Dr. Akhtar is a neurologist and writes from that perspective, exploring the science behind empathy and interactions with animals. But this is far from a scientific thesis. I’m a fan of memoir and biography, and Dr. Akhtar shares her own story as well as those of others who bond with dogs, cats, pigs, and other animals in their lives. I felt invested in the fates of hurricane survivors who didn’t want to leave their companion animals, in prisoners who found purpose in caring for cats. I waited as the doctor’s own tale played out, wondering what would become of her beloved dog Sylvester as she coped with abuse at the hand of her uncle.

And I was stunned by her communication and meeting with The Happy Face Killer, whose innate empathy towards animals was all but extinguished in childhood.

The stories laid out here are rich, sometimes complicated, often painful. I had to pause and put the book down at points, and isn’t that a testament to how important these stories are?

Our Symphony with Animals affirms that all living beings are searching for safety and comfort. We gain so much from animals and when we can show them empathy, we can gain even more.

Thanks to Pegasus Books for a review copy of this book!

The post Our Symphony with Animals by Aysha Akhtar appeared first on Chic Vegan.

I know someone who’s in her first year of veganism.

She’s reading books, listening to podcasts, watching movies. I remember that phase – soaking in all of the information. She recently asked me how I handle it when people don’t understand. We’ve all been there: the family members who don’t want to hear about animal cruelty. The friends who think they could never give up cheese. The acquaintances who think you’re being too difficult when trying to find a veg-friendly dining establishment. I empathized with her, asked her if she felt comfortable with certain responses. It was nice to relate to someone on this level; the number of vegans I interact with out in the world has gotten smaller over the years.

One thing that hasn’t changed since I read Skinny Bitch a decade ago is my struggle to understand how people can ignore where their food comes from. Knowledgeable, compassionate, progressive people will still choose to eat animals, seeing it as a palate preference and not as an ethical issue. These same people may be livid when they hear that dogmeat is popular in another country. They were cheering for the raccoon who scaled a Minnesota skyscraper earlier this June. But bacon is tasty and plants don’t have enough protein. It’s simultaneously frustrating and expected.

We are conditioned from the beginning of our short lives on this planet by a system that’s older than our closest relatives. Of course it seems logical that a cow feels pain the way a dog would. But cows are raised for food, and dogs aren’t, at least not here. Of course there’s protein in beans, nuts, and other foods, but we grew up with four food groups and meat is one of them. Of course we don’t need to drink cow’s milk, which exists to grow a baby cow into a very large steer, but milk grows strong teeth and bones. Conditioning is very real, and very difficult to break out of.

I told the first-year vegan that we should have lunch and discuss, but she’s doing just fine. She knew about a veg fest I had no inkling of. She listens to a podcast I didn’t know was producing new episodes. She showed a couple documentaries to a friend who stopped eating animals afterwards.

I am so glad that veganism is continuing to spread.

People are realizing that oppression exists everywhere. It’s what we will do with this realization that counts.

Graffiti photo: Paul Sableman
Stop sign photo: Alexander Mueller

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Ethical vegans are no strangers to drawing lines. Some of us will not eat at an establishment that sells meat; others do so with the intent of spending their money on plant-based dishes and letting the owners know that more of those dishes will mean more business for them. Some vegans are fine with sharing a family meal with a turkey on the table. I myself haven’t sat at a Thanksgiving table with a turkey since going vegan in 2009, but I will eat with my non-vegan friends and family if there isn’t a carcass present.

I think about these lines often as I consume media. Last month, I began reading Jesmyn Ward’s novel  Salvage the Bones. I had no idea going into it that the story involved a pit bull and dog fighting. After reading a few chapters, I asked myself if I wanted to continue, knowing that things were going to get violent. I decided to shelf the book. I had a similar change of heart last year, rereading Cujo for the first time in decades. I know that story like the back of my hand, and I just couldn’t bring myself to read it to completion, knowing that Cujo was going to get violent quick. I quickly knew I had no interest in watching The Greatest Showman, a film that appears to glorify PT Barnum, he of circus fame and exploiter of animals both human and non-human.

My own lines don’t always seem straight or consistent. I watch films such as The Hobbit, even after hearing of the animals who died during filming. And it goes beyond animal rights. In the face of horrible allegations in the MeToo movement and abhorrent statements from those whose politics don’t align with mine, I’ve seen creators of works I admire become disappointing (on one end) to despicable (on the other end). I struggle with separating a person from their art, and whether it makes sense not to watch a movie, listen to an album, or tune in for a television series when I disagree with someone so fundamentally.

I don’t have a solid answer. This is a non-vegan world, and so we are vegan as far as is possible and practical. This is also a society of flawed people. If we looked at everyone involved in every movie we loved, every book we read, every song on our playlists, we’d find something we don’t stand behind. Do we throw it all away?

This has weighed heavily on my mind as Roseanne has returned to television to huge ratings. The first run of the show was must-see television for me; the Conners reminded me of my family, the characters hit home. I’m a fan of many of the actors, too. I am not a fan of many of the things Roseanne Barr has said on her social media. It’s unfathomable to me that Barr has gone so far in the opposite direction of what Conner seemed to represent in the nineties.

But I watched the reboot, and I enjoyed the first two episodes. For me, it all felt very familiar. Roseanne’s name is on the show, but she isn’t the only one involved, and it’s not just her voice being given a platform. I’ve decided to keep watching, though I understand why so many have decided not to. (Read Roxane Gay’s New York Times op-ed for a great argument on that.)

We’re lucky to have choices in what we consume and how we live. My choices today aren’t the same as they were when I read Skinny Bitch in the summer of 2008. They continue to change, thank goodness. I hope that we all keep thinking, keep changing, keep choosing. I hope we find ourselves able to have conversations that lead us in the a better direction.

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We’ve seen a growing movement over the past few months of those who have been harassed or assaulted. The MeToo movement shows us that there are countless stories of men and women being victimized by those in power. I’ve watched with dismay as each new name comes to the forefront, as each story is told.

I was surprised to see MeToo make its way into animal rights when leaders of well-known organizations were accused of sexual harassment. This is nothing new – Carol J. Adams has been writing about the sexual politics of meant for years (and published a book with the same title), so why would it be surprising? I had perhaps naively expected a movement built on not exploiting others to include people who did not exploit others. Unfortunately, exploitation runs deep within our human nature.

In recent weeks, we’ve all watched in horror as another school shooting took the lives of seventeen students and teachers. The difference this time is the young leaders who watched their friends die. They are standing up. They are speaking out. They are, as one of them said at a CNN town hall last week, speaking up for those with no voice. These are the leaders we need in all of our intersecting movements. And they are already making change, as companies end their business relationships with the NRA and supporters donate to their cause as marches and walkouts are planned. Many of them will be able to vote in the next elections. Voting is power.

I know that it’s controversial to compare animal rights to human issues. Slavery, the Holocaust – they are horrible marks on our history. There is a common thread whether we compare them or not. Exploiting another – human or non-human – is a violent act. Harassment and assault, as experienced by those with a MeToo story, is violence. The gun debate pivots on whether guns are necessary and whether they should be easily accessible to people. Guns are by their very nature violent – they exist to do harm. Hunters use guns with one goal in mind – killing their target.

Of course animal rights doesn’t exist in a bubble. It’s just one piece of a prism of violence that exists because we do. But there’s an awakening happening right now, and if the tide will turn for some pieces, then maybe the others will follow.

Feature Photo: Will Montague

Stop Sign Photo: Mikko Kapenan

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Judging Thy Neighbor

I have neighbors who let their dogs off leash. The dogs are sometimes outside without supervision, on a busy street. There have been occasions where the dogs have been returned to their humans from lots or driveways across the street. The neighbors, on these occasions, commented that they hadn’t realized their dogs were missing.

Unsurprisingly, one of the dogs was hit and killed by a car. I was furious as I watched the police put up a cone and redirect traffic. The reaction from my neighbors? Replace him with two more dogs, continue negligent behavior. I judge them every time I see one of their (now three) dogs sniffing the grass. I’m terrified that there will be a repeat rundown of someone.

Judging Thy Acquaintances

Recently, someone I know on social media mentioned their dog had been injured. Several people advised the dog needed to be seen by a vet. His behavior suggested he was in pain; his human’s account implied broken bones.

The dog died with no medical intervention. “He would have been put down anyway.” The human wanted no negative reactions. A new dog is being considered for the family.

I don’t know if it’s my experience with the neighbors, activist burnout, the ASPCA commercial currently on my tv, or a combination of these things, but I am horrified. When my judgment spiral had me wanting to call this person’s local animal shelter to beg them not to let another animal into their care, I stepped away from my feed.

Judging The System

Companion animals are at the mercy of their guardians. If said guardians can’t/won’t speak for or act for these animals, they shouldn’t bring them into their homes. And yet, it happens everyday. There are some great organizations that take care in researching their prospective adopters. But there are millions of homeless animals who need a home, and resources are scarce when waiting for the perfect forever home.

Still, we continue to breed dogs and cats – in puppy mills or in “reputable” breeding businesses – when there’s an overpopulation of them, homeless or in kill shelters, who don’t get a second look.

I am judging us as a society. Please stop looking at animals as “less than” or as things. They deserve better. They deserve safety from busy streets, medical care when hurt, advocacy when treated badly, and homes instead of cages.

They also don’t judge humans for all of the injustices done to them. And so, once again, I’m reminded that I can better serve this cause by being a bit more like those I want to speak for. Less judgment. More love. May 2018 bring us all closer to it.

Love photo: Susanne Nilsson

Dog with leash photo: OCVA

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That a dog changed the author’s life doesn’t surprise me. I know the power in meeting an animal, in realizing he is someone, not something. It’s one of the reasons I’m such a fan of farm animal sanctuaries. Not only did O’Grey change his lifestyle and lose a lot of weight, he bonded completely with the dog he was matched with. This led to changes he never could have imagined, first with his health, then with his home, and the next with his heart.

I could not relate to the author’s faith or desire for a family. I also questioned his desire to make Peety a service dog so he could take him everywhere, wondering whether it’s was a bit self-serving. Towards the end of Walking with Peety, O’Grey poses a question: “Does anyone else ever stop and think that maybe, just maybe, God put all these dogs for a reason?…Somebody up there wants us to know that none of us – no matter how messed up or alone or tired of life we think we are – not one of us ever has to walk alone.”

At first read, I took this quote to mean dogs are here for us, and I don’t subscribe to that notion at all. Reading it again, I think maybe it means dogs are here with us, and that is a thought I am already behind. All animals have their own interests at heart. Living with a dog myself, I know what it can mean to feel love and companionship from someone with four legs. I’m grateful that many people come to understand their own compassion from their relationships with companion animals. Peety led O’Grey to eventually replace all his leather clothing with synthetic versions; a shift from plant-based for health to vegan for the animals.

O’Grey was over fifty when his life changed, a reminder that it is never too late for a shift. I’ve said before that origin stories are so important; we are all walking unique paths and a common thought threads us together. I’m glad Peety was loved. I’m glad his human was, too. Walking with Peety is worth the read, and I hope it opens hearts and minds.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a review copy of this book!

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On October 17, yet another cow – a bull, actually – ran for his life from a slaughterhouse in New York City, injuring a child in his bid to live. The #BrooklynCow, so dubbed on social media, was eventually tranquilized by police and rescued by Skylands Animal Sanctuary in New Jersey.

This is not the first rescue of a runaway animal in New York – in fact, those of us with knowledge of his background are unsurprised when it winds up being Mike Stura, the founder of Skylands, who saves the day. I always watch with a mixture of anxiety for the animals and exasperation towards those who root for them, even as they plan their steak dinner. It’s easy to feel for an individual, easier still to ignore the nameless billions who die in the system those individuals escape from. But does an individual who, by some stroke of luck, escaped his fate deserve to live any more than the others who weren’t so lucky?

Animal sanctuaries are forever homes to others like the #BrooklynCow, since named Shankar – cows and pigs and goats and chickens and turkeys who, by a stroke of luck, do not suffer the fate of their brothers and sisters. They often need medical care when rescued, and when they outlive the age span they are bred for. They are ambassadors for their kind, and they change hearts and minds; I’ve seen it happen. 

What sanctuaries and news stories about escaped animals do is important to the goal of stopping the use of animals. The morning after Shankar’s rescue, I discussed what had happened with some co-workers before a meeting. One person asked, “Do you think they know [they’re going to die]?” I didn’t hesitate when I answered, “Yes. They absolutely know.” I saw a video many years ago of two cows, waiting outside the kill floor. As the door closed in front of them and they heard the bellowing on the other side, they backed up in fear. Though the video wasn’t violent, it was difficult to watch.

If you’ve ever heard your dog or cat yelp after accidentally getting a tail or paw stepped on, you know that they feel? And yet, it continues to be harder for people to accept that animals they don’t see as companions also feel. There is a reason the cellophane-wrapped slabs of meat at the supermarket are presented they way they are: they don’t suggest the living being that died that meat case to be filled in the slightest.

I’m relieved that Shankar will live out his days in safety with others like him. I only hope that the next time a bull makes the evening news, or, as was the case this time, Jimmy Kimmel Live, someone watching  makes the connection and stops eating others like him.

For updates on Shankar, visit Skylands Animal Sanctuary on Facebook.

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I’ve read thousands of books over the past thirty-five years: memoirs and biographies, how-to’s and self-help books, fiction and non-fiction. Late last year, I discovered Litsy, a social media app for booklovers. It’s been great meeting others who share my love of words. My “to be read” shelf has doubled, and I’ve been introduced to great people, topics, and writers.

This network has also given me the opportunity to share my own reads, including those on veganism and animal rights. When the opportunity to host a traveling book arose this summer, it sounded like a great way to start a discussion. I chose non-fiction, pulled my copy of Melanie Joy’s Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows off the shelf, and put out the call for six readers.

I suspected that it might be difficult to find six people willing to read a book about carnism. As the days passed and other traveling book groups formed, I got nervous. But eventually, the slots filled, and the book will be traveling through February 2018, along with a notebook for thoughts on the book from each reader. I had no idea when I selected this book that Joy had a new one coming out this year, but I’ll take it as a sign of great timing.

Traveling books and online bookclubs are great options for introverted activists. Each gives you a chance to collect your thoughts and the time to express them clearly. For me, the prospect of an in-person bookclub has always been daunting; I’m not great with groups of people and I am much more comfortable in writing than in spoken word.

I also look at this as an opportunity to try to improve my reading retention. According to Goodreads, I’ve read 144 books so far this year. I’m currently in the middle of five more, and there are plenty waiting after that. Unfortunately, I’ve already forgotten the names of characters and the threads of plots on books I’ve rated with four stars. Writing my thoughts down during or after a read should help me to remember key points in books I’ve loved. While I’ve managed to retain a lot of fascinating, horrifying, and important information about the topics of animal exploitation and veganism, I want to make sure I’m always learning about these topics so I can be a strong advocate for animals.

If you like to read and know others who share the feeling, consider a traveling book as part of your animal activism. There are so many new books out this year – some of which we’ve reviewed here at Chic Vegan – but older standbys like Animal Liberation or Eating Animals would be great choices. And if you’d like to join us on Litsy, round two of my traveling book is open for readers starting in March!

You can find Daria on Litsy @dariazeoli, and on Goodreads.

Feature image: ginnerobot

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I thought about this as I looked at the photos in Jo-Anne McArthur’s new book, Captive.

Captive shows the every day realities of animals who have no choice but to live and die in zoos, aquariums and sea parks around the world. McArthur chooses to photograph these beings as they are, without the distractions exhibits commonly use to great effect on thousands of visitors each year.

As she points out, most zoo visits last 1-3 hours. This is not enough time to see all there is behind the walls, bars, and acrylic windows keeping animals inside their enclosures. We can leave. They can’t. They pace and exhibit signs of zoochosis that would be apparent to anyone if they spent more than a few minutes gawking. 

It’s evident that when faced with individual stories, people are receptive to learning and to demanding change. We need only look at the effects that Blackfish and the story of Tilikum had on SeaWorld, or how much media coverage Harambe’s tragic death last year at the Cincinnati Zoo received. Every photo subject in McArthur’s book has his or her own story, a part of which is captured within the pages.

I used to go to zoos. I vividly remember my last visit to the Bronx Zoo, where I took photos of tigers and gorillas behind glass. I watched George & Gracie the lions try to sun themselves on a rock. I paid the extra charge to see the gorillas, never questioning the conservation work used in the name of the New York gorillas who would certainly never wind up in the African wild. I look back at that visit, and I wonder how it was possible for me not to stop and question how things were. I look at this book, at the humans who are incidentally captured in some of the snapshots, and I wonder if they will wonder about themselves that way.

McArthur’s talent is in her ability to capture a moment that repeats for each of her subjects, day in and day out… a moment most of us never see. In blocks of text between photos, she gives her account of what this project entailed, of zoo employees and of having to fit in as just another tourist with a camera.

Thank you to Lantern Books for a review copy of this book and for the photographs accompanying this post.

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Lindstrom, an admitted meat lover, initially went vegan as a bet with his wife. This down-to-earth look at his own vegan origin story, peppered with facts about the way we use animals and how that use affects millions of lives – theirs and ours – is a great memoir for anyone open to living a more compassionate life.

As an eight-year vegan, I found myself chuckling at some of Lindstrom’s story, recognizing the notable vegans that are name-dropped, and nodding at the answers given to defensive omnivores. I appreciated the chapter on Angry Vegans. I have been one of them, and there’s a pretty convincing list of reasons why they exist.

Lindstrom’s voice is honest, snarky, and appealing. As someone who often straddles the line between junk food vegan and lover of kale, I find his approach relatable to those of us who aren’t drawn to a whole foods plant based diet – and let’s be real, most of the people we’d love to join us in this vegan philosophy are probably eating a less healthy diet than they’d like to believe.

There are wide variety of topics covered here. It’s not a long book, and it includes several recipes at the end, but it’s not lacking for any number of answers to “where do you get your protein?” or “what about cheese?” or “what do you stock your pantry with?” I was impressed that humane slaughter was discussed and dismissed, and I appreciated that none of the very real horrors of the animal food industry were glossed over. It’s possible to give people the truth in a matter-of-fact way, and that’s what The Skeptical Vegan book does.

Vegans may still be a minority, but there’s a huge variation in who we are and where we come from. It’s thrilling to me when another vegan story is told, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Lindstrom’s story to others.

Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing for a review copy of this book.

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