My New Printable "Why Vegan" Brochures!

Hi everyone!

Lately I've been working on writing literature on animal rights and veganism. One of the things I've written is a brochure called "Why Vegan?". In the brochure, I discuss the reasons for going vegan and  include some details on how to make the switch. I also provide links to other websites, so that people can learn more! I've used some of Jo-Anne McArthur's beautiful photos of animals and humans (since she allows advocates to use her photographs as long as they give her credit for her work) in these leaflets, so they are visually attractive, too!

I created these brochures because I felt that there weren't enough options of leaflets out there. I wanted to hand out leaflets that were non-graphic, that promote veganism unequivocally, that focus on the underlying values of veganism, and that would appeal to people in the mainstream.

I have recently made a brochure for the National Capital Vegetarian Association that is very similar to this one, but that one isn't available for download through my blog. If you live in Ottawa, you might see the NCVA version being handed out at events, however!

You can find my brochures at Google Drive at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzC9bTdfS67Pb1VnYldFWXFHUmc/view?usp=sharing

Feel free to print off my brochures and hand them out, if you'd like-- let's spread the word about compassion and justice, one leaflet at a time! :)

Free Downloadable "I Am A Vegan" Posters

Hi everyone!

Want to put up more posters advocating for veganism? I've created some downloadable posters that you can print off your computer and put up around your city or town! Each poster says, "I am a vegan..." and then gives a reason to go vegan. Some of them are in colour, while others are not. There are five of them in all. Thanks to Jo-Anne McArthur for letting me (and all other animal rights activists!) use her lovely photos!

To give an example, here is one of the posters:

To download all of them, see the PDF here!

Thanks, and keep advocating for the animals!

A Big Announcement

Hello everyone! Today I have a big announcement to make... I'm starting a new blog! It's called Vegan Forget-Me-Nots, and it's a blog on which I will share my latest activism projects and provide resources for other animal rights/vegan activists.

I felt the need to start a new blog in addition to this one because I wanted to start a more focused "homepage" of sorts for my activism-- one on which people can be easily find videos, posters, and other content that I'm making.

I am still going to keep posting sporadically (as I have been doing) on The Animal Rights Action Site, however. I started writing for this blog when I was 15, and have been keeping at it for nearly the past 5 years! This blog has been a useful place for me to develop my writing skills and spread the word about animal rights, and I'm so glad I have kept with it for so long. I love this blog, so don't worry, it isn't going away!

On Vegan Forget-Me-Nots, I am working on a project called "Reasons To Be Vegan". I'm making (a) video(s) and posters for this, so please check out my new blog and sign up for e-mail updates of new blog posts!

You can find it at http://veganforgetmenots.blogspot.ca/ .

Have a great day!



Copyright C. H. 2016

Ban of Selling Commercially-Bred Dogs and Cats from Ottawa Pet Stores!

Hello everyone,
A while ago, I did a post on how the City of Ottawa was considering banning the sale of commercially-bred dogs, cats, and rabbits from pet stores in Ottawa. Well, now I have some pretty good news-- a new law has been passed! Once it starts being enforced, the only dogs and cats that will be allowed to be sold at Ottawa pet stores will be animals from animal shelters and rescues.
The bad news, however, is that these changes will not come into effect for 5 years. Also, none of the articles I have seen on the subject mention rabbits or other small animals at all, so presumably rabbits and other "pocket pets" will still be sourced from commercial breeders. :(
Still, it's encouraging to know that the regulations are changing surrounding this! :)

Here are a couple of links to articles about this:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/council-bans-for-profit-pet-sales-ottawa-1.3534339
http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016/04/13/ottawa-council-approves-pet-shop-bylaw-reform.html

Why whether or not one eats meat is not a "personal choice"

Sometimes non-vegans say that vegans shouldn't try to convince others to go vegan, and that "eating meat is a personal choice" that vegans should respect. But is eating animals really a "personal choice"?
I don't think it is. Here's why...
To begin, let's define "personal choice". In this context, a personal choice is a decision that does not harm or seriously affect anyone else, so the individual making the choice has the right to do as they wish, without anyone else intervening.
But eating animals-- and supporting the cruel and exploitative animal industries in general-- does harm others. It harms the animals. Animal agriculture is responsible for the imprisonment, torture, exploitation, and murder of billions of animals every year.
Whether you are a vegan or a non-vegan is technically a choice, but it is not at all personal. It affects others. For this reason, although I respect individuals who eat meat, I do not have patience for the choice to eat meat. I don't try to aggressively push veganism on people, because I respect the personal space of others. However, when people tell me that they eat meat, I don't simply smile and shrug and say "it's a personal choice", either. Instead, I politely mention that veganism isn't as hard as many people make it out to be, and then let them change the subject if they want to. If they do want to engage in conversation about veganism, I am all too happy to talk about it, though!

Amazing Spoken Song

This is an incredibly powerful video. This spoken song was written and performed by M. Edward King, son of a British farmer (his website is http://vegansongs.com/). Please watch it, and then show it/send it to anyone who will watch it! Thanks! I believe that his song has the ability to change hearts and minds, and to markedly shift the way many people think about animals.
For the animals,
Cat
(If you'd prefer to see the video on YouTube, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYyjel5VuHg)

City of Ottawa Considering Restricting Sale of Dogs, Cats, and Rabbits in Pet Stores

Good news! The City of Ottawa (in Ontario, Canada) (a.k.a. my city!) is considering banning the sale of commercially-bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores. If these new laws come into place, the only dogs, cats, and rabbits who would be allowed to be sold in pet stores would be animals from non-commercial sources (animal shelters, rescues, humane societies, and maybe even from owners who surrender their pet directly to the pet store). I am very excited to hear this news-- it is long overdue!

This new law will likely help to reduce animal breeding operations (including puppy and kitten mills) and encourage adoption, as well as helping to curb the numbers of animals currently entering, living in, and being euthanized in animal shelters. Besides, animals are not property, and should not be treated commercial "products" to be bought and sold!

Currently, there are only three pet stores in Ottawa that sell dogs, cats, and/or rabbits from commercial breeders, but ending this practice in Ottawa once and for all will be a further "win" for the animals. Commercial breeders would still be able to sell animals in venues other than pet stores, but at least more homeless animals from shelters will be adopted than they otherwise would, and it will be harder for commercial breeders to profit from selling sentient creatures. I would like to see these new regulations extend to ALL animals-- not just dogs, cats, and rabbits-- but this is a step in the right direction, at least!

The City of Ottawa encourages residents to read the document explaining these proposed changes, and then to submit their opinions on the City's website.

Discussion Paper with more information:
http://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/documents.ottawa.ca/files/documents/discussion_paper_pet_shop_bylaw_review_en.pdf

Comment Sheet, which can be submitted online:
https://app06.ottawa.ca/cgi-bin/form.cgi?dir=pet_shop&form=form_en

If you live in or near Ottawa, please take a few minutes to submit your opinion!

For the animals,
Cat