In 2008, one of our beloved Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Rocco, died. It was traumatic, and tragic, and heartbreaking, but from it sprung my and two of my kids veganism.
After he died, I was so appalled by the seeming uncaring attitudes of the vets. One suggested, knowing how very ill Rocco was, that we leave him overnight at the clinic. Alone. Absolutely alone. No staff worked overnight. The vet at the animal hospital was very matter of fact when he outlined everything that was wrong with our furchild, things we had no idea about and were trying to grasp the gravity of the situation. This set me on a search on how animals are treated.
I don't know what I was looking for. I don't. Just something to help me understand. I stumbled across the book that changed my life. That book was Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals. I didn't know what it was about, but the titled captured my attention. It opened my eyes to so much.
The author, Karen Dawn, presents the information in an easily readable way, but doesn't hold back. She became my hero. I still receive her emails from her animal advocacy media watch website. It was while reading her book I decided to become a vegetarian. When I finished her book I couldn't stand it anymore, and made the leap to veganism.
The next person to rock my world was John Robbins. I have several of his books, but The Food Revolution had the most impact on me.
It is these humans and my furchildren who have inspired my veganism, and continue to inspire it.
So, the challenge for day 19 is: Lunch on the go. I don't mess around. I like finger foods. So, I will usually go to my local Whole Foods and choose several items from the cold bar. They have several things to choose from, and all of them are tasty.
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