My love for animals runs deep - Seattle Vegan Photographer
I love the witch’s motto “Harm None” -and I take it seriously.
First off, I am writing about my experience and thoughts, and this is by no way meant to SHAME anyone, but rather just inform! I mean this from my heart, I care about the animals and YOU.
This is just coming out of me, so here goes. Truth be told, I am unapologetic about my love for animals. I always cried the hardest during movies when the animals got hurt or died. I feel very empathic toward them, and I feel like most people would feel the same if they watched them suffer.
I’ve watched people talk about how much they love animals while eating a pig. I’ve listened to them be so enraged that a guy ran over a duck while they munched on a chicken. Have you ever thought about this? It’s called cognitive dissonance and the definition is this - The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.
I made these portraits of these amazing beings at local animal sanctuaries.
Not eating animals is spiritual for me. A way for me to honor their lives, this earth, and my health. Not consuming death energy, stress energy, or scientifically speaking -cortisol, consuming their stress -is very important to me.
There is no difference between a cow and a dog. Period. Yet, as a society we become confused and push our morals away when it comes to this, whether we are talking about animal cruelty or the environment. And like a lot of people I know simply say “I don’t want to know”
Now I see the irony everywhere. People making great efforts to save a moth or a spider, then eating a cow on a sandwich. Being an ocean lover -and then eating fish tacos. Being so upset over the animals dying in the forest fires… over a steak dinner.
“One day the absurdity of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be palpable. We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Although I loved animals so much as a little girl, it wasn’t until I was 40 years old that I discovered that my actions were not at all in line with my morals. I was pescatarian. I quit eating the other animals at age 18. I thought cows were just as cool and cute as dogs, and that pigs were funny and cute (little did I know they are smarter than most dogs and as intelligent as a three year old human) I knew that they wanted to live and felt fear and loved their families. Cows are like elephants, they stick with their family forever. They play like dogs, and if raised in the right way, they absolutely cuddle with you. They respond to music, and love.
Once I learned about the devastation of the ocean, that most of the plastics found in the water destroying it -are actually from fish nets from commercial fishing, and that fish are sentient beings that are self aware and have yes -feelings. They fight for their life and feel pain- I was over it. Imagine if they could scream…
When you purchase fish, you are paying for all kinds of other species to be killed as well- including beloved dolphins, sharks, and turtles- I was done. Not to mention the chemicals they are made up of these days, not as healthy as I once thought. You can get omegas from the source that fish get theirs from, algae. And other plant based sources. Or grab and easy supplement.
And then I learned about dairy -something I already knew was unhealthy for my body. I used to say “I don’t want to know” all the time! Littered with saturated fat, antibiotics, and hormones from a pregnant cow, (and lots puss)
DAIRY EXPLAINED HERE (5 minute video)
Consuming dairy actually contributes to killing more cows than eating a burger. WHAT? Yes. The mother cow actually does die - either from exhaustion or she gets slaughtered for her flesh, and every little innocent baby she has gets to live a short dark tortured life for veal, are killed instantly, or have the same tortured dairy life as their mother, or is raised for beef.
Cows love their babies, they are very sweet and family oriented. The more I learned, the less I said “But I can’t live without cheese” Cows can live to be 20, but dairy cows drop to the floor from exhaustion at age 4. From there they are often scooped up in a tractor alive, and sent out to make dog food.
Cow milk is meant to make a baby calf grow into a 600 pound cow.
Eggs. Just google “what happens to the male chicks in the egg industry” Long story short, they get thrown in a giant blender and macerated alive. Gross. This my friends, is STANDARD PRACTICE unless you buy your eggs from a farmers market! Know which butthole the egg comes out of before you buy so you don’t pay for massive chicks to get blended alive. Yes, eggs come from the butthole:)
Pigs have it the absolute worst, kept in tiny cages where they can barely move so that they get as fat as possible. It kills me. They are SO smart and sweet.
All of the animals- even the grass fed beef- end in up in the feedlot for many weeks before they are killed in the slaughter line. Imagine being in a long line of your friends and you can hear and smell them getting killed. And the poor chickens stuffed in a dark chicken house by the thousands, never seeing the sunlight, riddled with disease, stepping on each other and living in their own feces. An entire existence of suffering.
I could seriously talk about this subject FOR DAYS. Although I wish I didn’t have to.
I needed a little story about my love for animals and photography coming together. It is a huge part of me and I’m very passionate about it.
See below you will see what an amazing being once was- before it would become a 5 minute snack.
Turkeys are so amazing, when I met these guys, one was showing off so hard he was actually DANCING for me while the females surrounded me as I shot. Heaven!
Heartwood Haven Animal Sanctuary Gig Harbor
Heartwood Haven Animal Sanctuary
And I asked myself, are you an animal lover, or just a lover of dogs cats (pets) ?
And I asked myself, how much do I love this planet, so unique and magical?
And I asked myself, how much do I care about my health?
The Bison Range is a nature reserve on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana established for the conservation of American bison. Formerly called the National Bison Range, the size of the bison herd at the BR is between 350 and 500.
Tired overworked rodeo horses getting much needed rest, Montana
Me at Madison Grove Farm Animal Rescue
Madison Grove Farm Sanctuary
“Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.” Mark Twain
“Animals are a gift from above for they truly define the words unconditional love.”
I hope your day is fabulous. Thank you if you read this far! Dawndra
And I will end on this quick video about “humane slaughter”
