of Bile Extraction
Bear Farming and Trade in China and Taiwan
IFAW - Asiatic Black Bear (or Moon Bear)
IFAW - Saving Moon Bears
HSUS - Bear Parts Trade
EJF - Wildlife trade in Vietnam
Save Bears Now (Myspace page)
Free the Bears









Petitions:

- IFAW
- Save the Moon Bears
- Stop Bear Farming and Bile Extraction
- Ban Chinese Bile Farms







Concerning bears welfare, there are also other topics that need to be brought on the surface:

- Japanese Bear Parks
- Bear Baiting
- Dancing Bears
- Sanctuaries
- Spare the Bears