Kathy Stevens 2013-05-25T11:16:52-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=kathy-stevens Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Kathy Stevens Good old fashioned elbow grease. I Know That Meatball: Two Issues That Matter More Than Horsemeat tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2766467 2013-02-27T14:12:09-05:00 2013-04-29T05:12:01-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/
If we take the scandal to heart, the lesson is a good one: when we buy processed food, we are not in control of what we put in our body. Period. As The Guardian reports in its "Horsemeat Scandal: The Essential Guide":

A handful of key players dominate the beef processing and supermarket sectors across Europe....long supply chains enable them to buy the ingredients for processed foods from wherever they are cheapest...networks of brokers, cold store operators and subcontracted meat cutting plants...supply rapidly fluctuating orders 'just in time.' Consultants estimate around 450 points at which the integrity of the chain can break down.


In other words, the scandal is the most recent example of what goes wrong when corporations, not farmers, control every aspect of our food supply. (I recommend Foodopoly by Wynonah Hauter, Director of Food and Water Watch, for a sobering discussion of our broken system.) In the case of horses, when they are bred in one country, killed in another, stored in a third and eaten in a fourth, of course things are going to go wrong.

Yet the conversations I'm hearing related to the scandal aren't so much about food production, a topic important not only to our health, but indeed to the very survival of the planet. Instead, they're largely about the ethics of eating horses. From where I sit, we're missing an important opportunity to discuss far bigger issues.

Mind you, I love horses. Mr. Red, my first "horse," was the size of a Great Dane; Santa tied him on the back porch one snowy Christmas long ago. There have been many horses in my life since that day: the racehorses my Dad bred and trained, the ponies with whom I began riding lessons and the thoroughbreds to whom I advanced; the 200 or more rescued by Catskill Animal Sanctuary since we opened our doors. Blind horses, outrageously funny horses, cranky horses, smart horses, not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer horses. Buddy. Sergeant Pepper. Tinkerbell. Maxx. Mr. Red. Ludwell. Casey. Friends and teachers, all of them.

Of all the horses CAS has rescued, how many would have wound up in an IKEA meatball, an Irish Whopper, or as glue, sausage casings and paintbrushes? A lot of them. How many of my childhood friends did? Some sobering statistics: of the 100,000 "at risk" horses sold at auction each year, the majority are bought by "kill buyers" -- people who buy horses cheaply at auction to resell them for profit to a slaughterhouse. But here's the truth: I love cows, too. Of the thirty or so rescued by Catskill Animal Sanctuary (we can't take in as many cows as horses, since sadly, no one adopts them), how many would have wound up in an IKEA meatball, an Irish Whopper, a frozen TV dinner, a rump roast, a t-bone steak or a hamburger? All of them. But there's no furor about this.

When he was dying, the gentle steer Samson licked my face over and over until he took his final breath. A dozen people witnessed this. When I go to the pasture to visit a resting Amos, the longhorn steer whose great horns point skyward, I drape my body over his back and wrap my arms around his neck. He, too, responds with kisses. Though I haven't indulged him in a while, one of Tucker the steer's favorite activities is bath time: he loves getting lathered up, scrubbed and rinsed, and often chews my shirt or other part of my body while I bathe him. Blind cows (yep), outrageously funny cows, cranky cows, smart cows, not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer cows. Babe. Rosebud. Emerson. Molly. Mama Sherman. Russell. Sammy. Friends and teachers, all of them. The possibility of turning one of them into food for humans is no less untenable than contemplating turning Buddy the blind horse into food. The idea of turning any animal into food for humans is untenable for many reasons, but especially because I know that there is little meaningful difference between animal species. In ways that truly matter -- individuality, the richness of our emotional lives, the bonds we form, the fact that pain and suffering feel the same regardless of species -- we are all the same.

While IKEA says that there's no horsemeat in the meatballs sold in their American stores, USDA officials acknowledge that species testing for imported meat happens only when there's a reason to question a shipment. The truth is that we don't know if there's horse in the meatballs you ate on your last shopping trip because we haven't tested them. We do know that there is cow meat in them.

The term carnism refers to what Melanie Joy describes as the invisible belief system that justifies the eating of certain animals while making the eating of others feel morally repugnant. In addition to our broken food production system -- a system that tortures animals and poisons people and the planet on which we all depend, I hope the scandal about horses in Whoppers and meatballs encourages a real dialogue about this knotty issue. The USDA reports that today, 483 American horses, 7,247 cows, 315,507 pigs, and 23,300,000 chickens will be slaughtered. All of them will become our food. And no matter whether you, for cultural reasons, feel differently about eating horses than you do about eating all the rest, the fact is that slaughter, and all the horror leading up to it, feels just the same to a cow, a chicken or a pig as it does to a horse.

Let's talk about food production: its assault on animals, on human health and on the planet.Let's talk about carnism. And let's go vegan.]]> Bill and Lou and Shifting the Paradigm: Now Is the Time to Go Vegan tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2128952 2012-11-19T11:06:04-05:00 2013-01-19T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ Bill and Lou, scheduled for slaughter after a lifetime of service to the college, were featured in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and many other major media outlets, and inspired action and dialogue around the world. But now that Lou has been euthanized due to an injury and the college has decided to keep Bill, an even more urgent dialogue needs to happen. It is a dialogue about sustainability.

Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont is a liberal arts institution whose mission is to "prepare students for productive, caring and fulfilling lives by taking the environment as the unifying theme underlying its programs." This laudable mission is seen in course offerings, green jobs programs, numerous campus-based green initiatives and much more. The school's commitment to the environment appears to be close to a raison d'etre. Look, for instance, at its Strategic Plan 2020, which charges the school with becoming "authentically sustainable," or, in their words, "giving back more than we are taking." Named the nation's greenest college by The Sierra Club, the Green Mountain community intends to walk their talk. Good for them. Good for us.

I wonder if this environmental innovator has begun a conversation about becoming a vegan college. Plainly and simply, growing animals to feed humans -- no matter how conscientiously -- is not sustainable, and animal production appears to be a key piece of the Green Mountain experience. The controversy over Bill and Lou, in fact, began when a farm animal sanctuary offered lifetime care to the boys, but the college refused to sign them over, deciding instead to feed them to the students.

The devastating impact of animal agriculture is a hard, cold fact, presented convincingly by dozens of organizations including the United Nations and borne out by scientific review, the careful charting of environmental degradation, human illness and cancer rates, and increasing global climate instability. Why does it have such ill effects? A very complex issue can be boiled down to this: with a growing human population demanding more animal products, there is an accompanying demand for more water, more land, more feed for the animals, more fertilizer and pesticides and antibiotics (all toxic, all entering our soil and water), more fuel, more electricity, more waste disposal capacity, and on and on. That constant demand for more has pushed Mother Earth to the breaking point... and she is pushing back.

Let's take a look at just one resource: water. WorldWatch Institute notes that the standard American diet (meat and dairy-based) requires 4,200 gallons of water per day, while a plant-based diet requires only 300 gallons a day. It takes between 2,500 and 5,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, vs. 49 gallons to produce a pound of apples. We're taking 13 trillion gallons of water per year from the Ogallala aquifer, the largest body of fresh water on earth, mostly for beef production. As a result, say many scientists, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico may soon be virtually uninhabitable. These are but a handful of thousands of ways that animal production taxes our finite water supply.

As our diet is causing the middle of the country to shrivel up like a prune, lower Manhattan, the Jersey shore and other areas in the Northeast have just experienced their own Katrina. Climate scientists' predictions are coming true sooner than anyone anticipated: our shorelines may soon be underwater. Look at the havoc wrought by Katrina, Irene and Sandy alone, not to mention more devastating catastrophes farther from American shores. Conversations unfathomable a few short years ago are taking place -- about putting houses on stilts, about building towering walls at coastlines to keep out the sea. On the heels of so many other "natural" disasters, Sandy convinced even some naysayers that global warming is here, is real, and that we need to act. But first, we need to question. To think. To change. We need a paradigm shift.

Green Mountain College envisions itself "leading the world toward sustainability through our example" by the year 2020. But "animal production" and "authentic sustainability" are mutually exclusive. Even though Green Mountain is growing animals far more responsibly than agribusiness does, it turns away from a larger truth: to be authentically sustainable means to be vegan. No matter how animals are grown, growing plants to feed humans is easier on the earth than growing plants to feed animals and then turning those animals into food. Indeed, the breadth of devastation wrought by animal agriculture is impossible to capture in a brief blog post, but ranges from the loss of biodiversity to the loss of 40 percent of our ecologically vital Amazon rainforests and 75 percent of our topsoil to the extinction of entire bodies of water and thousands of plant and animal species. According to Time, regarding its impact on global warming, "the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) concluded that livestock farming generates 18 percent of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions," while other scientists postulated that the more accurate figure may be as high as 51 percent.

Where, America, is the urgent conversation about changing our personal behavior -- i.e, our diet -- to mitigate environmental disaster, and prevent loss of life and other hardship on a scale that we likely can't imagine? Right now, all I'm hearing are conversations about sea walls and raising the foundations of houses. Impractical, for starters. More to the point, these remedies are nothing more than sticking our head into the sand and waiting for Mother Nature to whack us in the ass. They are band aids, not preventive medicine.

As we humans bump along through history, we become more enlightened, not less. Despite a vociferous few who cling to archaic ideas that fail to serve the greater good, most of us march forward, toward a more enlightened view of the world. Social change is a tall order, requiring folks to reconsider deeply held beliefs influenced by culture, religion, family history, personal bias, and more. But to our credit, we Americans are good at paradigm shifts. Consider, for instance, the election, and reelection, of Barack Obama. It is my hope that Bill and Lou -- two humble, beloved souls -- become the teachers who jettison us to the next level, creating the conversation that helps us all make the next urgent paradigm shift: the shift to veganism.

If humanity is to survive, a shift of this magnitude must happen right now. Now is the moment for us to talk seriously, as a world community, about veganism. Vision, knowledge, leadership, and political courage are desperately needed. If it chooses to, Green Mountain College, in the once-sleepy town of Poultney, Vermont, is poised to lead the conversation for, thanks to its own admirable mandate and two old oxen named Bill and Lou, the whole world is watching.

Suggested reading: "Livestock's Long Shadow."]]> Thirty Days, Thirty Reasons, Thirty Ways: Go Vegetarian In October! tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1923921 2012-09-28T16:59:03-04:00 2012-11-28T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ World Vegetarian Day--the kickoff for Vegetarian Awareness Month than runs throughout October. If you've been toying with the idea of going vegetarian, then let me be your cheerleader, and let the following lists inform and inspire! Good luck...and please share your journey!

A Reason a Day to Go Vegetarian
1. Because there are thousands of reasons to go vegetarian (only room for 30 here), and only two not to: 1. because you're afraid to try something new 2. because you don't know what to eat. Thousands of reasons outweigh two, don't they?

2. Because if you want to get healthy, you should start with food! Replace cancer-causing, fat, pesticide and hormone-laced meats with cancer-preventing, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol lowering foods like apples, broccoli, blueberries, carrots, flax, garlic, leafy greens, nuts and sweet potatoes.

3. Because vegetarians are about 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters.

4. Because our meat and dairy-centric diet is woefully lacking in health-giving fiber, contained only in plant-based foods. A minimum of 35 grams per day is recommended; the typical American consumes only 12.

5. Because four out of five Americans with cardiovascular disease who switch to a healthy (low-fat, whole foods) vegetarian diet reverse their symptoms completely.

6. The news gets better. Heart and blood-vessel diseases, diabetes, and of course obesity are preventable for 95% of us if we follow a healthy vegan diet, exercise, and manage stress.

7. Because I'll bet you agree with Dean Ornish, one of the researchers who proved statement #4: "I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic while it is medically conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs."

8. Because humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species, and that fact alone should give you pause. Think about it for a moment. Isn't it logical that cow's milk is designed to feed baby cows? When ingested by humans, cow's milk is linked to constipation, allergies, obesity, acne, childhood diabetes, and much more. It's chock full of cholesterol (plant foods have none), and likely filled with antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticides.

9. Because of pink slime. PERIOD.

10. Because 70% of our antibiotics are fed to livestock. Doesn't that scare you...just a little?

11. Because we are going to run out of food if we keep growing most of it to feed animals, who in turn feed far fewer peoplepeople than if we grew the food to feed directly to people. (One can feed 16 to 20 vegetarians with the same amount of natural resources as a single meat eater.)

12. In 2006, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions -- compared with 13% generated by all transportation combined. In 2009, however, WorldWatch Institute reported that the more accurate figure may be as high as 51%. Our diet is cooking our planet.

13. Because along with hundreds of scientists and many major media, the head of the U.N.'s Nobel Prize-winning panel on climate change urged people to cut back on meat to combat climate change.

14. Because it takes over 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, vs. 49 gallons to produce a pound of apples. We're using so much water for beef production that many leading environmentalists are predicting that Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico will soon be virtually uninhabitable. Why? We're taking 13 trillion gallons of water per year from the Ogallala aquifer, the largest body of fresh water on earth. Its water is left from the melted glaciers of the last Ice Age. Once the water is gone, it's gone.

15. Because vast bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay are becoming toxic waste sites. Due to massive algae blooms from chicken and dairy factories that line the Eastern Shore, only ten percent of the Bay has enough oxygen in the summer. It's so depleted that animals leap from the water to breathe. We humans have given their desperate act the ironic name of "jubilee."

16. Because 75% of our topsoil has been depleted primarily due to growing animals to feed people. It takes 500 years to replace one inch of topsoil--the stuff that food grows in. "A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself," said Franklin D. Roosevelt.

17. Because there are no septic systems on factory farms. Americans eat around 9 billion animal each year: that makes for a lot of poop. Some manure goes directly into waterways, and some is stored in giant pits called "lagoons." When they leech, crack, or overflow, feces goes directly into our rivers, streams, lakes...and our drinking water.

18. Because chickens, cows, and pigs aren't fed what they're designed to eat. They're fed what's cheap and what makes them grow incredibly fast. Some of what they eat is rendered animals - the boiled and ground up remains of dead and diseased animals, including roadkill and euthanized pets.

19. Because in ways that truly matter, we are all the same. Think about it. Whether human or non-human animal, we all seek happiness and pleasure, we all try to avoid pain and suffering. We all have rich and complex emotional lives.

20. Because when folks sneak into chicken and turkey factories, here's what they see: gas masks hanging inside buildings in which the animals lived, the lack of anything resembling farm life--not a single window to let in fresh air, not a tiny patch of earth. Dead and dying animals...lots of them: the bruised and bloodied ones, the ones struggling for air, the deformed ones, the ones covered in sores. As Jonathan Saffran Foer writes, "the power brokers of factory farming know that their business model depends on people not being able to see (or hear about) what they do."

21. Because of "flip-over syndrome." It's the term used by the poultry industry to describe sudden death. Forced to grow more quickly than their bodies can handle, about five percent of chickens die this way prior to their predetermined death sentence at 42 days.

22. Because terms like humanely-raised, free-range, and all-natural are...um...bullshit. Sorry. Utterly meaningless. The definitions are ludicrous and the industries regulate themselves.

23. Because brain scientists have recently acknowledged that most animals are conscious and aware in the same way that humans are, and confirmed that virtually all animals have at least some degree of sentience -- even bees, according to Christof Koch in his Huffington Post blog, "Consciousness is Everywhere."

24. Because of the hundreds of moments we've witnessed at Catskill Animal Sanctuary: pigs laughing, sheep protecting other species, turkeys cuddling up in our laps to fall asleep, tender friendships among goats and chickens.

25. Because it's plain and simply wrong for a newborn animal to be ripped from its mother, terrified and hungry, and driven into a crowded pen with other terrified babies, purchased and slaughtered immediately or caged in darkness for four months, then slaughtered. (Veal).

26. Because here's one of many examples of why switching to fish doesn't help. During the process of fishing for tuna, 150 other species are routinely killed and thrown back into the ocean. Among them are great white sharks, swordfish, sea horses, bluefish, albatross, gulls, bottlenose dolphins, harbor porpoises, killer whales, pilot whales, humpback whales, loggerhead turtles.

27. Because unless we reverse course, there will soon be no more edible fish in our mighty, majestic oceans.

28. Because I've barely scratched the surface here in depicting how animals suffer under our modern agribusiness system. I haven't even mentioned pigs, who, like the rest, suffer mightily.

29. Because my guess is that you try hard to be a good human being, yet as a carnivore, you unwittingly subject hundreds of living beings each year to a level of suffering that you wouldn't wish upon the vilest human being you could conjure up.

30. Because in the time that it took me to write this article, the USDA reports that almost 1 million chickens, 28,526 turkeys, 23,027 pigs and many thousands more animals -- animals brain scientists have just said are conscious and aware, just like humans -- were killed to feed us.

Reeling? GOOD! Here are 30 ways to get started on your vegan journey!

1. Wanna learn about this lifestyle? Order the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine's vegetarian starter kit,
2. or download a veg starter kit from Mercy For Animals.
3. PCRM even helps pregnant women take care of themselves---and the baby!
4. And they help parents get the diet thing right from the beginning!
Oprah to the rescue! From her 'Vegan Starter Kit' website, here are:
5. Three weeks of what to eat 3x/day,
6. answers to lots of questions you probably have,
7. a pretty awesome shopping list,
8. and vegan alternatives to everyday foods.
9. No matter where you live or travel, Happy Cow will help you locate somewhere good to eat!
10. So will VegGuide!
11. Pam Rice's fabulous publication, 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian, will inform and inspire (thanks to Pam for supplying some of the information in my lists!)
12. Think your favorite chain restaurant won't have food for you? Think again! Moe's, Subway, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, California Pizza Kitchen, PF Changs, and Taco Bell have several options; some, like Moe's, have lots! Even Burger King has a veggie buger. Go here to see for yourself.
13. If you live in New York City, Westchester, or most of the Hudson Valley, Healthy Gourmet to Go will deliver your meals for the week. And they're good!
14. Let Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's books help you get cookin'!
15. On a budget? No problem! Veg diets don't have to be expensive.
16. If you navigate life via your iphone/ipad, download helpful apps!
17. Ellen (as in DeGeneres) offers a short list of films to rock your world and inspire you onward.
18. To her list, I'd add Peaceable Kingdom, The Witness, SuperSize Me,
19. Let's not forget Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Our GO VEG page answers your questions and gives you and helpful resources. My first book, Where the Blind Horse Sings, will help you see farm animals from a whole new perspective, as will a weekend visit. Finally, meet great folks and hone your skills at a CAS vegan cooking class! Sign up early: they sell out fast!
20. As soon as you check out kriscarr.com, you'll be hooked. Betcha.
21. Shop for products from food to clothes at Vegan Essentials and Pangea online.
22. Need some hand-holding or some know-how? You can still access PCRM's 21-day Vegan Kickstart Program. (It's even offered in Spanish!)
23. Here are some more replacements for your current -- I MEAN FORMER -- dairy and meat choices. (Many items are available in your local grocery or health food store).
24. Explore what various religions have to say about animal cruelty.
25. Follow CAS on Twitter for vegan recipes and breaking animal agriculture news.
26. For inspiration, education, shopping and so much more, read GirlieGirl Army and Our Hen House. And check out Our Hen House's award-winning podcast!
27. For fun and good vegan gossip: Ecorazzi.
28. Relax at night with your copy of VegNews--celebrate your new life!
29. Attend an animal welfare conference or an animal rights conference to meet like-minded people. Or google "vegan meet-up" where you live.
30. Take your journey one day at a time, and remember that every step you take towards a vegan lifestyle is a powerful step in the right direction!]]> Brain Researchers Acknowlege Animal Consciousness tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1857667 2012-09-05T17:35:17-04:00 2012-11-05T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. The document declared the group's data-driven consensus that most animals are conscious and aware in the same way that humans are, and confirmed that virtually all animals have at least some degree of sentience -- even bees, according to Christof Koch in his Huffington Post blog, "Consciousness is Everywhere."

It boggles my mind that this stuff isn't headline news. Here's what's headline-worthy: 1) why science is so far behind the rest of us 2) how human animals treat non-human animals, given that plenty of us know that human or non-human, animals are essentially the same in ways that matter.

What would the world's reaction be if the New York Times' lead story tomorrow were "Chickens Understand That Their Throats are About to Be Slit" or "Horrific Confinement and Deprivation Feels Same to Pigs as It Does to Humans"?

Take a look at what we witness at Catskill Animal Sanctuary:

1) It was time to euthanize an old steer named Samson. I had rescued him from a horrid hoarding situation; he and I had been special friends; he was no longer able to stand. Many of the humans who had loved him surrounded him, rubbing his massive body, singing. I sat at his head, and as he was falling asleep from the tranquilizer (the first step in a two-part process), Samson licked my face over and over -- thirty times, perhaps? -- until he could no longer hold his head up. My unscientific view? He was saying goodbye, saying thank you, and saying he loved me.

2) A hen named Barbie and a sheep named Rambo had a special relationship. Barbie loved to rest on top of Rambo's back or cuddle up next to him in a pile of hay. When Barbie returned to the barn after a 2-week illness-related isolation period, she walked out into the long barn aisle, glanced around, walked past the free-range chickens, past the humans, right up to Rambo, who was resting in the aisle, and pressed her big bird body right up against his. He turned his head, and gently nuzzled her back. There were dozens of moments like this between Rambo and Barbie. For me, that single one was "proof" of their affection.

3) A former cockfighting rooster named Paulie nearly always chose to eat lunch with staff. A staffer named Alex always brought a small bag of sunflower seeds, and after he shared some once or twice with Paulie, the bird began walking immediately to Alex. If Alex didn't immediately produce the seeds, Paulie pecked Alex's leg, looked up at Alex, pecked again. If Alex STILL didn't deliver the goods, Paulie became irate, squawking and flapping his wings, unwilling to accept no for an answer.

4) My back deck affords a wonderful view of the sunrise. I go out frequently to enjoy the experience -- and so does Franklin the pig. Just as the sun is about to come over the cliff, Franklin walks out of his barn, faces the spot where the sun will momentarily rise, and waits. His peaceful anticipation feels identical to mine.

5) Lambert the sheep is new among our free-range crew. The other day, he was trying to befriend Lucy the cat. He approached slowly, lowered his head to hers. She whacked at him, hissed, and moved a few steps away. Lambert patiently persisted. "I want to be your friend," is what I felt him offering her -- but Lucy wasn't interested, and eventually gouged him on the nose. Lambert walked immediately to me and buried his face in my chest.

6) Every June, CAS hosts and event called The Shindig. Hundreds of folks attend; consequently, many witnessed Ethel the turkey walk purposefully out to the stage and sing for most of the day with the band. What was most striking was that when they weren't playing music, she didn't sing. But every time the lead vocalist began a new song, Ethel was about two feet in front of him, singing along.

7) I was in one of our pig fields and honestly can't remember what I witnessed, but will never forget that Franklin the pig and I appeared to be laughing simultaneously. A "PAY ATTENTION TO THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW" space opened up in my gut the way it always does when I'm witnessing something that challenges an assumption I hold. I high-tailed it to the break room where the staff was having lunch.

"Do you guys think pigs laugh?" I asked.

They might as well have said, "Do you live in a HOLE?" In fact, one of them said something like, "That's like asking if we think pigs eat. OF COURSE THEY LAUGH!"

We humans know that dogs and cats are sentient not because science has "proven" so, but because we live with them and understand the subtleties of their behavior in the same way a parent knows those of her child. The same holds true, of course, for humans and farmed animals, wildlife, reptiles, marine animals and exotics: those few of us whose job it is to encourage them to thrive know who they are, with their individual quirks, their rich emotional lives, their yearning to experience joy. When we read that brain researchers have finally acknowledged what is blatantly obvious, questions about politics, agendas, problems with methodology, who funds the research and the like come to mind. More to the point, however, is the question of why we need science at all for the purpose of "proving" animal awareness. People around the world tell stories like those above. We need a means for anecdotal evidence to drive policy and practice.

My fervent hope is that one day soon, using the term "animal" to justify virtually any horror humans want to inflict non-humans will be as unacceptable as using race, religion or gender. In the meantime, I take some small solace in the fact that science may be catching up with the rest of us. Why? In the case of the animals in Catskill Animal Sanctuary's care, we already have three compelling reasons to invite our guests to consider a plant-based diet: 1) the suffering, deprivation, and torture from birth to death of 10 billion animals per year -- just to feed Americans 2) the health crisis -- we're sick and fat due to our meat and dairy-based diet 3) animal agriculture leads the pack in destroying the planet. The fact that science now acknowledges the sentience of nearly every animal is one more tool in our belt when we entreat or visitors not to eat our friends.

P.S. In the time that it took me to write this article, the USDA reports that almost 1 million chickens, 28,526 turkeys, 23,027 pigs and many thousands more animals -- animals brain scientists have just said are conscious and aware, just like humans -- were killed to feed us.]]> On Love, Loss, and Hot Dogs tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1305278 2012-02-28T14:51:19-05:00 2012-04-29T05:12:01-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ Go Dog Go, a fundraiser held by Pause Dog Boutique to support dog rescue efforts.

It was fun because I was in the company of Bruce Littlefield, "arbiter of fun" and author of the best-selling book The Bedtime Book for Dogs, and Pia Salk, a psychologist who specializes in the human-animal bond and the spokes person for Adopt-A-Pet. Judging stool samples would have been fun with these two, but when you add the fact that the divisions were "Bad Hair Day," "I Look Like My Mama," and so on, and that dog kisses were available on demand, well, the day was custom made for me.

Go Dog Go would have been my idea of a good time anytime, but last Sunday, it was especially meaningful after a tough week of saying goodbye, not to my dog, but to my beloved Babe, a 17-year-old steer who touched thousands of lives at Catskill Animal Sanctuary . "She loved a steer?" I imagine you're thinking right about now, or more likely, "Wait a minute...where's this essay going?" Yes, indeed, I sure did love that animal.

Babe, all 1,800-ish pounds of him, arrived at CAS in 2003. We were a fledgling organization...and looked it. We had just purchased our property, a forlorn, forgotten farm that needed rescuing every bit as much as the animals who would soon arrive, and were busy hauling away piles of tires, toilets, and rusted vehicles when big Babe barreled down the drive.

Babe's human friend had rescued him at auction, wanting to save one life. She'd bottle fed him, kept him in her back yard until he simply grew too big, then boarded him, rather ironically, at a beef farm. When she divorced, she could no longer afford his board, and the farmer gave her a month to find him a home. Fortunately for Babe, and fortunately for us, his human found Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

I am flooded with memories of the placid being with soft eyes and a tongue that reached out expertly to grab one carrot, then another, then another until a five-pound bag was gobbled up. Among my favorite memories:

I'm not sure why, but for a short while, Babe was a free-ranger. Only he never went anywhere. Free to roam the entire farm, Babe instead stood in the middle of the barn aisle, motionless as Peepers the duck patrolled the barn by waddling frantically back and forth, under Babe's belly. "Quack - quack!!" Peepers said, rushing under the black giant, who stood unfazed, eying the feed room. Surrounded by free-ranging ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, and a growing human fan club, Babe seemed supremely at peace.

A bunch of us were cleaning the cow field. I stood atop the tractor bucket to bellow instructions to volunteers who were spread throughout the large pasture. Babe wandered up to say hello, but got so close that when he turned his head to flick a fly away, he sent me sailing through the air. I landed with a thud, gathered my breath, then laughed hysterically. Babe startled, but then walked over and licked my head.

6:30 a.m. Two police cars pulled down our driveway. "Are you missing somebody?" a young cop asked. I remember the wry smile on his face; somehow I knew that this was code for "Your cows are in town." In the town they were, all right...Babe had led his herd through the woods, down our local rural lane, and onto VERY BUSY Rt. 9W...and then just stood there. The escapade, and our return walk home (I put a bright green draft horse halter on Babe and led him down the road; the others followed) was on the evening news.

Several summers ago, the renowned Omega Institute invited us to provide animals for their animal communication workshop. We took our best ambassadors. Whether or not we learned how to "communicate" with them (I believe all of us are communicating with each other all the time, but am ambivalent about how "animal communication" is often taught), I wanted our animal friends to open the hearts of those whose worlds had only included companion animals.

I didn't expect that Babe would want to join us. Yet when I opened the trailer door, he evidently did, because he stepped right in and cozied up next to Chester the horse. That he had absolute trust was remarkable enough. Is it a stretch to say that on some level he knew we needed him?

Throughout the weekend, the communicator guided us through various relaxation techniques, after which we would open ourselves to the messages our friends wished to share. While I was unimpressed by the workshop, I was blown away by our animals' comfort level and their obvious connection to their CAS people (we'd been given six slots). I learned a great deal from them.

The instructor had decided that Babe would be the final animal with whom we'd practice. And this is exactly what happened:

We had just finished "speaking with" Chester, and in the meadow where we'd gathered, Chester put his head down to graze. "Let's turn our attention now to this big guy," the teacher said, gesturing toward Babe. As she suggested that we form a circle around him, Babe walked right into the middle. Then, as she'd done with each of the animals, she invited us to close our eyes. As she spoke softly, my eyes stayed open, and I watched a huge black head droop.

"Relax," she whispered, and he did. Babe's giant head dropped lower, and lower still, until right before his knees were about to buckle, he folded his legs and lay down.

And that's when I received a clear and plaintive and powerful message. "We don't want to be hamburger," is one part I remember, along with "I hope I'm doing a good job. Thank you for choosing me."

To this day, I'm not sure what to make of that moment.

I don't recall what anyone said about what Babe "communicated" to them. But I do recall many of them weeping, one woman sitting in front of him and cradling his massive head as he licked her face, and another woman (after she saw me do it), draping her body over Babe's back. And I remember the thought that struck me like a lightning bolt: "These people will never eat meat again."

I suppose the organizers of Go Dog Go thought it would be clever to sell "hot dogs" (and nothing more) at a "dog show." But the "hot dogs" were not "hot" (as in cooked) "dogs" (as in the animal) at all. They were cooked cows. I'm fairly certain that my Babe, and every other cow or pig who has ever lived, if given the "Bad Hair Day" or "Become a Hot Dog" choice, would have chosen the former.

I stood in line behind half a dozen animal lovers, all of whom ordered cooked cows.

"I'll have the veggie burrito," I said to the vendor, who had put them on her menu at our request.

"I have a pet pig," she said as we chatted briefly about my special request. "He's really something."

To try a veggie hot dog that's far superior to any Ball Park frank or Oscar Meyer wiener I've ever had, check out Field Roast Frankfurters. Lemme know what you think.
]]> Disclaimer: I Am Not in Favor of Horse Slaughter, But... tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1143173 2011-12-23T11:42:36-05:00 2012-02-22T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ 300,000 horses each year were once slaughtered in the United States, a practice that ended in 2007 when Congress repealed USDA funding for horse meat inspections and the last of America's slaughterhouses closed. But let's be clear about this: the practice of killing America's horses for human consumption never stopped, and the numbers of those slaughtered didn't decrease. We just stopped killing on our soil -- sort of. Instead of being slaughtered in Texas or Illinois, horses endured longer journeys in cramped trucks over the border to Mexico and Canada, and the little known slaughter of equines by illegal slaughter farms, most notably in parts of Florida, continued to flourish.

Yet today, horse lovers are in a tizzy about the lifting of a ban on funding horse meat inspections, fearing that slaughterhouses could be up and running as early as January. If advocates like the American Quarter Horse Association, The American Veterinary Medical Association, and United Horsemen, with 14,000 fans on their "Work Together in Order to Get the Horse Slaughterhouses Re-Opened" Facebook Causes page, get their way, this may well be the case. Big money/big politics are behind the push.

But tell me this: why, exactly, are we so freaked out? For sure, horse slaughter is awful, but from where I sit, it's symptomatic of far knottier problems. If our goal is to help animals, we need to get our arms around those problems, too. We need more laws, more regulation, more sanctuaries. More than any of this, we need more compassion. Consider the following:

1. Unless we ban both the slaughter of horses in the U.S. and their transport across our borders, a slaughter ban is pointless. If after reading this you still can't abide the idea of horse slaughter, then urge your senators and congressmen to sign the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 2966/S. 1176), currently in committee. Click here to find out how to contact your representatives.

2. We need to take a hard look at what will happen to those who don't get slaughtered. Those who say that "excess horses are absorbed by the industry" or "are humanely euthanized" when slaughterhouses close (and argue that there's no need for slaughterhouses) have their heads in the sand. Passing a slaughter prevention act might feel like a victory, but it certainly wouldn't prevent suffering. It would simply substitute a nightmarish but quick death, for prolonged suffering (and often a nightmarish and slow death) for thousands of animals.

Keep in mind that:

a. Terrible suffering is routinely ignored by those responsible for preventing it.
I could drive you right now to nine situations involving hundreds of animals whose terrible suffering at the hands of breeders/hoarders is being ignored by police and SPCAs. In our experience, SPCAs and police officers, though charged with the "protection of animals," primarily serve household pets. Whether it's lack of funding, lack of training, lack of interest, lack of judicial support/political will, the end result is the same. Law enforcement stands back while horses, cows, chickens and other farm animals starve to death. It's a gruesome truth that domestic slaughterhouses prevent death by starvation for lots of animals.

b. Overbreeding and hoarding aren't being addressed.
Catskill Animal Sanctuary has been involved with dozens of hoarders and breeders. We've gone to properties where dead animals were thrown into massive piles, properties where 50 or more starving horses had no hay in the dead of winter, properties where dying animals were hidden in the back, away from public view.

Some things that would help: a) laws that limit breeding b) laws that limit the number of animals that can live on a property c) laws that delineate the care that animals must be given (anti-cruelty laws for farm animals are vague) d) laws making hoarding and/or conditions associated with it a felony e) recognition of hoarding as a psychological disorder and appropriate treatment for it.

c. There are too few places for needy animals to go. Even if law enforcement did its job, there would be way too few placement options for needy animals. As one of the largest horse and farm animal sanctuaries in New York state, CAS has over 200 animals on our waiting list. Most are from people impacted by the economy. So add all the animals whose families can no longer afford to care for them to those whose neglect is being ignored by law enforcement. I'd call the problem epidemic. If we ban US slaughter altogether, more animals will die from starvation. If I'm in the wretched position of having to choose one death over another, what's my choice?

3. The paradigm is the problem. How will the problem of unwanted horses and what to do with them ever end as long as the model is humans on top, horses on the bottom? Very few "horse people" have horses in their lives simply to share a loving relationship. Instead, we are breeders, show horse people, racers, trainers, rodeo riders, dude ranch or petting zoo operators, carriage horse drivers, and the like. Even if horses are our friends, they are also, and primarily, commodities to buy and sell. Is the problem the few who want to profit from "excess" horses, or is it the paradigm that views horses as ours to do with what we choose, including "get rid of them" by whatever means will put some coins in our pockets when they're not valuable to us anymore? Do your own research: the numbers of thoroughbreds and quarter horses who wind up being slaughtered simply because they aren't fast or flashy enough to win races or ribbons is staggering.

4. The paradigm is THE problem. A few days after the inspections ban that opened the way for horse slaughter was lifted, Americans consumed over forty million turkeys in one day. Let me say it again: to make one species happy on Thanksgiving day, 40 million beautifully sensitive, gentle members of another species are grown in misery and killed while fully conscious. I might connect more deeply with horses than I do with cows or turkeys, but should that love justify such contradictory behavior? Don't terror, pain and suffering feel the same regardless of species?

The effort to keep horse slaughter plants out of the U.S. seem misguided at best, since it does nothing to minimize suffering and arguably increases it. I urge folks to work locally to strengthen both anti-cruelty statutes and their enforcement, to support good sanctuaries, or to open their own. I also urge you to consider what really needs attention -- speciesism: the unquestioned assumption of human superiority and the incalculable suffering of all other species because of it. If we are to survive, our circle of compassion must include all living beings -- not just humans, not just horses. ]]> For All of Us: Stuff a Pumpkin, Please tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1101253 2011-11-21T10:14:34-05:00 2012-01-21T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/
In a crate in the back of her hatchback, a large white turkey is close to hyperventilating; her legs are splayed out -- a debilitating condition brought on by an industry that forces animals to grow so quickly that many actually die of violent heart attacks within the first few weeks of life.

As we're settling the bird we name "Henrietta" into her quarantine area, where she'll live for a few weeks until we know it's safe to introduce her to our other turkeys, I ask Anna what compelled her to save this turkey's life.

"She was so cute," she said.

"So what are you having for Thanksgiving dinner?" we asked. It was the obvious next question.

"Turkey," she said.

One year after a woman chose to spare one turkey and take another's life, the one spared is a lucky member of the Underfoot Family, a motley crew of birds, pigs, sheep, and goats who roam the farm freely during working hours. (Despite the privilege, these animals rarely leave the barnyard... hence their name.)

Every morning, Henrietta rushes out of her house with abandon and exuberance. She takes a nanosecond to survey the scene, perhaps trying to locate her pal Atlas, a goat, and then she begins to talk. And talk. And talk.

"Good morning, bird," I say on this particular morning as I sit down in front of her. She comes as close as she can, tilts her head to look me in the eye, and responds with a beautiful trill. When I stroke her head, she blinks that long, languid blink that those who live with cats know well. It's one of three signs of affection used by these sensitive and emotional animals.

A few minutes later, Henrietta has found Atlas, crippled from neglect and has nestled her big bird body right up next to him. She talks softly to him for a moment, too, and then Atlas gently rubs his cheek over Henrietta's back. The next time I see them, they are asleep, side by side.

I believe that these two special-needs animals love each other. I also believe that relationships among farm animals are no less meaningful than my relationship with Hannah, the black Lab asleep next to me right this moment, or, in some cases, yours with the dear friend you're meeting for dinner tonight. Just because few humans witness these friendships doesn't mean they don't exist. Indeed, when one lives and works among animals, she learns a simple yet life-altering truth: in ways that truly matter, they are often remarkably like us.

In part, that truth is why I hope that some of you will stuff a pumpkin, not a turkey, on Thursday.

It's a fact to all of us lucky enough to share our days with animals. Given the chance to thrive, "food" animals exhibit virtually every emotion and many behaviors some of us humans consider "ours" alone: joy, sadness, anger, impatience, contentment, jealousy, inquisitiveness, affection... and so on. Pigs laugh. They really do. And Henrietta? If she weren't so heavy, she'd love to accompany our tour groups on their Sanctuary visits each weekend. How do I know this? Because every single time I bring a group into the barn, Henrietta waddles up, meanders into the middle of the group, finds one person, walks over and says hello, then strolls with us as we make our way down the long aisle, meeting friend after friend.

Last summer, the United Nations issued yet another report stating that "a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger.... and the worst impacts of climate change." Growing animals to feed humans is wreaking ecological disaster. Among its impacts are the mass extinction of thousands of animal and plant species, the destruction of ecologically vital rainforests, the poisoning and "death" of vital waterways, the depletion of precious topsoil, and an alarming rise in temperature that's in large part responsible for much of the climate instability we've been experiencing.

I'm not sure I can grasp the enormity of the impact if human beings decided to stop consuming animals -- if collectively we said, "Enough is enough -- I DO CARE that the planet is dying." Many argue that poverty would end, since using the same amount of resources, a vegan diet feeds 20 times more people than a meat and dairy-based diet. Certainly, spared the destructiveness of animal agriculture, our planet would regenerate, and many threatened species would be able once again to flourish. This and so much more.

When I became vegan many years ago, it was because I didn't want to participate in the torture of animals like Henrietta. She, after all, is very much a who, not a what, with a desire to live and to thrive as certain as mine. Today, however, there's a new reality. Whether or not you give a rat's ass about the suffering of turkeys, the fact is that unless and until humans face the collision course that we're on and take personal responsibility for changing it, we're all doomed. Rapid population growth and the westernization of many third world countries translates to increased meat consumption, which translates to more water use, more fossil fuel production, more land and water degradation, more climate instability...all of which collectively translate to disaster. The size of the Earth is not expanding, after all, to keep up with how much we're demanding of her. How long before we, the most invasive species that has ever lived, destroy the planet that sustains us all?

Perhaps, like so many, you've never considered the suffering of animals. Perhaps, like so many, you believe that your personal satisfaction should trump the suffering of many thousands of animals like Henrietta over the course of your lifetime. I hope that if nothing else, my description of one special turkey will at least give you pause. If it doesn't, may this season be the one that you hear the alarm bells being sounded by scientists worldwide, acknowledge the link between your behavior and climate change, and change your diet in response. For that, I would be very thankful. If you're doing so -- or even trying -- I'd love to hear from you.

Go vegan, friend: for your health, for your happiness, for your survival, and check out some of our favorite recipes at VegWeb, VegNews, and vegan Chef Tal Ronnen.

]]> Ten Rescued; Ten Billion More in Need tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1011355 2011-10-18T17:28:38-04:00 2011-12-18T05:12:01-05:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/
Two days later, as the visitors and I approached the quarantine pasture where five young stallions were recovering, they came over the hill and toward the fence, eager to greet us. Many guests wiped away tears at the sight of the horses' dull coats and emaciated bodies. "How can people do this?" one angry woman asked. Her question begged another one, which we'll get to in a moment.

For me, healing the physical and emotional scars inflicted on an animal continues to be the most deeply satisfying part of Catskill Animal Sanctuary's work. It is also the work that resonates most with so many of our supporters, and we are grateful for their concern for each individual life. We'll share the horses' recoveries on our Website, blog and Facebook pages, and together, we'll celebrate broken bodies and spirits made whole. We invite you to make a contribution in support of this vital work.

As much as our hearts go out to these victims of unconscionable neglect, billions of others cry out for our attention. Each year in the U.S. alone, ten billion animals are tortured from birth to death in ways just as excruciating as the prolonged and profound suffering of these newly rescued horses. And whether or not you personally feel empathy for these billions of chickens, cows, pigs, turkeys and other animals "processed" to feed humans, the fact remains that their suffering is mighty; their lives even more wretched than the nightmare from which the lucky horses were removed.

Catskill Animal Sanctuary recently euthanized a hen named Barbie when a respiratory infection wouldn't clear and every breath became a struggle. Barbie was one of many "broiler" chickens fortunate enough to escape her fate and find her way to CAS. Like so many of her predecessors, Barbie was one special bird. Sometimes she'd jet down the aisle as if to say, "I'm alive!! Isn't life grand!" She had a very special relationship with Rambo, the wise old sheep whose remarkable story is told in my first book, and whose friendship with Barbie is depicted in my second book in a chapter aptly called The Audacity of Love. Quite simply, the fat white hen and the wizened sheep loved each other. Even with an entire barnyard to explore, Barbie was almost always nestled up against Rambo's woolly body. Occasionally, she'd climb atop his back and remain there for a good portion of the afternoon, using her pal as a comfy perch.

There've been so many others who've helped me understand that chicken hearts yearn to sing just as surely as human hearts, dog and cat hearts, and horse hearts do. Henry, one of our first broilers, loved to fall asleep in our laps, cuddle up with my dog Murphy on his cushy bed, and go for car rides.

Consuela loved to sing along with the radio, and accompanied me on many visits to elementary schools, during which she would walk up to a child, cock her head, and look directly into his eyes. "She's saying hello to me!" more than one child observed. Mike, our current favorite, wanders into the break room to eat lunch with us. Yesterday, I spotted him standing in the doorway at 12:20, patiently waiting for his human friends to arrive and offer him bits of their salad, rice and beans, or veggie burger.

To Purdue, Pilgrim's Pride, Tyson, Cargill and other agribusiness giants, each of these animals is nothing more than a unit of production, with every aspect of their process designed to produce the greatest number of units at the least cost. Chickens are confined, mutilated, stuffed into acrid warehouses and forced to grow huge quickly, so that by the time they reach slaughter weight at just 42 days, they are virtually unable to move. In the amount of time that it takes you to read about ten lucky horses' happy endings, 47,917 chickens, 660 pigs, and 201 cows will have will have met a most unhappy ending after brief lives during which they were confined in filth, given unnatural diets that cause painful health conditions, and deprived of any and all behaviors that give them joy. Just like the horses CAS rescued.

So I repeat the question asked of me: How can people do this? Our hearts go out in sympathy for the suffering of some, but we're complicit in the suffering of so many more for.

As you read about the horses and join us on our Web pages in celebrating their recoveries, I hope you'll also consider the cows, pigs and chickens. Whether it's for your own health, the health of a planet in desperate need of a global shift to a vegan diet, or for the animals who long for happiness as much as the horses do, may this be the moment when you say, "I get it. I'm done. I'm going veg."

We've put together a short video that we hope will support you in your journey towards greater compassion for all beings. Thanks to our friend Chrissy Budzinski for use of her wonderful song, "If I Could Talk." I look forward to your comments.

]]> So You Want to Help Animals tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.854731 2011-04-30T12:55:10-04:00 2011-06-30T05:12:01-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/

  1. Share your time and talents. No matter the community in which you live, there's likely a dog and cat shelter in your region. Needs vary, but some typical needs are shelter cleaning, dog walking, web design, and assistance with mailings. Got a flip camera? Tweet a zillion times a day? Your shelter director might kiss your feet if you offer a few hours of your social media savvy. A caveat: "popping in" to a busy shelter is never a good idea! Check online for a volunteer application. If none exists, send an e-mail inquiry.

    Want to help where the need is greatest? Find out whether other shelters or sanctuaries are in your area. Sanctuaries for wildlife, farm animals, horses, reptiles, or even exotic animals may be right in your back yard, and you can bet they have fewer volunteers than the local SPCA. Google "animal shelters" in your county, but be prepared to do a little more digging.

  2. Keep your eyes open. An alarming fact: one in six hoarding cases is at a "sanctuary" or "shelter." So find a rescue that's deserving of your time, but keep your eyes open: if there is filth, overcrowding, the stench of urine, or areas that only a select few humans are allowed to visit, it's probably run by a hoarder. If that's the case, be prepared to report the organization. And don't wait until it's too late...in one of our more heartbreaking cases, volunteers reported a shelter only after many animals had already died of starvation.


  3. Give us stuff we truly need. Every shelter has a wish list! Items that CAS and others rarely receive enough of are: recycled paper goods, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products, postage stamps, and gift certificates to our feed supply stores. What shelters might not need is food for the animals, as that's what most folks tend to donate. Check first.


  4. Raise some serious dough. Most folks would rather scale K-2 blindfolded and naked in an ice storm than raise funds for a non-profit...even sometimes if they're charged with doing so. The result? Poorly-funded non-profits.

    Enter YOU: the irrepressible, energetic, think-outside-the-box YOU. And here's what you do:

    a. Make a list of the things you love to do. My list would include hiking, biking, reading, swimming, paddleboarding, writing. Yours might include cooking, kickboxing, knitting.

    b. Say to yourself "I'm going to plan a ________-athon (fill in the blank with an activity from above) for ____________" (name of your favorite sanctuary or shelter.)

    c. Feel completely overwhelmed and a little panic-stricken for 10 seconds. Then, take a slow, deep breath and say, "___________ (your name), you can do this." Because you can.

    d. Set a challenging financial goal. David DiNicola, for instance, is raising $100,000 for CAS and Berkshire Humane Society by riding his Harley across the country this August.

    e. Recruit a team of folks to help plan and promote your event. At minimum, you'll need a good logistics person and a good marketer.

    f. Get busy, have fun, and congrats! Your public event will draw even more support for your favorite shelter, and you'll have gained skills and confidence that you can continue to use on behalf of your animal friends. Way to go!


  5. Learn what animals endure at human hands. Are you ready to face what we're doing to animals? I won't kid you that what you'll learn is easy to let in. But suffering exists in large part because people ignore it. If you truly love animals, maybe it's time to understand what we're doing to them in order to become a more powerful advocate.

    Earthlings is a shattering documentary that depicts the war mankind wages on animals of all species; Michael Pollan's Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy is an equally powerful book. To learn what we're doing to billions of animals grown to feed humans, consider the films Death on a Factory Farm, Glass Walls, or read Jonathan Saffren Foer's Eating Animals. There are hundreds of resources for those ready to peer behind the veil.

    It took me many years to understand that human beings have enslaved animals for our selfish purposes. Think food and entertainment -- racing, petting zoos, dog fighting, circuses. It took even more years to learn that animals are used for cruel and unnecessary product testing and contained, in the form of by-products, in thousands upon thousands of personal and home care products. The animals need for us to know the truth.


  6. Do something about it! This one's a no-brainer, folks. Once you learn that you've been an unwitting participant in horrific cruelty, you'll likely want to change your buying habits. All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse! IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFETIME. A few of my favorite cruelty-free companies are: Vegan Essentials, Vegan Goods, Alternative Outfitters, The Vegetarian Site, Rare Natural Care, and MooShoes.


  7. Be an activist for animals. Large national animal protection agencies lobby at both state and federal levels for the passage of anti-cruelty laws. Check out the advocacy section of HSUS, ASPCA, and Farm Sanctuary websites to discover the many ways you can advocate for a kinder world for all animals.

    Every Sunday at noon at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, I give a two-hour tour. If you're in our region (we're just 90 miles from Manhattan in the mid-Hudson Valley), I hope you'll join us, for while I can encourage you that extending your circle of compassion to animals you've never met is the most meaningful way to offer your help, there's nothing quite like a scratchy cow kiss or the soft nudge of a pig snout on your cheek to seal the deal.



]]> Moment of Glory: Snapshots From An Old Sheep's Last Day on Earth tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.827144 2011-02-24T12:30:45-05:00 2011-05-25T18:35:25-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ Note: Many readers will find this essay absurdly anthropomorphic. I hope you will look for my upcoming blog post on that topic.

In 2004, Aries arrived at CAS with 40 other animals from a failed sanctuary. He was a small, beautiful sheep, with loose, curly wool, enormous, penetrating eyes the color or wheat, and a gentle, unassuming nature.

For years, Aries lived with best pal Lumpy and the rest of his flock in a large pasture at the northern end of our property. In ones and twos, the flock shrank: a pair was adopted, then another; two elderly sheep died. And over those same years, both Lumpy and Aries became old men who eventually earned a coveted spot among the Underfoot Family, the ever-changing group of animals who live in our main barn and who, during the work day, do essentially whatever they choose. It always fascinates me that with a large farm to roam, most of them, no matter their species, choose to be underfoot.

AriesAmong all the creatures who reside at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, it is the Underfoots whom we know most intimately. We weave through them -- these sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, pigs, even the occasional horse -- as we clean and bed stalls, rake the barn aisle, lead other animals out for the day, load vehicles with hay. We shoo them from the kitchen after they've maneuvered their way in in hopes of raiding feed bins; we kneel to offer kisses or strokes of the head to goats or turkeys peacefully resting in a pile of hay.

For the last two years, Aries has been a beloved member of this family. In a gang of enormous personalities (the boisterous and verbal turkeys Ethel and Henrietta, drama queen Hannah the sheep, crooked-legged Atlas, the special needs goat, and others), the kind and self-possessed Aries was a refreshing counterpoint: tranquil, self-possessed, a perpetual smile on his face.

-----

It had been two days, both bitterly cold, since Aries left his stall; two days since he ate any food offered him. This morning, though, was warm and sunny, and farm manager Sara Hamilton marveled as she watched Aries struggle up on shaky legs, hobble down the long barn aisle, and slowly circle the barn.

"Kathy, I'm not at all one of those animal people," Sara said to me later. "But it was pretty clear that he was saying goodbye."

Along his way, he must have spoken with his friends, for when he returned to his stall to rest, they followed him in: Barbie the hen, Henrietta the turkey, Atlas the goat, and Lumpy, who had barely left his side in the two previous days. Barbie the hen lay no more than three inches in front of Aries' face. We humans have no idea how they knew, but it appeared to all of us, not just Sara, that the entire Underfoot Family did indeed seem to know that their friend was leaving.

-----

When I walked in the barn, Dr. Rosenberg was standing outside Aries' stall. Aries looked quite comfy in a pile of fluffy hay; staffers Abbie, Michelle, and Sara, and volunteers Teddy and Andrew were with him. When I walked to the door, Aries stood and moved purposefully toward me until we simply couldn't be any closer, and I was overcome by the love that radiated from the gentle beast. That he was aware of and at peace with what was imminent was not unusual -- others before him have been as well. What was unusual were his efforts, all morning long, to say goodbye to the farm that was his home, to the beings who were his friends.

Michelle confirmed this. "He's been doing this all morning," she explained. Making the rounds. Acknowledging relationships. Saying goodbye.

"I love you, friend," I whispered.

As Aries grew sleepy from the initial injection, some of us offered quiet memories, words of love. Others simply held him. When he was ready, Mark gently shaved a small patch of wool from his neck and injected the solution that would stop Aries' heart. More soft words and tender hands enveloped the old sheep.

Though it had been many months since Aries could walk without pain, on this final day, it took five times the required dosage for a sheep his size to still his mighty heart.

-----

For a few hours, we left Aries' body in the stall so that his animal friends could do what they needed to. When we returned from lunch, Atlas, the special needs goat, was lying between Aries' front and rear legs, his head resting on Aries' belly. The birds rested in a semi-circle around the two friends.

On his final day, an unassuming sheep with a perpetual smile showed us what he was made of. Peace. Wisdom. Empathy. Dignity. Gratitude. Astounding grace. When my time comes, I hope I possess the strength of character to leave as he did: acknowledging and thanking those I loved for sharing my journey, and letting them know that on the next leg, I will be just fine. ]]> 6 Things Oprah Viewers Should Know About Veganism tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.816229 2011-02-04T13:18:21-05:00 2011-05-25T18:30:24-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ Oprah's Tuesday show is bringing to veganism, a lifestyle to which I'm passionately committed. And I'm equally excited to do my part to support anyone eager to consider making this life-affirming, health-affirming, planet-saving change! So here, in no particular order, are six things you need to know about veganism.

1. Help is everywhere you turn! There's a whole web-based world eager to thank you and to hold your hand on this exciting journey! If you're inclined to begin at the beginning and learn what we're doing to the animals, I heartily recommend these books: Eating Animals, Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy, and The Food Revolution. There are countless others. Do your own Google search. Rather watch a film? Try: Death on a Factory Farm, Glass Walls, or Earthlings. Want to bypass the suffering and instead see cows, pigs, and chickens (and a host of other critters) for who they truly are? Check out my books: Where the Blind Horse Sings and the newly-released Animal Camp: Lessons in Love and Hope From Rescued Farm Animals. Don't think it's possible to love a pig? You've got some surprises coming!

2. You can treat your tastebuds! At least once a month for the last dozen years, my dad calls and asks, "Whatcha havin' for dinner tonight? Sticks and leaves?" Ladies, let's dispel the myth that veggie cuisine is bland! For general info and advice about nutrition, try the Vegetarian Resource Group, Savvy Vegetarian, VegSource, or The North American Vegetarian Society. To bypass the BS and get right down to cookin', try these recipe databases: VegWeb, International Vegetarian Union, and VegFamily. Finally, check the Catskill Animal Sanctuary website, for regular updates from Chef Kevin Archer, director of Compassionate Cuisine. Far as we know, Catskill Animal Sanctuary is the only sanctuary in the world to offer a vegan cooking program. Join us, either onsite or via podcast, coming in February!

3. You can date without committing! Not sure you're ready to strip the fridge bare? There's nothing wrong with dating before you commit. Try choosing vegetarian restaurants to discover how varied and delicious veggie diets can be! Happy Cow is a database of vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly restaurants around the world. Just plug in your city or zip code and the distance radius you wish to search. If you're a New Yorker, you'll love SuperVegan's "The Amazing Instant New York City Vegan Restaurant Finder".

My advice? Choose the vegetarian and vegan restaurants rather those that have "vegan options." You'll find that restaurants truly committed to the lifestyle offer far more inventive, satisfying meals. Go ahead: tantalize your tastebuds! Check out the menus from my favorite local restaurants: Garden Café in Woodstock, Luna 61 in Tivoli, and Karma Road in New Paltz.

4. A word of caution: Vegan does not equal healthy. There's a lot of processed vegan crap out there filled with ingredients I can't pronounce (and I ain't stupid!). If you want to use this opportunity to take charge of your health, focus on simple, whole foods. Want some great advice? Grab a copy of my pal Kris Carr's just-released, New York Times-bestselling Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!

5. A new, better you awaits! I may not know you, but I know this about you: You're a good person who values kindness, and who likely works hard to ensure that your actions embody this highly-cherished value. Just for a moment, let in the uncomfortable notion that every time you eat an animal, you're subjecting an innocent sentient being -- an animal who, when you get right down to it, is very much like us in ways that count -- to a level of suffering you wouldn't wish upon a child molester or rapist. Acknowledge your role in the suffering, and when you choose to go vegan, celebrate your choice to honor not only the animals, but also, and most importantly, yourself, for in embracing veganism, you'll be aligning your lifestyle with the values you prize most deeply. And that feels good.

6. It's okay to stumble. Let's face it, change is challenging! Even vegan poster girl Alicia Silverstone has stumbled a few times -- and that's OK! As someone who took several years to go vegan, I know what the resistance is about: habit, convenience, concern about family members' reactions, lack of knowledge about what else to cook. If you decide to take the plunge, or even just to dip your toe in the water, be prepared to encounter resistance, even if it's just from, well, your own noggin. Be kind to yourself in your heroic effort to be kind to all beings and to the fragile planet we inhabit...

The vegan train's pullin' out of the station, ladies! Grab a seat for the ride of your life, and be sure to tell us about your journey. ]]> Getting By With A Little Help From Our Animal Friends tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.814063 2011-01-26T12:11:06-05:00 2011-05-25T18:25:24-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/
Around the globe, scientists, doomsdayers, and conspiracy theorists are speculating about mass deaths of cows, songbirds, buffalo, fish and other animals. Theories range from the plausible -- extreme cold -- to the prophetic -- the end of the world is upon us. I, for one, would put my money on the toxic waste emitted into our waterways, soil, and air by agribusiness and hydrofracking, and would also bet that if these industries (or other corporate giants) are the culprits, the public will never know. Right at this moment, however, I have more mundane concerns.

I pull feed bowls down from the shelves by the dozen, and group them on the concrete floor. I turn on the water (no frozen pipes!!) then move to the medical shelves to grab various supplements: glucosamine, "bute" (an anti-inflammatory), probiotics, and so on. Seven large bins labeled chicken feed, goat and sheep feed, senior feed, etc., line the wall; many are subdivided inside. We believe in giving our animals the best care possible, and that belief demands customized diets and a feed room as complex as a professional kitchen.

By 7 a.m., staffers Michelle, Caleb, and Zach have arrived. "Thank you SO much for getting here early!!" I say effusively, knowing that folks driving from greater distances will be late. Caleb heads out to plow; Michelle backs two trucks to the hay room to load them with hay for our two outside feed routes; Zach stays behind to help me feed the sixty or so animals who live in or next to the main barn. So far, so good.

But by 7:10, the plow truck is fender-deep in a snow bank, and by 7:15, the tractor that was supposed to pull it out is stuck as well. We take the Chevy pickup, our workhorse, down equine alley, hoping to retrieve both the plow truck and the tractor. Unfortunately, it is already loaded with hay and grain, so the animals on our "barnyard" feed route will have to wait for breakfast.



At 7:20, we back the watering truck up to the barn, pull a long hose toward it, clip the hose to the 200-gallon cylinder that holds water for our outer fields, and wait. Nothing happens. The hose is frozen. So at 7:25, we unhook the hose, step down from the truck, walk the hose halfway down the long barn aisle and into the heated kitchen where it can thaw, along with Wallace the rooster, who was shivering when I looked in on his flock a few minutes earlier but is now perched in front of the heater with outstretched wings.

We do our best in these conditions. Still, by 8:30, the snowfall is getting heavier by the minute, two of us have slipped on ice, three vehicles have gotten stuck in snow, and a hay delivery has been postponed for the second time due to weather. We'll have to pay through the nose to get 100 bales, a 2-day supply, from a local retailer.

For safety reasons, we decide to keep our special needs horses -- blind, ancient, or both -- inside for the day. A volunteer comments that she wishes all she had to do was curl up in a warm stall and watch winter happen around her.

That can't happen, of course, at a sanctuary devoted to the well-being of the animals in its charge. For humans, the day begins early and ends late, the length of the daily "to do" list doubles as sub-zero temperatures and a restless sky conspire against us. Among the daily "extras" are blankets for the horses, extra bedding for pigs, chickens, goats and sheep, the shuffling of animals from outdoor shelters into our large main barn, the constant monitoring of our vulnerable animals. Of course, animals are far better equipped to withstand cold weather than we are, but -15 degrees makes me nervous. Ice must be broken, locks must be thawed, doors are frozen shut. Our fingers and toes ache, as does the skin on our faces. It's so cold that it hurts to breathe.

"We're getting up to 30 inches on Wednesday," announces Caleb, our crackerjack buildings and grounds guy and our resident jokester. Somehow, we all know that this is not a joke. "Are the animals okay?" people want to know. In fact, in this weather, I get the question at least three times a day. Sometimes, it's when I'm in line at our local health food store. Most often, volunteers and supporters e-mail us, and occasionally, we receive phone messages from folks we've never heard of.

So let me make it official: THE ANIMALS ARE FINE. We're making sure of that.

These are exhilarating, exhausting days. These are days that test everything from our tractor batteries to our mental fortitude. We are truly bone-weary. But somehow, we manage to laugh our way through this epic winter, fortified by our respect for each other, our devotion to the critters who call CAS home, and by the animals, who lift us up and cheer us on. Really? you ask. Yes, really! When Franklin the pig looks up from a fluffy bed of hay and grunts a "thank you," or Abby the horse gallops through the snow to greet her friends whom she's missed overnight, or Henrietta the turkey careens out of her cozy stall each morning because SHE JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SAY HELLO. They lift us up, cheer us on, prop us up for one more round in the worst winter any of us can remember.]]> To Begin the New Year, I Look to the Animals tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.808358 2011-01-13T11:25:59-05:00 2011-05-25T18:25:24-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ WAMC was airing a listener essay on random acts of kindness. It was a feel-good piece about an experience the listener had at Starbucks. As he pulled up to the window, the cashier smiled and said, "The car ahead of you just paid for your coffee," and then explained both that folks did this fairly frequently, and that today, he was the fifth customer in a row whose purchase had been paid for by the previous customer. Naturally, the driver paid for the purchase of the woman behind him, and in his essay, went on to speculate about the power of kindness.

January is an important month for me. In a life that's long on demands and short on time, it's my quietest month...a time when I do lots of reflecting and yes, a little resolution-making. And despite the fact that celebrities' resolutions make headlines, and that writers score big when they suggest what politicians' resolutions should be, my resolution-making is serious business that involves getting to the heart of where I'm stuck. For guidance, I look not to Anderson Cooper or President Obama. Instead, every January, I look to the animals, and this year, I'm focusing on kindness.

Let me present a few of the hundreds of acts of kindness we've witnessed at Catskill Animal Sanctuary:
  1. An old Holstein steer named Samson came to CAS from a horrifying hoarding situation. A gentle soul, he lived with us but a year. One day, the ailing steer made it abundantly clear that he was ready to move on. We called the vet, and a dozen of his human friends surrounded Samson, who lay in the field on a bed of hay, his legs tucked under him. The vet injected the drug that would make Samson fall asleep, and as we waited for it to take effect, I sat in front of him, his enormous head in my lap. As I rubbed his cheeks, I will never forget what happened. Samson reached up to my face, touched it with his wet nose, and then he licked me. He licked me again, then again, and he continued licking until the drug took over and he was too sleepy to hold his head up.

    How many messages there were in this simple act of kindness! I believe he was saying thank you; I believe he was saying goodbye, I believe he was telling me he loved me; perhaps he was even trying to comfort me. In that precious moment forever seared into my heart, he most certainly did.

  2. Sixteen animals in addition to Samson were rescued from that same hoarder. One was a violent sheep with great curled horns whom we named Rambo, who spent his first 18 months at CAS trying to kill us. Gradually, he let go of the rage that was the result of a lifetime of mistreatment, and became our first free-range animal, literally sleeping in the middle of the barn aisle on a deep bed of hay.


    One bitter November night, I entered the barn to check on the animals, and walked right past the stall where our turkeys Chuck and Thomasina slept at night. I didn't notice the open door--had I done so, I'd have run outside to check their enclosure. Instead, I continued down the aisle, offering a kiss to Maxx the horse, a treat to Bart the pig, and so on. When I turned at the end to call, "Good night, animals!!" Rambo hopped up from his bed, trotted up to me, and bleated.

    "Something's wrong, follow me," was what he communicated, as clearly as if he'd uttered the words.

    "What, Rambo?" I responded. "Show me what's wrong."

    The great beast strode halfway down the long aisle, walked into the empty turkey stall, turned around, bleated again, and changed my life.

    In that moment, a sheep who'd known nothing approaching kindness for most of his life indicated that not only knew what was amiss. He also figured out how to tell a human being, understood that I would help--a clear indication that he understood our raison d'etre--and most astoundingly, revealed empathy for two birds who were locked outside on a miserable night.

    I ran outside, accompanied by Rambo, retrieved the shivering birds, toweled them off, then dropped to my knees to thank my friend. To say that I had an epiphany minimizes the import of this moment. The lessons inherent in this startling act of kindness inform nearly all our practices at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, and certainly guide us as we shape programming that we hope will change lives the way a wise old sheep changed mine.


  3. Our main barn is our special needs barn. Here, in twenty stalls, live blind horses and ancient goats, pigs recovering from surgery and chickens and turkeys who, for one reason or another, would not fare well in one of several other flocks. The horses are turned out into spacious pastures during daytime hours, but the smaller animals, known affectionately as the Underfoot Family, roam the barnyard freely.


    On the coldest day this winter, our crippled goat Atlas was laying in Rambo's bed.. Despite the strides he's made since his arrival, I knew that Atlas' arthritic knees would be painful on this bitter morning, so I went over to comfort him. As I approached, I saw that he was asleep. But my approach woke him, and he lifted his head and blinked his eyes sleepily. There beneath him was our crippled chicken Nutmeg, who lifted her head, too.

    Of all our disabled animals, these two--a sweet goat and an ancient hen--are the most physically challenged. But there they were, unlikely friends, comforting and drawing solace from each other, utterly content on a raw December day.


Lessons offered by animals are immediate and unambiguous, pure and powerful. And while animals aren't always kind, of course, those of us who are paying attention witness random acts of kindness all day long. They have the ability to stop me in my tracks, redirect my day, or, occasionally, to suggest that an entire CAS practice be redesigned. And they certainly encourage me, during this time of introspection, to think about kindness: about resolving to apply it without exception, as some of our more remarkable animals do.

For starters, and just for fun, I'm heading to Starbucks.

]]> Talking Tofurkey: What Would It Take to Change Your Diet? tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.796255 2010-12-16T13:30:49-05:00 2011-05-25T18:20:30-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/
This is also a time of year that invites personal reflection, and I enjoy the discipline of sitting down each December, asking, "So how'd you do this year, girl?", and journaling both about how I've grown as a person and where I'm still stuck. In this way, writing is both therapeutic and instructive. But bigger, more philosophical questions present themselves, too, and these are the ones I'd like to share with you, in hopes that we can have an honest, frank, enlightening conversation.

  1. Why is it that we view animals as inferior as opposed to merely different from us?

  2. How is it possible that despite the fact we adore our pets, and would never intentionally harm a living thing, but we continue to participate in the suffering of animals through our dietary choices?

  3. What would it take for you to change your diet?


Convenience. Habit. Everyone in my family eats animals. I wouldn't know what else to cook. I believe I need animal protein. I'm having this conversation a lot these days as I do readings from my book Animal Camp: Lessons in Love and Hope From Rescued Farm Animals. One woman said, "Asking me to change my diet is like asking me to change my children." I know what people's objections are. But I think there's a national conversation that desperately needs to occur, and I'd love to begin it with HuffPost readers.

If you know that:
  1. The animals you eat lead lives of misery and suffering from birth to death.
  2. Agribusiness, which grows 99% of the animals we consume, is the single biggest contributor to global warming and is wreaking planetary havoc;
  3. The consumption of meat and dairy products is either the largest or one of the primary contributors to many forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and more, then why are you still eating animals?


If kindness is a value to which you ascribe, my guess is that you do your very best to apply it both unconditionally and universally. You probably don't say, "I'm gonna be nice to my dog but kick my neighbor's dog in the face when I see him", and you probably don't say, "I'm gonna be nice on Tuesday and an asshole on Wednesday." Rather, I truly believe that most folks aspire to be kind in all circumstances to all beings, unless the situation demands a different response. How can I help you understand that every time you eat a burger or a slice of pizza you're making an exception to that value you hold so dearly -- and how can I do it without sounding sanctimonious, angry, impatient or judgmental, when what I want to be is encouraging. When what I want to be is truthful.

So, yep. December has always been a time for reflection. I invite all you non-vegans out there to reflect with me. Meantime, warm wishes from all creatures great and small for a joyous and peaceful holiday season, and if any of what I've said has resonated, here are some websites that will hold your virtual hand as you journey toward a diet that honors not only the animals, but you... yes, you, kind person.

The Kind Life with Alicia Silverstone: 
The Kind Life is a hub to get valuable information and find resources to help make every aspect of your life as kind as possible; not just the food you eat (although that's fun too). 

Compassionate Cooks: Compassionate Cooks gives people the tools and resources they need to prevent disease, optimize their health, and create new habits that benefit the Earth and all its inhabitants.

Crazy Sexy Life: Created by best-selling author Kris Carr, CSL provides readers with a daily dose of inspiration and education on how to live every day like you mean it.

VegNews: A magazine dedicated to vegetarian and veganism, providing the latest vegetarian news, interviews, travel features, food & health, celebrity buzz, delicious recipes, new veg products, and more.

Vegsource: 
Vegetarian and vegan recipes, discussion boards, articles, information from medical doctors, experts and nutritionists, and a community of vegans.

Happy Cow: Promotes vegetarianism as a compassionate, healthy, and environmentally sustainable way of living.]]> Our Turkey Celebration at Catskill Animal Sanctuary tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.787761 2010-11-25T10:00:00-05:00 2011-05-25T18:15:22-04:00 Kathy Stevens http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/ The Underfoot Family. I trust the term is self-explanatory. After all, as I wrote in Animal Camp, you try moving the tractor forward when two young pigs are playing chase in the barn, and David, one of the barn cats, is weaving through Hannah the sheep's legs while Hannah, drunk with joy, is oblivious to anything except the advances of her newfound friend. The tractor engine starts -- sixteen stalls and as many outbuildings must be cleaned every morning -- but no animal budges. Not Hannah or David, not Atlas, the crippled goat nestled in a pile of hay, not Barbie the hen, who is resting her big bird body three feet in front of a machine that could flatten her. The sound of the engine is my cue to shoo or nudge the animals out of harm's way. We go through this exercise many times a day, 365 days a year.

At Catskill Animal Sanctuary, the animals come first, and they know it.

While our free-rangers currently include Casey the horse, The Great Sheep Rambo, big pigs Jangles and Farfi, and an assortment of others whose physical or psychological need for "free-range privileges" trump arrangements that would be FAR more convenient for their human caretakers, none stand out more than Ethel and Blue, our two turkey girls.

Ethel and Blue became free-rangers when our tom turkeys began to pick on them. When the toms were adopted, there was no need for the girls to go back outside to the turkey yard. They were happy in the barnyard, so in the barnyard they remain.



First-time visitors to CAS are always taken aback by both the animals' personalities and their individuality. When a cow licks a visitor's face, or when a sheep walks up and paws her foot because he wants a massage, or when a resting pig grunts happily when a child stretches out on top of her massive pink body: these things leave lasting impressions. So, too, does watching how one timid pig keeps her distance, a bolder one barrels over to say hello, and another two don't budge from their muddy waddle. In this and many other ways, farm animals are no different than dogs, cats, or humans. We are all individuals, with individual preferences.

Take Ethel and Blue, for instance.

Like most turkeys I've known, Ethel and Blue are both curious, affectionate, and extremely social. They are interested in what we're eating, in whether we have treats, and are curious to try any new treat offered them. They have formed friendships with other barnyard animals, mostly notably Rambo the sheep and Barbie the hen. Eye contact is extremely important to them in sizing up whether one is trustworthy. If one doesn't sit down and look the girls straight in the eye, they tilt their heads in order to meet his gaze. Finally, both girls love to stand guard near Corey the farrier, who trims our horses' hooves. They hover so closely that he has to step over them as he works. The best way I can describe what we witness each week is that they seem to revel in keeping Corey company as he works.

Beyond their similarities, their differences are striking. Blue is the more reticent girl, but she's also calmer. Blue is the sidekick to the always dramatic, always in-your-face Ethel, who is alternately extremely affectionate or occasionally a little aggressive. Both are verbal, but Ethel is the true loudmouth, talking a blue streak when someone new enters the barn, when one sits down with her, or, especially, when one sings. Ethel loves to sing. Very much a social butterfly who revels in the attention she receives on visiting days, Ethel also occasionally accompanies us on our guided tours of the sanctuary.

Ten years into this work, I know a few things unequivocally. I know that all of us, whether human or turkey, seek pleasure and avoid pain. I know that despite the obvious differences among species, human and non-human animals are more alike than different in ways that count: we love and nurture our children, we form friendships, we seek pleasure in our encounters, and we have rich emotional lives. (This is where some of you will call me anthropomorphic; this is where I'll reply, "You're wrong," and invite you to visit the gang at CAS.)

Today, Chef Kevin Archer is making a feast that is much like what millions of families will share on Thursday, with one notable difference: no one has died for our enjoyment. That Ethel and Blue and other members of The Underfoot Family will instead be sharing our cranberries and cornbread feels humbling and right. Beyond that, it feels like a portrait of what life must become if the world is to survive. For indeed, the Standard American Diet is not only subjecting animals to torture, misery, and terror from birth to death and making us the fattest, unhealthiest people on the planet: it's also wreaking planetary havoc.

Just for a moment, I invite you to consider the animal you're about to consume. Forty-five million are killed for Thanksgiving alone. Packed into filthy, unventilated warehouses with just a square foot of space per bird, they suffer burning eyes, painful breast blisters, extreme breathing difficulties, and other problems like circulatory and heart ailments. Many die prematurely of violent heart attacks. Those who survive endure in transport and slaughter practice and conditions that most of us wouldn't wish upon a serial killer. I know I wouldn't.

I understand that changing one's diet is a tall order. But whether it's because we're sick and tired of being sick and tired (and fat), or we've come to understand the devastating environmental consequences of growing animals to feed humans, or we're finally listening to that little voice that's been whispering, "I don't want to be a part of the suffering anymore," our collective consciousness is shifting, folks, as indicated by the attention mainstream media are paying to vegetarian celebrations.

In this season of kindness, I invite you to consider what it means to extend kindness to all living beings.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Catskill Animal Sanctuary... especially my friends Ethel and Blue.

PS: Ethel loved the cranberries. Blue preferred the brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.




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