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I hope you are all looking forward to an exciting New Year’s Eve and more importantly an exciting 2010! I am having a quiet one here with the pets, but I am really looking forward to 2010 and all that it will bring. My slogan this year is:

“Work Hard and Good Things Will Come”.

I have always been a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. It just seems like a great time for a fresh start and to make positive changes. Here are my resolutions for 2010. You may like to make some of your own animal friendly resolutions.

1. Make $150 per Day by the end of the year. To do this I will be stepping up my online activities and working in a more structured manner.

2. Lose Weight and Get Healthy. OK, I know it is predictable, but it has to go on the list. I started going to the gym daily 2 months ago, so now just cutting out crisps and coke, should help me on the way. I figure the healthier I am, the better example I will set for future vegans.

3. Become an Early Riser – Currently my sleeping patterns are terrible and they have been for a whole year. I go to bed about 5am and get up around 2pm. This means I am missing out on a lot of time with my husband and I am generally less productive. I want to get up at 5am in preparation for running the sanctuary.

4. Save for Animal Sanctuary Deposit. This is a big one. By the end of the year David and I want to be in a position to search for the land for our farm sanctuary here in NSW and that means upping the saving by a lot. As I earn more I will increase the savings proportionally.

5. Become a Better Friend to the Pets. I think of my pets as friends and I want to make sure I am giving them everything they desire. Most people would think that the pets here are pretty spoiled. However, I want to make sure I spend more time with the rats every day. I also want to add more variety to Charlie the dog’s walks and completely rat proof the spare room, so they can run around there unsupervised.

6. Travel to at least 3 New Places. David and me don’t travel at all, simply because of the pets. However this year it’s time to find a great pet sitter and take some weekends away. We plan to investigate some suitable suburbs for the animal sanctuary, as well as build on our relationship by having some fun. I would love to visit Farm Sanctuary in New York and volunteer, however that all depends on savings. If we can’t go abroad we will take the pets with us for the weekend at a pet friendly camp site.

7. Be a Pure Vegan. I am currently a vegan in most people’s book. The thing is I don’t feel I am doing enough for the cause. First I need to investigate vegetarian diets for Dylan the cat and Charlie the dog. I have tried one brand of vegan dog food, but it didn’t go down well. I also plan to write at least one letter regarding animal rights per week to a newspaper or company.

I also need to be far stricter when it comes to palm oil. Many foods contain palm oil, the harvesting of which causes destruction of rainforests and the deaths of many orangutans, so I need to be sure to check all products by checking the label.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Do you think that 2010 could be the year that you make a difference to your life, or the lives of needy people or animals?

Happy New Year! Have a Great One!

It is Christmas Eve and I am very excited as my husband David has piled up 4 presents under the tree. I can’t wait to give him his. Plus we have gifts for Charlie the dog, Dylan the cat and Pea and Mingles the gorgeous rats. Tomorrow is a busy family day, so we will open our presents later tonight.

More important than gifts is the compassionate meaning of Christmas and I think it is the perfect time for us to consider those less fortunate, especially the millions of abused animals currently suffering in slaughter houses, factory farms, circuses, puppy farms and testing laboratories. Consider giving a tax deductible donation to your favorite charity. Even if it is just $5, it will help.

If you are surrounded by meat eaters on Christmas Day (as we will be) consider bringing a tasty vegan dish with you. Not only will it ensure you eat well, but spreading compassion through delicious food is one of the best ways to get people thinking and enjoying vegan food.

It can be challenging for animal lovers at Christmas. As much as we love to spend time with family, we can’t help but feel angered by the animal carcasses spread out on the table.I am lucky in that my husband is also vegan, so we can support each other.

I hope you all have a wonderful cruelty free Christmas!

I just re-watched The Emotional World of Farm Animals featuring Jeffrey Masson (the author of When Elephants Weep and The Pig Who Sang to the Moon) and it is a wonderful documentary. Anyone who questions that farm animals have emotions should be forced to watch this and the rest of us should just enjoy it. It is also very inspiring for those of us who want to start animal sanctuaries, as you get to have a look around farm animal sanctuaries in America.

Although this film proves the point that farm animals (just like all animals) have emotions and should not be used for food, it does not use violent footage. Therefore, it is good for the squeamish, yet compassionate person. You can buy a copy of the DVD from Animal Place Farm Sanctuary, which is one of the amazing sanctuaries featured in the film.

Check out their website by clicking here.

The link above will take you to the DVD page, but make sure you check out their main website too for updates and rescue stories, or perhaps to make a much needed donation.

You can also watch the doco online here:

I hope you love it as much as I do. You may also want to buy a hard copy to help support Animal Place.

If you have read my previous posts you will be aware that I am slightly obsessed with Farm Sanctuary in the USA (NY and California). David and I would love to set up something very similar here in NSW Australia. It is well worth checking out Farm Sanctuary’s website if you are planning to set up your own animal rescue, or if you just love animals. There is a great gift shop, where you can order loads of cool animal stuff and my personal favorite, gorgeous farm sanctuary videos. It is a true delight to see these lucky few animals that have been rescued from horrible fates.

Here is one of their new videos and one that I love of Angelo the lamb:

There are loads more amazing videos at the Farm Sanctuary site. Why not head over and check it out?

I have been working very hard recently on my online endeavors and the money is slowly, but steadily building. Still a long way to go though, until we can apply for a loan for the sanctuary. Of course me and David are constantly exploring our options and planning out how all this is going to take shape. Most recently we have been considering the ideal location for our Australian farm animal sanctuary.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the ideal location for an animal sanctuary.

1. Animal Requirements – It is very important to have an idea of what animals you will be offering sanctuary to. David and I are planning to start a farm animal sanctuary, as well as taking in smaller animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and animals I absolutely love, rats! So we will need to find a property with enough land to support animals such as cows, horses, sheep, pigs and goats along with existing outbuildings or space to build outbuildings to offer shelter for the animals and enclosures for the smaller animals.

Therefore, when choosing our property we will have to consider the needs of these animals and ensure there is an adequate environment for them. This means me and David need to start reading up on the proper care of these animals. We already know we will need multiple paddocks, so that we can rotate the animals, to stop overgrazing, especially with animals like pigs, that just love to root around.

Ideally we will also need a pond on site for the ducks and geese. It is possible to add one, but this could be expensive.

2. Legal Zoning - We have to ensure that we are allowed to use the land we purchase for an animal sanctuary. Some land may be too near a residential area, or it could be part of a National Park where you are not allowed to keep domestic animals. Many beautiful areas in Australia are National Parks, so this is something to be aware of.

Other than legal issues, there are neighbours to consider. There is bound to be noise from the animals and we want to avoid complaints and possible problems. However there should be vehicular access to the land, so it can’t be completely secluded.

3. Money, Money, Money – This is currently a massive concern for us, as I am sure it is for anyone who is planning to start an animal sanctuary, or indeed to purchase any land or property. At first we will probably not have enough money to purchase a huge amount of land, so we want to make sure we have room to expand at a later date, when we are able to fund raise . We are currently browsing different areas and property prices. The drier areas are cheaper, but then there may be drought and water concerns. This will take more research, but we will probably be starting off on a shoestring budget.

4. Tourism – Although when you get into the middle of nowhere prices are low, it is handy to be near a major city, or attraction so that we can encourage visitors. Not only would this be a great fundraiser, but it would help spread the message of veganism and encourage positive encounters with previously farmed animals. Easy access is also important so that new animals can easily be brought in and animals can be comfortably transported to new homes. It will be a challenge to balance price (which is always cheaper far from cities) with public access, which will be far better near to a city.

5. Environmental Factors – As much as I love Australia, it can be a harsh place to live, especially for the wildlife, which suffers in bush fires. David and I will have to check chances of bush fire, floods and drought before purchasing a property. We will also have to develop a bush fire evacuation plan just in case.

So, apart from the huge amount of saving we have to do, David and I have a ton of research waiting ahead of us. I can’t wait to get started!