I don’t think any of us wake up in the morning thinking “I am going to damage the environment and purchase something that contributes to animal cruelty today”. However, if you are an animal lover like me it is always in the back of your mind. Regardless of how often you think about saving the animals, environment, planet, the world it feels overwhelming. There is so much change that needs to happen I become intimidated and paralyzed by the sheer enormity of the task.
How do I break it up into manageable baby steps? How do I not feel guilty when I cannot do it all? How do I ensure I do not become so overwhelmed I give up before I start and instead don’t do anything to help protect the animals I care about so much? “The Animal Lovers Guide to Changing the World” by Stephanie Feldstien is how.
Denise’s Dog Dish & Shasta’s Yorkie Yap/ denisegruzensky.com received a free advanced copy of “The Animal Lovers Guide to Changing the World” for an honest review. We did not receive any other compensation to review/promote this product. We only accept products that we believe our readers and ourselves will benefit from learning more about & feel you will enjoy.
I am honored to read an advanced copy, review and give you a chance to win a copy of Stephanie Feldstein’s new book “The Animal Lovers Guide to Changing the World”.
Stephanie gives animal lovers a practical guide but honestly, anyone who cares about the world we live in will find the information useful. Taking that first step is often the hardest but Stephanie provides us all with a great resource. Figure out your first step and start there. When you are ready, return and figure out where to help next. It doesn’t matter where you are at in your journey to make compassionate choices you can find your next move in the book.
[bctt tweet=”“Being an animal lover isn’t a spectator sport.” Stephanie Feldstein “The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World”” username=”denisegruzensk”]
I’m sharing my first seven baby steps inspired by Stephanie’s book and I cannot wait to hear yours.
1. Changing the World Sticker Calendar-Chapter 1 “The Animals Need You”
I did it, Stephanie recommended starting a “changing the world journal” and I created the simplest one possible. I purchased a Puppies 2-Year Pocket Planner, and a book 1000 Animal Stickers
fromAmazon and started placing stickers on the days I make even one change. Knowing that each day there is a sticker (meatless Monday, carpool with my hubby, veggie day, animal-friendly landscaping design and more) are days I made a difference provides positive reinforcement to continue my baby steps. Animals saved (Stephanie’s end to each chapter): Take your pick who will YOU take action for?
2. My Food & Product Selection-Chapter 21 “Old Macdonald Lost His Farm” & Chapter 5 “Money Talks”
“Forget about the all or nothing attitude” and “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”. These quotes from Stephanie really hit home for me.
- My elementary school, middle school, high school, and college only served vegetarian food. At home, we ate meat. I say this because peer pressure followed by guilt started at a very early age. I prefer vegetarian, imagine my poor mother getting an easy meal of Kentucky Fried Chicken for a day on the lake but she had to make a separate veggie sandwich lunch for her eldest daughter. However, my favorite meal was and still is my mother’s beef bolognese spaghetti sauce. Stephanie’s baby step concept, “every meal matters”. Whether it is “Meatless Monday” or any other day I eat vegetarian I get to put another sticker in my “Changing the World Journal”. It is a simple start changing “one meal, one day or one ingredient at a time”. Animals saved: Cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys, bison, goats, sheep, and fish.
- I am also starting small with our household products. I honestly have not gone around looking into every product we already use but I did ask Stephanie what her favorite site and/or apps are and started using them.
Stephanie:
- “Environmental Working Group has some excellent guides that grade thousands of products — including cosmetics, sunscreen, and cleaning products — on their health and environmental friendliness.”
- “For animal friendliness, Leaping Bunny is often considered the gold standard.”
- MY FAVE-Stephanie recommended and my favorite because it is so easy, the Cruelty Cutter app. “It allows you to scan products to find out if they test on animals and has a “Bite Back” feature to easily post on social media when you find companies whose animal testing policies you want to cheer or jeer.” I started using it this week at the grocery store and already changed our detergent. Plus I got to place another sticker in my journal/calendar.
Animals saved: Farmed animals, lab animals, captive animals, and all the others who pay for our spending habits.
3. Be Mindful with what I Say & Share-Chapter 7 “The Power of words”
I realize this is such a simple area to work on but one I really haven’t thought about before.
- I can easily pay closer attention to the language I use. Not referencing someone as being a snake or pit bull.
- I can also pay closer attention to the children’s books I purchase (I placed ALL of Stephanie’s recommendations on an Amazon wish list).
- I will also be more careful about the photos and videos I share. I’ll help promote compassion and not share cruelty. Remembering cruelty is not always outrightly obvious-most of us would not share a video of someone abusing a dog. However, that person getting a selfie with a wild animal by encroaching on its environment is not respecting their space and is a form of cruelty.
Animals saved: Snakes, wolves, pigs, birds, rats, weasels, and all the other characters unfairly vilified in our language and culture.
4. Promote My Pack-Chapter 25 “The Ambassador of Dogville”
Since I am already doing a lot of Stephanie’s suggestions in this chapter, I am excited to have her remind me to keep focused on my efforts.
- When we moved to Central California a list of dog-friendly locations was difficult to find. I am working on a dog-friendly guide to Central California, both inland and the coast. Certainly helping to support and promote pet-friendly locations.
- As a blogger and microblogger sharing my dog on social media is kind of a given. Action alert step ☑
- “Judge the deed, not the breed is an ongoing conversation”. I am certainly always looking for ways to support this cause and will continue the efforts. Irresponsible owners are the issue, not the breed of dog. This applies to many areas of dog ownership as well, for example picking up their poo.
5. “Unconditional Love”-Chapter 26
Knowing me means understanding my love for dogs with special needs. My book, “Not Like the Others-Harley’s Story” seeks to teach elementary students the concept of rescue, special needs, being different and what unconditional love truly means. Harley, our diabetic, rescued Yorkshire Terrier tells his own story. I recently partnered with a rescue organization in Kansas City, Wayside Waifs to develop a different kind of author visit for elementary kids with Harley’s Story and No More Bullying Curriculum.
Stephanie also reminds us there is a well-known link between abuse of animals and humans. Violent criminals often have an initial record of animal cruelty. I want to start early with education helping kids learn to be kind to animals leading to being kind to humans too. Stephanie also encourages “Compassion in the Classroom” (see Chapter 6).
More baby steps Stephanie suggests and I am taking:
- I found an online resource for families in need to find Pet Food Assistance Programs “Love Your Pet Expo“.
- Thanks to BlogPaws and Chewy I was able to donate $2000 to Valley Oaks SPCA. Being a dog blogger and microblogger has led to a lot of amazing experiences, friends and the ability to do more for the animals I love.
- Preparing your household, including your pet, for a disaster. Ironically this was my most recent post’s subject and it includes a free PDF-DIY window rescue decal.
Animals saved: Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, hamsters etc. and everyone else in the family.
[bctt tweet=”“NEVER BE EMBARRASSED by how much you care about animals and how they are treated.” Stephanie Feldstein “The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World”” username=”denisegruzensk”]
6. My Vote-Chapter 4 “The Political Beast”
I love how Stephanie uses animal stories at the beginning of each chapter and then correlates them with our actionable steps. I asked her how the idea and her choices developed?
Stephanie: “Those stories weren’t in the first draft, but they turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the book. As I was writing, I realized that I needed more actual animals featured in a book for animal lovers! The actions throughout the book are connected to the animals they help, but I also wanted to keep readers connected to their love for animals. My hope is that showcasing these vibrant, quirky, and empathetic creatures will help keep readers connected to why all of these actions matter. I also hope that the stories will introduce people to some amazing animals they may not already be familiar with. Everyone has their favorite species, but the book is really about how we can extend that compassion to all animals. I chose the animals based on how their behavior reflected the theme of the chapter as well as making sure that a wide variety of animals was represented to share the love with the entire animal kingdom.”
Stephanie’s animal inspiration for political action is the Giraffe. Gentle until the mating season comes around the males begin “the battle of the necks” (see the video below). The reference is the animal kingdom needs us to stick our necks out as well. Every baby step counts.
I am not ready to lead a protest but I am a voter. After all, in high school, I ended up going all the way to the state level in a speech competition regarding exercising our right to vote.
Lately, I’ve been voting only for legislation and candidates I already know about. Stephanie inspired me to be an active participant and dig deeper. It is great timing too, my June ballot arrived while I’ve been reading the “Animal Lovers Guide”.
I found the research daunting so I asked Stephanie for advice and she gave me great additional resources.
- Humane Society Legislator Fund’s Legislator Lookup and also take a look at 2017’s Animals & Politics year in review. It gives a wonderful snapshot of animals and politics at the Federal level.
- Since I had a ballot in front of me, I really wanted an easy way to look up candidates by name. With Vote Smart, you type in a candidate’s name and then choose their Bio, Votes, Positions (the site tells you if the candidate has cooperated), Ratings, Speeches, and Funding. It is appropriately called “Vote Smart: Facts Matter“. I guess I get to add a few more stickers for May 26, 2018. When I selected the “Ratings” tab there is a section for “Animals and Wildlife”, “Agriculture and Food”. I took a screenshot of a very well known candidate and then filtered the issues to “Animals and Wildlife” so you can see how the results look.
Animals saved: Parliaments of owls, convocations of eagles, conspiracies of lemurs, consortiums of crabs, coalitions of cheetahs, and all the herds, packs, and other nonpolitically named groups of animals affected by human laws.
7. Taking Care of Ourselves & Each Other
[bctt tweet=”Elephants know their actions affect those around them. We should ALL BE MORE LIKE ELEPHANTS! Stephanie Feldstein” username=”denisegruzensk”]
On a recent humpback whale watching outing in Monterey California, the naturalist mentioned witnessing a pod of humpback whales protecting new grey whale calves the day before (bummer we missed it). Stephanie also mentions humpback whales protecting and carrying a seal to safety. Of course, I had to find a video.
Animals help take care of us too. Petting an animal helps to lower blood pressure and raise feel-good hormones. Shasta became a pet therapy dog and our friend Abby at Healing Whiskers has therapy pet rats. Check out Healing Whiskers Oliver working as a therapy pet.
There is enough cruelty in the world, “give people the benefit of the doubt”. We need to be kind to each other, ourselves and animals. We will not agree on everything and you do not always know the full extent of the story. “Don’t let your good intentions pave over” your compassion for others human and animals alike.
All right, I have shared my first seven. There are so many more options in the book I can’t wait to give a book away to a lucky reader (see below). Remember, find your own baby steps and start today.
I want to conclude with a personal story from Stephanie (not in the book). I asked Stephanie to tell me more about Juno since the book is dedicated to her.
The Randomly Selected Winner IS
Sandy Weinstein
i donate on a regular basis to the local pet food bank. i use coupons and
enter contests for both cats and dogs to win things to donate. most of what i win, i dont or will not use. during the Harris Teeter double coupon days, i am able to score some dog food and treats, also cat food and treats as well. i do contact my local, state reps regarding my views on animal rights and laws. i also sign petitions. i also help out with local rescue and shelters when i can. i do not use animal tested products and try to stay away from chemicals in my house and yard. every now and then i will put food in the woods for the animals. i put it far from my house. i have deer, lots of deer, wild turkey, rabbits, etc. on the local free cycle, i ask for towels, yarn to make blankets for the rescues, etc. i do go thru my girls old toys that they no longer play with and will donate those to the local county shelter if the toys are in good shape.
Incredible, all I have to say is THANK YOU! Your changing the world journal is full and overflowing!!
Sounds like a great book for animal lovers, for sure.
I would have to say one big step I have taken to make the world a better place was in a roundabout way when I adopted my dog Valentino. He was extremely cat reactive. So, to tame that wild streak I have worked hard to get him to where he no longer barks and bolts with me leashed in tow. Now he will just stop and stare at a stray or feral cat and then continue on his merry way.
Funny thing… In training my dog, I, too, have been trained. I now have a more compassionate feeling towards those poor cats that have no place to call home.
Right in the theme with Stephanie’s book, compassion!
I haven’t done much – mostly because I don’t know what to do to really help. I’ve donated to animal related charities – but even that’s complicated because many shelter have exclusive relationships with a brand and won’t accept donations of food of other brands. There’s a food pantry locally just for pet owners – and I’ve donated a bunch of extras – but that’s not enough! I want to do more!
This book is PAWfect for you!
I need to get the cruelty cutter app! It looks really cool. I just got the Leaping Bunny App which I like even more than their site. Stephanie also mentioned an app in the book about food storage, which explains the best way to store each food and for how long, etc. I didn’t write it down and now can’t find it. Do you remember it by chance?
I LOVED the story about the humpback whale protecting the seal from the orcas – loved the video, too.
I’ll have to try the leaping bunny app. Their site wasn’t as impressive so I didn’t get the app. I’ll have to check it out.
I don’t remember the food storage. I’ll have to look again. If needed we can ask Stephanie.. 😉
This looks wonderful! I work for a rescue and buy cruelty free
I try not to pressure myself too much and be happy for whatever I can accomplish in terms of helping animals and the environment. I loved the quote you have about never be embarrassed for wanting to help animals. At a large company I worked for our annual employee giving campaign offered many choices to give. I chose an animal charity as well as a charity for people, but I was criticized by a few colleagues for helping animals – they felt it wasn’t as worthy as helping people. It was so hurtful to me. That’s one reason I love this pet community so much, they understand. This sounds like a great book and giveaway.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Hi, I have a pet name honey(pug) he has a lot of friends many of them are stray dogs. I feed them every day with good foods because they to deserve the same treatment has honey.
This surely seems to be a great book for animal lovers. This will also help non-animal lovers to be gentle with animals too.
You are so right, it is good all around!