ASPCA PLEDGE

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is leading a campaign against puppy mills by stoping their main source of income, puppy stores. I recently had to pleasure of interviewing Cori Menkin, the senior director of the campaign, and I want to share with you some things I learned:


1. Almost every single dog at a puppy store (or pet store) that you see for sale comes from a puppy mill. (Even those expensive toy dogs they sell for big bucks)
2. Almost every single dog for sale ONLINE, even if the site says they are from a rescue, is probably from a puppy mill. They rope animal lovers in all the time with "rescue scams".
3. If you buy a dog online without seeing it first there is a good chance you will be given a different dog than you ordered!!
4. The USDA and AKC (american kennel club) do nothing to prevent puppy mills from existing. In fact, the AKC profits millions of dollars each year from registering dogs from "large scale breeders" aka puppy mills. (I'm researching for an article on this so more to come later). 
5.Buying ANYTHING (even a squeaky toy) from a puppy store or pet store that sells puppies you are supporting puppy mills. 
Wondering what you can do to help? TAKE THE PLEDGE not to shop at these places and pass the info on to your friends. If you want a dog, adopt from a local shelter or small local breeder that will let you go pick the dogs in person. Click the badge below to take the pledge!

To read the full article I wrote after my interview with Ms. Menkin CLICK HERE  :)

(photo from here)

SO LONG PASTIC BAGS

Los Angeles made history today as it became the largest city in the U.S. to ban plastic bags from super market stores. Which makes me proud to be an Angelenos! So I'm reposting my previous post on grocery bags for a cause. Try out one of these eco friendly bags from Feed Projects. The proceeds from the bag of your choice go to feeding hungry kids around the world. Happy shopping :)

CAINE'S ARCADE

9 year old arcade enthusiast Caine Monroy built his own arcade in his dad's used auto parts store in east LA. Thanks to short filmmaker Nirvan Mullick you can watch as Caine has the best day of his life. Caine raised almost 200,000 dollars for his college fund, which is being matched to go into Caine's Arcade Foundation,  to help find, fund, and foster creativity and entrepreneurship in young kids. This is so adorable it made me tear up a little bit. What an awesome kid. I would love to check it out one weekend. Visit Caine's Arcade website, here.

OLD LADY LOLITA

"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures." — The Dali Lama

This is Lolita, she was basically poached, ripped apart from her pod, and brought to the Miami Seaquarium when she was just 4 years old. She has been living their by herself, in the smallest orca whale tank in the nation, for over forty years. She is now at least 44, and is still forced to perform. The average female orca lifespan is 50 years. This breaks my heart. How can an animal be happy living in the same small tank by herself when she used to have the whole ocean to explore and an entire pod as family. This is absolutely a case of animal abuse and exploitation. But now she has a chance to live out the last few years of her life as a free whale. Below I included a link to a story I wrote about Lolita for the magazine I write for: globalanimal.org. 


HERE is the link to the full heartbreaking story, and HERE is the link to the petition you can sign to help set her free. :)

(photo from slaveforentertainment.com)

SUNDAY POSTS FROM AROUND THE WEB

This weekend went by too fast. :( I can't believe it's over. Even though it was busy I still managed to find some neat posts from around the web. Enjoy!


Bensimon sneakers in pretty pastels.


LOVE this white bikini.


How your fur coat can help an animal. 


Yum yum yum chocolate and hazelnut.


What a pretty staircase.


MUAHAHA: please use for good, not evil.


Beautiful dresses.


PLEASE think twice before going to a circus.


Spanx made this woman a billionare!

(photo by Luc Viatour)

GROCERY BAGS FOR A CAUSE

The Feed Foundation has come up with a way to help us grocery shop eco friendly while feeding hungry kids around the world. Grocery bags like these and other products ranging from teddy bears to baby clothes are available here and the proceeds go to providing food and necessities to kids in need.

PS- Grocery Stores in Santa Monica have gotten rid of plastic bags for good and now charge a small fee per paper bag. So best bring your own!!!

(photo credit: The Feed Foundation)

THE GIFT OF SIGHT

Just because the Holiday season is over doesn't mean you have to stop giving.TOMS has started an eyewear line to give sight to people in developing countries. For each pair you buy someone will be given medical attention, a new pair of glasses, or sight-saving surgery. They have a lot of cute pairs for affordable prices that you can check out here. 


PS- don't forget to read how it works.

(photo from here)