Mario the cow

I think it was 2004.

I was in San Francisco for work and added a few days to spend with my dear friends John and Randy.

They surprised me with a trip to Farm Sanctuary. We spent a night at one of the cabins there, got the tour and met many lovely animals.

And we met Mario.

Mario had recently just gotten back from surgery for his broken leg. He was a calf, saved from a dead pile at a dairy farm. A trucker at the farm saw he was still alive and brought him to Farm Sanctuary.

Mario could walk pretty well when I met him. He totally loved being loved. Several times I watched him run and jump in the air, something I had never seen. I fell in love with Mario. He was honestly the cutest most precious being, and I thoroughly loved every minute I got to spend with him.

I think of him from time to time. He is one of the lucky ones. After being found on the dead pile he never had to know the life that almost every other farmed animal has to go through. And he didn't become veal.

Look at Mario now! I found these gorgeous photos from Cadry's Kitchen blog, from her visit to Farm Sanctuary.

Big love to Mario. And to all those who fight to stop animal cruelty.

Here's a link to Farm Sanctuary: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

Here's a link to Cadry's post: http://cadryskitchen.com/tag/farm-sanctuary/

Thanks for reading.

Silk (milk) is now animal-cruelty free?

I was pretty thrilled this week to get an email from a public relations person who wanted me to know about the new TCBY vegan Silk yogurt (fro-yo) made from almond milk responding to a concern I had about Silk being a product of WhiteWave which is owned by Dean Foods, one of the largest killer of pigs in the country (and maybe other animals).

She was kind enough to approach Silk, who in turn sent her this:

"Silk is actually owned by WhiteWave Foods and their spin-off from Dean Foods was completed last year. WhiteWave is now a stand-alone, publicly traded company."

Why did I not know this? Is this true? It seems it is. 

I am still asking around just to make sure that there is absolutely no connection between White Wave and Dean Foods. As you might know, several years ago Dean Foods, not making great profit from killing animals, bought a vegan friendly company, WhiteWave. Although I have a lot of disgust for Dean Foods, this purchase showed that in the big world of business and money-making, companies that sell vegan products can be profitable. I had pretty much stopped buying WhiteWave products, except for that amazing yogurt, because of this. Now it seems I can go back to buying their products.

WhiteWave still makes Horizon Organic milk and a couple of other non-vegan products. We all know what that means in regards to calves and the veal industry, plus the inherent cruelty that shows up in dairy farms. So the company itself is still not cruelty-free, just not part of a huge, animal production company anymore.

It's tough to find the perfect, all-vegan company. WhiteWave being separated from Dean Foods is a huge step for me.

They no longer make tofu, but their line of non-dairy milks and yogurts is wonderful. And have you seen the super-cute almond milk commercial they produced?

Another great thing about WhiteWave, being that we live in Colorado, is that they are a Colorado-based company.

I have been vegan for 18 years and have been writing this blog for 2 1/2, so I am completely aware that in the vegan community there are a zillion opinions. And that is the main reason I wanted to write this blog post. I would love your thoughts on all of this. And if you know something about WhiteWave being on their own now that I am unaware of, please do tell!

Through all of this I have not lost sight of TCBY and their huge step to make a vegan frozen yogurt. More to come on that.

Thanks for reading!

Colorado calves Part II: Animal cruelty charges!

My how things change after an undercover investigation video from a calf facility in Colorado goes viral.

This post is a follow up to my last post about the Compassion Over Killing investigation in Kersey, Colorado. There was a press conference by Compassion Over Killing on Wednesday and then yesterday in Weld County another press conference, but not held by the fine folks at COK. Indeed, this one was held by the Weld County Sheriff announcing that three men were facing misdemeanor animal cruelty charges stemming from what was seen on the video.

The facility is owned by Quanah Cattle Company, a California based operation.

The three men have been fired.

I have tried to verify this and haven't yet, but I am pretty sure this is the first time any type of animal cruelty charges have been filed against employees in Colorado of the animal agriculture business.

I asked Compassion Over Killing about calf operations in Colorado and learned something. Here is what they had to say: "We are also not aware of how many calf-production facilities there are in Colorado. We do know that dairy is the 2nd largest agricultural industry in the state, and all dairy cows need to be continually re-impregnated to produce milk, and half of all calves produced will be male – so it's not a stretch to say there's a huge demand for places to take and raise all these "unwanted" calves."

The sweet, gentle calves in the video are a result of the demand for dairy.

Mike and I have been watching all of the news around this and realized that those in charge at Quanah seem to be reacting with shock, when what we saw in the video happens all of the time in the production of livestock. As I have written before, men like those in the video are cowards. They treat animals like that because they can.

The best way to stop animal cruelty like is seen in the video is to not consume dairy. Super easy in this world of soy, hemp, rice, cashew, and coconut milks. Another way to not only work to stop animal cruelty but to shine a bright light on it is to financially support organizations like Compassion Over Killing. Click here if you'd like to make a donation: http://www.cok.net/  

We would like to thank everyone at Compassion Over Killing for the work they do every day that brings a voice to the voiceless.

Thank you for reading!

Compassion Over Killing's Colorado calves investigation

As I write this I remember that there is cruelty to animals happening probably right down the street from us, right now. I know that animals of all kinds are being tortured and are living in fear right at this moment.

And when I read the details of the most recent Compassion Over Killing undercover investigation, I became sickened, saddened and close to enraged. You see, this investigation was done in Weld County, Colorado, an hour from where Mike and I live. The people torturing animals in the video are Coloradans. I suppose deep down I hold our neighbors to a higher standard, as ridiculous as that is.

It involves calves, some just born. Who couldn't be moved by watching calves being tortured.

I met Mario the calf many years ago at Farm Sanctuary in California. My friends John and Randy had surprised me with a visit there. For me, it was love at first sight. Mario was an adorable calf, saved from a dead pile at a local dairy farm. Broken legs, well, you know the deal.

Watching him run and kick up in the air delighted me.

Something every single one of those calves in the current Compassion Over Killing video never had a chance to do.

I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't put videos that record animal cruelty, abuse, torture or killing on this blog. If you would like to see what human beings do to calves as part of the dairy/veal industry, you can click here for the Compassion Over Killing video: http://www.cok.net/inv/quanah/

From the COK press release:

Animal handling expert Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University decried the cruelty seen in the video, calling it “severe abuse,” and noting that “If this facility had been a slaughter plant, the USDA would have shut them down.”

The cruelty to calves uncovered in this investigation is so shocking and violent that COK turned our evidence over to local authorities and we are now working with them on this case. We are calling upon law enforcement agents to file criminal charges of cruelty to animals, sending a message that such egregious animal abuse is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Colorado. We’re heartened to report that the Weld County Sheriff’s Office is taking this matter seriously and has already initiated its own independent investigation.

I asked the awesome folks at Compassion Over Killing what we can do. And I mean all of you when I say we.

They said to help spread the word. From their website you can easily connect with all of your social media outlets.

I write a lot about being a voice for the voiceless. We must be the voice for these calves, and the billions of other animals treated in similar fashion just so folks can have veal, bacon or chicken fingers. Please spread the word. If you have the means, support COK financially which you can also do from their website. Investigations like these are vital to be a voice for these beautiful animals.

If you live in Colorado, send the video or the information about the investigation to your state representative and state senator. Let them know that this is unacceptable and ask them to speak out against this abuse/torture.