Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider an Adult Rescue

Here is a great article I read and wanted to share. Puppies are awesome but they require a lot of work. Please consider an adult rescue - there are 10 great reasons below.

Happy New Year!

"Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider an Adult Rescue"

10) In a Word--Housebroken.
With most family members gone during the workweek for 8 hours or more, house training a puppy and its small bladder can take awhile. Puppies need a consistent schedule with frequent opportunities to eliminate where you want them. They can't wait for the boss to finish his meeting or the kids to come home from after school activities.
An older dog can "hold it" much more reliably for longer time periods, and usually the Rescue has him housebroken before he is adopted.

9) Intact Underwear.
With a chewy puppy, you can count on at least 10 mismatched pairs of socks and a variety of unmentionables rendered to the "rag bag" before he cuts every tooth. And don't even think about shoes!
Also, you can expect holes in your carpet (along with the urine stains), pages missing from books, stuffing exposed from couches, and at least one dead remote control. No matter how well you watch them, it will happen--this is a puppy's job! An older dog can usually have the run of the house without destroying it.

8) A Good Night's Sleep.
Forget the alarm clocks and hot water bottles, a puppy can be very demanding at 2am and 4am and 6am. He misses his litter-mates, and that stuffed animal will not make a puppy pile with him. If you have children, you've been there and done that. How about a little peace and quiet? How about an older rescue dog??

7) Finish the Newspaper.
With a puppy running amok in your house, do you think you will be able to relax when you get home from work? Do you think your kids will really feed him, clean up the messes, and take him for a walk in the pouring rain every hour to get him house trained? With an adult dog, it will only be the kids running amok, because your dog will be sitting calmly next to you, while your workday stress flows away and your blood pressure lowers as you pet him.

6) Easier Vet Trips.
Those puppies need their series of puppy shots and fecals, then their rabies shot, then a trip to be altered, maybe an emergency trip or two if they've chewed something dangerous. Those puppy visits can add up (on top of what you paid for the dog!). Your donation to the rescue when adopting an older pup should get you a dog with all shots current, already altered, heartworm negative and on preventative at the minimum.

5) What You See Is What You Get.
How big will that puppy be? What kind of temperament will he have? Will he be easily trained? Will his personality be what you were hoping for? How active will he be? When adopting an older dog from a rescue, all of those questions are easily answered. You can pick large or small; active or couch potato; goofy or brilliant; sweet or sassy. The rescue and its foster homes can guide you to pick the right match. (Rescues are full of puppies that became the wrong match when they got older!)

4) Unscarred Children (and Adults).
When the puppy isn't teething on your possessions, he will be teething on your children and yourself. Rescues routinely get calls from panicked parents who are sure their dog is biting the children. Since biting implies hostile intent and would be a consideration whether to accept a "give-up", Rescue Groups ask questions and usually find out the dog is being nippy.
Parents are often too emotional to see the difference; but a growing puppy is going to put everything from food to clothes to hands in their mouths, and as they get older and bigger it definitely hurts (and will get worse, if they aren't being corrected properly.) Most older dogs have "been there, done that, moved on."

3) Matchmaker Make Me a Match.
Puppy love is often no more than an attachment to a look or a color. It is not much of a basis on which to make a decision that will hopefully last 15+ years. While that puppy may have been the cutest of the litter; he may grow up to be super-active (when what you wanted was a couch buddy); she may be a couch princess (when what you wanted was a tireless hiking companion); he may want to spend every waking moment in the water (while you're a landlubber); or she may want to be an only child (while you are intending to have kids or more animals). Pet mismatches are one of the top reasons Rescues get "give-up" phone calls.
Good rescues do extensive evaluating of both their dogs and their applicants to be sure that both dog and family will be happy with each other until death do them part.

2) Instant Companion.
With an older dog, you automatically have a buddy that can go everywhere and do everything with you NOW. There's no waiting for a puppy to grow up (and then hope he will like to do what you enjoy.) You will have been able to select the most compatible dog: one that travels well; one that loves to play with your friends' dogs; one with excellent house manners that you can take to your a long day's work and spend your time on a relaxing walk, ride or swim with your new best friend (rather than cleaning up after a small puppy.)

1) Bond--Rescue Dog Bond.
Dogs who have been uprooted from their happy homes or have not had the best start in life are more likely to bond very completely and deeply with their new people. Those who have lost their families through death, divorce or lifestyle change go through a terrible mourning process. Once attached to a new loving family, they seem to want to please as much as possible to make sure they are never homeless again.
Those dogs that are just learning about the good life and good people seem to bond even deeper. They know what life on the streets, life on the end of a chain, or worse is all about, and they revel and blossom in a nurturing, loving environment. Most rescues make exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal companions.
Unfortunately, many folks think dogs that end up in rescue are all genetically and behaviorally inferior. But, it is not uncommon for Rescue to get $500 dogs that have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with impulsive guardians who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or member of the family; or simply did not really consider the time, effort and expense needed to be a dog caretaker.
Not all breeders will accept "returns", so choices for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations, such as Rescues, or the guardians trying to place their own dogs.
Good Rescues will evaluate the dog before accepting him/her (medically, behaviorally, and for breed confirmation), rehabilitate if necessary, and adopt the animal only when he/she is ready and to a home that matches and is realistic about the commitment necessary to provide the dog with the best home possible.
Choosing a rescue dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem (only responsible pet guardians and breeders can do that), but it does give many of them a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good deed", adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made.

Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life!

My New Dryer and More Egg Free Challenge!

Energy saving, green, good for the environment vegan and freegan
















It's solar powered and really quiet. It dries 4 loads in about 3 hours on a sunny day so it saves time. It's a space saver, that's for sure, what with being outside and all. Downside? It's not gonna work in the rain.


This is the heavy duty area where I dry over sized stuff like rugs













Hey, as long as I don't have to WASH them by hand, I don't care, are you with me?

When is that belt coming? I don't know.

I got the free package of Teese that I "won" by sending a recipe to Compassion over Killing.
Um, what's the word? I don't like it very much. It tastes like plastic and doesn't melt at all. I put it under the broiler, no melt. But, it was free and I don't want to complain, so Thanks, Noelle, you are awesome! I hope you like the egg free breakfast recipe! The rest of you click and go, commit to 30 days of egg free! You can save the lives of chickens and reduce your cholesterol, too!

Shopping, the Dinner that Wasn't and Skirts

Went grocery shopping today.















I love my cart all full of veges and nothing else.















I saw this horrible item at the goodwill. I almost bought it but settled for a photo.















it's a cow in a jar with a sign that says "farm fresh milk".
















I didn't eat dinner again. This time i was pissed about something the boy did and didn't want to have to sit at a table and eat food when I was angry. . A good excuse as any not to eat cooked food. I had some leftover smoothie in the fridge so I drank that for dinner and now I am having a glass of water with ACV. I was offered a beer and it's sitting here next to me getting warm but I just don't want it.
I suppose I will drink it eventually.

We went to goodwill today and donated a bunch of old clothes. All my fat clothes, skirts, tops, pants, underwear, all of it gone. I bought two cute skirts for this summer.















eeew, see the scar from my staph infection below my left knee















We went to the new grange co-op. It's a much bigger store than the old one and it just opened this week. We got a bird feeder and a super strength tennis ball, just for the dog. She loves tennis balls and usually has one in her mouth. It's like a habit with this dog and she goes through a number of them every week.

I saw this shirt. It says Cruel Girl and has an image of a person riding a bucking horse on it. Not exactly Suicide Food, but you get the picture. I hate hate hate rodeo.














There was also a coffee mug that said "I'd rather be dumped by a horse than a man". That one is just confusing and depressing.

There were baby chicks for sale and I wanted to buy them all and let them live free and not be confined, tortured and killed, but I don't have a place for them. Little peepers. They still had little knobs on their beaks but were just getting their wing feathers and were playing and flying at each other. I put my finger in the box and they all nipped at me. I love the way baby chicks smell. Little poopie peepers.

How do you like the blue?

Todays smoothie was cantaloupe seed milk, cantaloupe and raw nettles. I used the very tops of the plants, the tenderest parts that haven't even made leaves yet and blended them with the milk and some cantaloupe meat.















Tasted just like cantaloupe.


The man is home, he has strained his back and needs to rest it for a day or so. He should be able to go to work tomorrow.

I got my packet from eggindustry.com. They sent me a couple of pamphlets, a go veg magazine, a couple of stickers and a "vegetarian starter kit" which is a magazine type deal with hints, tips and reasons to go veg, along with some nutritional facts. I suggest you go sign up for it, even if you are a vegan, you can still show your support, encourage others to go egg free for a month and Noelle from Compassion Over Killing is Very Nice and sent me a personal email thanking me for sending in my eggless breakfast recipe which was Vegan Benedict.

Yay! for community and sticking together and spreading the word that not only is eating eggs cruel, it's totally unnecessary for good eating and that complete nutrition is possible and delicious without eggs.

Ok, then.

Today I made a recipe that came out of one of the vegetarian starter kit. It was for eggplant manicotti (no irony intended). I changed the recipe of course. It's in the oven now















Thinly sliced eggplant with a filling made from nettles and onions and some seitan sausage, baked in a cheese sauce. I didn't use any nuts but there are sunflower seeds in it.
howI will let you know how it comes out and post the recipe later :)


The topsy turvy tomato plant has two small tomatoes on it.


















Squeeee!!!















Can you see them?

















Does anyone know what these plants are called?















Or these















How about...












I'm wondering if any of them are edible. The last one, lacy with white flowers smells like carrot or parsely when crushed.


I know what these are and cannot wait to see and smell them...














I cut some large leaves off of the nettle plants and I'm steaming them for the tea to make my home made shampoo/body wash. The man uses it. I'm tryna wean him off the commercial stuff. I will have to find the recipe and I will post that here later today or tomorrow.

How do you like the blue? I was tired of the dark color and wanted to lighten it up a bit.

Dinner Last Night with Banana Nut Cake and Bliss

Juice this morning was carrot, beet, celery.














I'm going to use that pulp to make some Beet Your Meat Raw Vegan Burgers for dinner



Dinner last night was tempeh baked in tomato sauce with onion and potato.














I didn't write down the recipe but it was really good. A sweet sauce made with tomato, zucchini, onion, garlic and grape juice. I am always trying to make barbecue flavor. This one was ok. The man put more barbecue sauce on it :)

Also featured are side salad of corn, tomato, cuke, zuke, onion and fresh thyme, red leaf lettuce with sauerkraut and horseradish and some bread that didn't seem to want to rise. I may or may not have forgotten the baking powder or something. It still tasted good, it was just... thin. and dense. The boy loved it, ate three pieces before I caught him :)

I also made a banana cake with banana nut raw frosting that I was happy with.

Banana Layer Cake

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a loaf pan

In blender:
1 cup grape juice
3 ripe bananas
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 tbs oats
2 tbs ACV
Blend well and set aside

In large bowl:
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix dry ingredients well and add liquid banana mixture

Pour batter in greased and floured pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour. Cool completely.

Frosting or filling

In food processor:
1.5 cup Brazil nuts
2 ripe banana
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs vinegar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Process with S-blade until positively creamy. Chill while the cake is cooling.

When cake has completely cooled, cut the cake in half, cutting the top off of the cake.
Put the bottom back in the pan and spread the frosting all over the bottom half of the cake. Put the top half of the cake back on and chill the cake for an hour before serving.















Shown with Cherry Amaretto Coconut Bliss
which I would never buy but the man brought it home. He said I deserved a treat. Thank you, baby. I like treats. I really don't need any ice cream but I love you for thinking of me. The reason I look sadly at your bowl when you have ice cream is because I am thinking of how bad it is for the cows. I never liked ice cream very much, it's too damn cold :)

Remembering Linda by Abstaining from Eggs for 30 Days

"The egg industry's busiest time of year is the Easter season. After the holiday passes, "sales go down, but the hens keep on laying eggs," says the American Egg Board. In an effort to boost post-holiday sales, egg producers across the country celebrate May as "National Egg Month." Compassion Over Killing is asking you to put an animal-friendly spin on this month-long industry-declared holiday by pledging to Crack the Cruelty and choose egg-free foods for at least 30 days!"

I was raised on a chicken farm and I know that chickens don't like being confined. That they like to be petted. That they will fall asleep in your arms if you hold them.

My first pet was a chicken and I was forced to eat her. No lie.
Please help me to remember "Linda" my pet chicken, by not eating eggs for this month.

It's a small sacrifice for you, but a matter of life or death for the animals.

Here comes Easter. Again.

Then you should read this. Yet another egg farm, is caught being terribly cruel to chickens in a hidden camera sting

Reprinted from http://www.sunjournal.com

State executes search warrant at Turner egg farm

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

TURNER — State agriculture officials are executing a search warrant at Quality Egg of New England on the Plains Road, the former DeCoster Egg Farm, searching for evidence of animal cruelty.

A representative of Mercy for Animals, a national animal protection organization, was hired by Quality Egg and secretly videotaped conditions of the farm from Dec. 16 through Feb. 1. Mercy for Animals filed a formal complaint against the farm with the Animal Welfare Program of the Maine Department of Agriculture on March 19, seeking civil and criminal charges against the farm and its workers.

According to the complaint, Mercy for Animals representatives documented "an ongoing pattern of cruelty to animals, including:

• Supervisors and other workers kicking live hens into manure pits;
• An ill, live hen hung by her leg on a feeding trough without apparent veterinary care or humane euthanasia;
• At least 150 hens stuck on the wires of their cages or trapped under parts of cages, unable to access food or water, or to protect themselves from their cage mates;
• Holes in the flooring of dilapidated cages, many large enough for live hens to fall through into the manure pits below;
• Inhumanely unclean conditions, including extremely decomposed corpses and rotting eggs in cages with live hens producing eggs for human consumption, and hens living with feces caked on them.
• Live hens with their body parts stuck in caging, including at least one live hen's face, pressed against moving conveyor belts.

Quality Egg, originally founded as AJ DeCoster Egg Farms in 1961, was reorganized in 1997 as a limited liability company. The largest producer of eggs in New England, the company's Web site publishes a pledge to strive for "safe quality production at all times," including "meeting the demanding quality standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at all times."

According to Maine law, egg-laying hens fall under the protection of Maine's animal cruelty laws. Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson has been assigned to handle this case.

According Mercy for Animals' undercover investigation, on Dec. 17, "I saw a hen in a top battery cage who was stuck under her front cage wall. ...I tried to push her gently, but she wouldn't move and appeared wedged in between cage wires."

Pointing out the problem to a supervisor, the undercover worker reports that the supervisor "grabbed the hen by a leg and yanked her free forcefully. As he did so, the hen cried out and flapped her wings. She was briefly caught at her cage door" before the supervisor yanked the bird again, spun her around one time by her neck and dropped her on the ground, nudging her with his foot toward the manure pit. "Halfway under a bottom-level egg belt, she popped back onto the floor, flapping her wings, thrashing and bouncing back and forth," according to the worker.

The search warrant, filed in Lewiston District Court, is impounded until State Police file an inventory of their search.

Norma Worley, of the state's Animal Welfare Department, along with three state animal agents and four state troopers, assigned to provide security for the Department of Ag, were at the farm Wednesday afternoon, according to a Sun Journal reporter and photographer at the scene.

It appeared investigators were also removing plastic trash bags from buildings at the farm.

Bob LeClair, a safety compliance officer at the farm, said he could not comment on the situation but a prepared statement from Quality Egg would be made available soon.

There is video, too.

Holidays all seem to center around a corpse in one way or another. I hope you have a happy Easter. I hope that your Easter doesn't involve being cruel to your fellow beings, including chickens, rabbits, lambs and pigs.

Meat Baby

Brought to you by the Daily Weird













This photo doesn't bother me, other than thinking of the cows that were unfairly slaughtered so that it could be made. The thousands and thousands of innocent beings that are confined, tortured and killed every day so people can get their daily dose of tasty meat.

The comments that people made were just priceless. People are sickened by non human animal meat vaguely shaped like a human baby but have no problem eating the babies of non human animals. Unless they are shaped (vaguely) like human babies.

Do you think they get upset over gingerbread men, too?

Maxine's Dash

Maxine's Dash

4 min

On the night of Tuesday, September 18, 2007 a cow was spotted on the streets of Queens. She was tagged for slaughter, but escaped that fate and literally ran for her life. Police and firefighters captured her and brought her to Animal Care & Control in Manhattan. From there, Farm Sanctuary's rescue team stepped in to bring the Fugitive cow, now named Maxine, to safety at our 175-acre sanctuary for farm animals where she will live out her life in peace and comfort.

Thanks to the people who responded to help this cow in need, Maxine will have a life full of green pastures, a warm cozy barn, nourishing food and fresh water, veterinary care, a herd of cattle friends, and the love of shelter caregivers at Farm Sanctuary.

If you think it's humane to eat eggs...

Before you eat another egg, watch this video about a chain grocery store on the east coast.

Wegman's Cruelty

They are certified humane, don't forget.

MLK DAY 2009

Good morning.

The boy is home today. MLK is a school holiday.

We got some hair clippers yesterday and today I gave him a nice clipper cut. 1 inch all over his head. It looks neat and tidy and he likes it that way.
It will save him a good ten minutes every morning doing his hair. His bed head is legendary.

Unfortunately, he also has a bit of a cold so I am trying to keep him quiet and pumping juice. Commercial apple juice, but it is 100% juice. He won't try juice that I make and since I'm off sweet fruit, I don't foresee making any. Now he's having a bagel with Nutella. Not vegan. He doesn't care.

I sometimes get really sad because I know they don't want to stop using dairy products. I don't think I will ever be able to keep a vegan kitchen. Death and sadness flavor everything I eat, even if I don't actually eat the dairy and eggs.
When we were shopping yesterday, the man mentioned that dairy didn't kill cows and I set him straight. I explained the whole process of dairy: rape, pregnancy, abduction of the calves from the mother to be made veal and die young, or to become dairy cows and suffer the same fate as their mother and then be slaughtered after a life of slavery, right there in the health food section. And I didn't whisper.

I hope someone heard me and thinks about it. I hope the man heard me and thinks about it.

We also went to the feed store. We got some seeds and some starter trays. I got a bunch of herbs, oregano, basil, and some marigolds. The man got a few varieties of tomatoes. I haven't ever had my own garden and I don't think he has either. We are both very excited about growing and eating our own tomatoes and herbs. This is year one.

I belive that there should be vegan options offered in public school

And I don't just mean pb&j on white bread, iceberg lettuce and carrot sticks.
It isn't that hard, or that much more expensive to cook meals for the children, in the school, rather than serve them canned and frozen crap, or worse, fast food and soda pop, day after day

Read people's opinions, cast your own opinion and vote:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/vegan_school_lunch_options

Then go read some animal rights literature.

http://animalrights.change.org/



Think about this:

Why are some people vegan and some not? We all know that animals have to suffer die to make meat, eggs and milk, so why are some people bothered enough by these facts to go against everything they were ever taught was right and stop eating other beings, even if it alienates them from everyone they know, at least on some level, and some people just say, "oh, well, it's just a dumb cow/pig/chicken/rabbit/turkey/fish/bee", etc?

It isn't intelligence (well, not in every case). There are amazingly intelligent people, many of whom are activists for animal rights, still eat beings with a central nervous system.

It isn't creativity. Many stunningly creative people won't wear fur or buy things from sweat shops, yet they still eat mammals and birds that show intelligence and try to avoid pain.


Mary Martin asks this question far more eloquently in her blog.

Raw Vegan Sesame Flax Vegetable Crunchy Munchie Snack Crackers Sandwich Bread Pizza Crust RAW RECIPE!!!

When you become a vegetarian it seems like you are cutting a lot of things from your diet. Until you really get into it. Then you realize you have barely opened the top drawer of REAL, Cruelty-free food there is out there!

I quit eating bread, pasta and all things cooked grain long before I went vegan.

I started eating apples instead of crackers. A couple of apples and hummus or some nice goat cheese was a typical lunch or dinner for me.

Then one day I heard about these:













I have been making them since I moved up here but I don't think I have written about them until now, so here we go!

OOwee! Inspired by Isle Dance I have made a batch of green AND brown/red crackers

The green ones are made from pulp left over from juicing celery, parsely, cucumbers and some garlic. The orange-y ones are carrot and the reddish ones are sun dried tomato and red bell pepper.

These are simple to make.
You know I never measure anything, but here are the ingredients:

Whole Flax seeds
Sesame seeds
whatever vege or pulp you have laying around from juicing
a bit of salt
garlic or onion or hing or oregano or whatever seasoning you wish.*
a little water
Food process them up to a doughy consistency and spread on a sheet of parchment paper. I put them in the oven at the lowest heat for about 1 hour then flip them and put back for one more hour.

Then transfer them to the deyhdrator until crispy.**

Make a big batch. Once they are dried they keep in the freezer almost indefinitely. I usually (try to) make enough for a week or more at a time. ***

They are great guilt free munchies for those moments when you want SOMETHING but don't quite know what. They are a great transitioning food. E loves them! I haven't been able to get the boy to try them yet, :(

I make larger ones for sandwich bread and round ones for pizza crusts. Great for a quick lunch or dinner idea!














Spread on some seed cheese or vege pate, add sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, sprouts, soaked sundried tomatoes, whatever catches your fancy!

I am sure you can find better recipes for RAW FLAX CRACKERS on the internet, but I hope this can be an inspiration to you.


Footnotes
* you could also make them sweet, I suppose. I haven't tried that yet.

** I heat these at 170F so they may not be considered 100% raw. They can be made in a dehydrator at a temp of 125 or lower for a few hours, flipped and left overnight until crispy
*** They do get eaten fast. I've never been able to make a batch last more than a week!

Good Morning!

A blurry view of the lake...













And before you put that milk in your coffee...



















You can stop it. You don't have to wait. Go vegan now, Please? Small sacrifice for you, huge difference for them.

I found this through:

Animal Person

It comes from:

Peaceful Prairie

WTF? Seriously?

That person (you-know-who. I don't want my blog getting hits from her stupid name) yakking on and on in that idiotic way she has about how much fun she had running for high office while turkeys are brutally slaughtered in some sort of Death Funnel right next to her (4 minute youtube vid, color and sound so you can enjoy the blood and the tortured cries).

What? You'll eat them but you don't want to see them killed? Oh, well.

If that part doesn't bother you, let me appeal to the fashion-ista in you...

The scarf around her neck tells me one of two things. Either she's wearing a $90 Burberry Camel Nova Check cashmere scarf or, she's wearing a counterfeit Burberry Camel Nova Check acrylic scarf.

Either way, it's wrong.

Counterfeiting is as wrong as wearing animal products (cashmere). Even more so, according to people who oppose animal rights, because it exploits human beings.

Boo. Hiss. Open Your Eyes, Lady.

I was made aware of this video by the Animal Person and by Reformed fast food mascot