While Jane Doe 1 (the one with the enormous tumor) was being prepared for surgery, her cage mate literally leapt up out of the aquarium and onto my dad’s shoulder. As soon as she arrived there, she began to make the joyful chattering sound that rats make when they are happy. After all that they had been through, here she was, trusting a human and expressing affection. He was deeply moved.
Much to everyone’s amazement, Jane (she kept the name) survived her surgery, and over time, made a complete recovery. When the tumor was weighed after it was removed, it was discovered that it weighed just about the same as she did. She was overjoyed at no longer having to cart around the excess baggage of human indifference.
Happily, Mr. Guinea Pig had a successful surgery as well. It was cancer, but Dr. Mabley was successful at removing it completely. My friend and fellow animal rescuer, an exceptional woman named Fenella Speece (founder of Wee Companions Small Animal Rescue and Adoptions), offered to take Mr. Guinea Pig, whom she named Nelson. Fenella has a family to care for and also works as a nurse caring for
humans
, yet she somehow finds the time to take good care of countless
animals
in need as well. Under her care, Nelson made a complete recovery.
Sadly, one of the rats had inoperable cancer that had spread to the lungs, and she died shortly thereafter; but at least she died peacefully, in the presence of humans who respected her and cared about her well- being. The other two rats, Jane and Sarabeth, are living happily here at the Rat Refuge to this day. It still warms my heart to see them running freely around the Rat Room, while memories of their years in that filthy prison have faded away.
When I called the preschool to let them know that one of the rats had died but the other animals were all doing great, I also politely told the woman who answered the phone that I really didn’t think their preschool was an appropriate environment for animals. She was noticeably perturbed at my intrusion into their business.
“I appreciate your opinion,” she said coldly and curtly, obviously not appreciating it at all. “Thanks for all you’ve done. Good-bye.” And I knew that the suffering would continue, as more “classroom pets” replaced those whose neglected bodies had been discarded.
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity.
—G
EORGE
B
ERNARD
S
HAW
Despite my best efforts, I find it difficult to stop such cruelty, because as of this writing, certain animals—including rats, mice and birds—do not have any legal protection. (Even those animals who
are
“protected” by the law are protected by laws that aren’t always enforced.) Ultimately, there are
no
laws that protect them, other than the laws of conscience.
In my rescue work, I have seen the worst of humanity, and I’ve also seen the best of humanity. It is heartbreaking to see the tremendous unnecessary suffering that occurs at the hands of humans who are indifferent to the feelings of animals and treat them as nothing more than showpieces, or worse. On the bright side, it is heartwarming to see the kind acts of those who are working tirelessly to make things right.
It is not enough to be compassionate; you must act.
—T
HE
D
ALAI
L
AMA
A
NIMALS AS
S
AINTS
—A
NIMALS AS
T
EACHERS
O
VER THE YEARS
as I spoke with countless people about their own departed companion animals, I noticed a very common theme. As they spoke of these animals, it was almost as if they were speaking of an angel or a saint. These animals hadn’t just brought them love and companionship; these animals had acted as spiritual teachers, bringing incredible amounts of insight and inspiration.
K
ATHLEEN
d
E
M
ETZ
, an attorney in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, had the following to say about her beloved dog, Sammy:
I always felt that there was something more about him, that in many ways he was much more than a dog. There was a wiseness about him, and a gentleness. I felt that he was almost some kind of an advanced spirit … there was something about him. I always called him my angel dog—my guardian angel. He had the sweetest disposition. When I looked in his eyes, I almost saw the face of God because he was totally good.
One day he was in the yard and he ran up to something and stopped. I was in the kitchen doing the dishes and he looked at me and he started barking. This was a dog who almost never barked. I said, “What’s he barking at? He doesn’t bark.” And then he looked at the ground, he looked back at me, and he barked again. And he kept it up. He wanted something. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I went outside and there was a little injured bird in the yard. He was calling me to help the bird. When I went over to the bird, he stopped barking.
A year later, I adopted another dog, Harry, who was on his way to the pound. Sammy accepted him right away. Harry had seizures. The first time this happened I was lying in bed sleeping, and all of a sudden Sammy was jumping on me. He didn’t normally wake me up like this. I woke up and he kept jumping on me, so I sat up. Then he jumped off the bed and I ran over and Harry was having a seizure. Sammy always woke me up to alert me when Harry was having a seizure. He was always doing very kind things like that.
When I was in labor with my son, Sammy was on my stomach. When I adopted my daughter, I brought her home from the adoption agency and he went right up and gave her a kiss. He didn’t have a jealous bone. He was total unconditional love.
I’ve only ever gone to a meditation class once in my life. It was very interesting because when I went into the meditation, it involved
him
. In the meditation, I was walking in the woods with Sammy and I came to a clearing; there was an ancient circle of wisdom. Sammy stopped, and I went on to the circle of wisdom. There were all these people in white robes and they said, “You have to learn to love as he loves. He has total unconditional love. Your purpose is to learn to love as he does. He does not care what anyone looks like, if you are rich or poor, your race, your nationality, your wealth, your education; he just loves totally and completely, and that is how you are to learn to love, as Sammy loves.” Then, in the meditation, I walked back to him and we walked out.Years ago I took Sammy to an animal communicator. I didn’t tell her anything about him. She told me he was very empathic and altruistic. She said he told our other dog not to do bad things because the other dog was always getting into trouble. She said Sammy was very sensitive, and if we weren’t home, he would worry; he worried about us because he cared so much about us.
He was always just pure love. He had a very empathic quality. He also taught me so many things. I saw the love and the caring and the emotions that he had, and I started feeling that way about other animals. I thought,
If he has these emotions, how do other animals feel? And how do they feel about being eaten?
and he actually got me to stop eating meat. I used to eat meat—in fact, I didn’t even
like
vegetables—I loved meat, and he got me to quit eating it. He got me to respect all life and all creation, even little insects. If there is an ant or a moth in my house, I gently take them and let them outside. If I see a worm on the ground and it’s raining, I’ll move it out of the way so people don’t step on it. Sammy got me to do all that. It was all him. That’s why I say he was my guide, my life lesson, my angel. I revere all creation now, and it’s all because of him.It’s amazing how it spreads, because now I teach my kids; and they tell kids at school not to hurt the insects, and it really multiplies. When somebody goes to smash an insect, they will say, “No, I’ll let him out.” Now even some of their teachers are starting to let them out—and other kids—it’s amazing how it spreads.
So many people say animals don’t have souls, and I say God is such a wonderful God there is no way that could be true. At least my dogs have a wonderful life, but look at all those animals that have a horrible life—look at all those animals in the factory farms. There is no way God would let those animals live a life of total misery and then just have them rot in the ground. A good God is not going to do that.
T
IME AND AGAIN
, I heard similar comments by people from all walks of life. They had looked upon their beloved companions as spiritual guides or teachers. Many people had been so touched by an animal that they changed their thinking, their life direction, even their diet, and all were better for it.
Another wonderful example of this is an exceptional man named Eddie Lama whose whole perspective changed as a result of the love of a cat. He now devotes himself to the welfare of animals and has made a tremendous difference in the world. Among other things, he founded Oasis: A Sanctuary for People and Animals. His moving story is told in the award-winning documentary
The Witness,
by Tribe of Heart Productions (
www.TribeOfHeart.org
). I highly recommend this eye-opening film.
I, too, am leading a completely different life than I would otherwise be leading if not for the love of animals. I, too, changed my diet as a result of their love and inspiration. I decided at a young age that I wanted to become a vegetarian when I grew up. And that I did. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. In college, I became a vegan, and I’ve never looked back.
For me, it was a decision based solely on the desire not to cause suffering to my fellow beings. I later learned that this decision also had a powerful beneficial impact on our environment and world hunger, issues that are also very important to me (for more information on this, I highly recommend the book
Diet for a New America
by John Robbins, and the video documentary with the same title). An added and unexpected bonus was that my health benefited dramatically when I changed my diet. I was a relatively sickly child and young adult, but because of a decision that was solely inspired by the animals themselves, my health improved tremendously. I am ever grateful to them.
When I later changed majors, studied nutrition, and went on to become a practicing naturopath and health researcher, I discovered the solid scientific explanations as to
why
my health had improved so dramatically due to changing my diet. (Jameth had originally made the decision to adopt a vegan diet exclusively for its health benefits. However, once he learned of the ethical reasons for such a diet, these reasons became even
more
important to him as well.)
When people came to Jameth and me for nutritional guidance during the many years that we practiced together as naturopaths (Jameth still does), we—and they—were always amazed at the dramatic healings that took place due to this simple change in diet, regardless of blood type, body type, or any other factor (when done healthfully, of course). Because of my own blood type and body type, I am not “supposed to” be able to thrive on such a diet according to the popular fad theory of the day, but nothing could be further from the truth. My personal blood work and long-term research—and that of countless others—put such theories to rest long ago.
Over time, I’ve observed as conflicting theories and trends have come and gone (often due to the common resistance that so often flares up when humans and industries feel threatened by change), but the actual data—and more importantly, the results themselves—have remained steadfast; and more and more people are changing their diets similarly. As grateful as we all are for the improved health that accompanies this dietary decision, I think the animals are the most grateful of all.
One farmer says to me, “You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make bones with,” and … all the while he walks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle.
—H
ENRY
D
AVID
T
HOREAU
Nuclear power, starvation, cruelty—we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it’s a strong one.
—I
SAAC
B
ASHEVIS
S
INGER
, N
OBEL
P
RIZE
W
INNER AND
H
OLOCAUST
H
ISTORIAN
When non-vegetarians say that “human problems come first,”
I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farmed animals.
—D
R
. P
ETER
S
INGER
(P
RINCETON
B
IOETHICIST
), A
NIMAL
L
IBERATION
I
FEEL FORTUNATE
to have known and loved many different types of animals as a child. In fact, cows and chickens were my friends long before I realized they were my food. Spending my summers on thousands of pristine acres of wilderness at The Ranch gave me an opportunity early on to commune with a wide assortment of incredible beings; it gave me the opportunity to get to know the animals who, unbeknownst to me at the time, were destined for my plate.