All the World's a Page

I think we can all agree that we should keep our noses out of our neighbors’ business (that is, unless you live on Wisteria Lane , à la Desperate Housewives). But there are places our noses should go. Like in a book about animals, for example. Just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend, here are some top reads…

Ask Your Animal: Resolving Behavioral Issues Through Intuitive Communication by Marta Williams ( New World Library). Sure, we all talk to our animal companions (and sometimes they talk back!), but have you ever wondered what they’re thinking? In her new book Ask Your Animal, Marta Williams (author of Learning Their Language and Beyond Words) points out that we all have the ability to communicate with animals—both domestic and wild. “I am sure they can understand us whether we talk out loud, think thoughts to them, or send them a feeling or a mental picture,” says Williams, who can track lost or stolen pets, resolve behavior problems, and assist sick and injured animals.

Through step-by-step instructions, true stories (like the one shared in the foreword by actress, Vanessa Williams) and fun exercises, Williams guides readers into the wondrous world of animal communication. For anyone who loves animals and would like to foster a greater bond with the natural world, this book is a great place to start.

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food by Gene Baur (Touchstone, a division of Simon & Schuster). The sign at the entrance to Farm Sanctuary reads: “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE ANIMALS’ SANCTUARY. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A GUEST IN THEIR HOME.” It is here, in Upstate New York and at a sister sanctuary in Northern California, that you can find cows contentedly grazing on grass, pigs rooting in the soil, and chickens clucking in the sun. It’s a far cry from the horrific modern “factory farms” where animals are housed in overcrowded, disease-riddled warehouses as they await their fate as someone’s dinner.

“Our idea was to help prevent ‘factory farms’ and give refuge to its victims, especially the animals so weak or sickly that even the slaughterhouses did not want them,” writes Baur, the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, the largest farm animal protection organization in the U.S. and author of a book by the same name. When he’s not immersed in rescuing animals and running two farm animal sanctuaries, Baur, a passionate and persuasive animal advocate, is involved in passing legislation that would ban abusive cruel and inhumane factory farming practices like the one at a Chino, California slaughterhouse that made international news earlier this year.

In addition to dozens of touching animal tales, Farm Sanctuary is brimming with interesting facts. For instance, we learn that Cesar Chavez, who organized and advocated for exploited farm workers and lent his voice to animal protection efforts, was a vegan. And that California now surpasses Wisconsin as the number one producer of dairy products (and, as Baur points out, California cows are NOT happy cows). And remember the brouhaha over the feral sheep on Santa Cruz Island some years back? Well, they happily set up housekeeping at Farm Sanctuary’s Orland , California sanctuary!

If you care about animals and the health of you and your family, read this inspiring, insightful book and learn about the horrors of factory farming and what you can do to help. And if you get a chance, visit one of the sanctuaries where visitors are always welcome.

Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking The Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn (HarperCollins). When you think of animal rights activists, what’s your first thought? Extremists? Perhaps. Outspoken? Undoubtedly. Compassionate? Definitely. Funny? Uh, not really. If you believe an animal advocate can’t be humorous, then you haven’t met Karen Dawn. The Australia born, U.S. raised news researcher and talk show host founded DawnWatch.com—a media watch organization focusing on stories pertaining to animals—nearly a decade ago.

In her first book, Thanking the Monkey, Dawn takes a lighthearted look at some serious subjects such as the problem with purchasing a puppy from a pet store. She writes: “Paritney’s (Dawn’s morphed name for Paris Hilton and Britney Spears) tricks have ranged from silly to sad, one double act being of particular concern to animal advocates. No, not that one—when they let their little personal pets out for some air—California’s climate was warm enough that we didn’t protest the shearing. The events of true concern were Paritney’s pet store purchases. First Britney strolled into a pet store in Beverly Hills and walked out minutes later with a puppy. Paris did the same thing, at the same store, a couple of weeks after Britney. If they’d spent those few minutes at the Victoria ’s Secret next door buying panties, we might celebrate. But an impulse purchase of a companion for the next fifteen years? Well, I guess nobody expects them to have the dogs much longer than fifteen months, let alone fifteen years.”

Thanking the Monkey is paws-down the best primer on animal rights I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Pick up a copy today – you’ll laugh, you’ll learn, you’ll laud Karen Dawn for her commitment to helping animals. And in the process, you just might come away with a newfound appreciation for the animal rights movement. Or at least you may find that you no longer get your knickers in a knot over those animal rights “extremists.”

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What are you reading this summer? Let Karen know by sending an e-mail message to her at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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