Walking for farm animals

This past Saturday, my sister, hubby and I attended the Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals. The day turned out to be wonderfully sunny and beautiful (a nice surprise, it being October and San Francisco), which made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. The magnificent backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge and the happy collage of families, kids, and doggies enjoying the beach, the water and each other added even more magic to it.

Over a hundred people came to the walk – armed with posters, t-shirts and songs. It was quite motivating to be in the company of so many others who not only care about animal welfare but are taking it further by living vegetarian and vegan. And it wasn’t just individuals who were there in full force, numerous vegan restaurants and brands, from wine to dog food made a showing as well.

Hearing Gene Baur was the highlight for me. As a meat eater I was a little worried about going to a vegan-hosted event and felt somewhat like an imposter in the midsts of dairy-free parfaits and meatless hot dogs. I needn’t worry! Gene’s speech and the overall mood of the gathering was very positive, focusing more on the benefit of eliminating all animal products, rather than the horrible and heinous meat eaters.  I felt welcome, not judged and most importantly motivated to do more.

My only disappointment was that vegetarianism was not mentioned as a path to improving farm animal welfare. I believe that humane buying decisions when it comes to cheese, eggs, dairy, etc have a HUGE and positive impact on farm animals and should be promoted and celebrated. As ideal as it would be for the world to go vegan, it is a lofty goal, and veganism is likely to remain a small, albeit growing movement. While I agree that veganism, hands-down, has the greatest benefits for the animals and the environment, vegetarianism has the potential to reach many more people!

And while I don’t expect vegans or vegetarians to promote any sort of meat consumption, I personally believe that reducing meat consumption and buying only humanely raised meat also improve farm animal welfare and has an even greater potential for acceptance.

Now back to the me doing more part. I’ve written several posts about finding myself having meatless meals more and more often these days. Farm Sanctuary’s walk has invigorated me to take my meatless eating to the next level. While Meatless Mondays are now second nature, the other six dinners usually consist of meat or seafood, so starting this week we are implementing a second meatless dinner on our weekly menu.

Even though I read about animal welfare issues every day and write about them weekly, hearing someone who has made a decision to become a vegan 18 years ago and then dedicated his life to improving farm animal welfare by creating several sanctuaries and spreading the word, is that much more motivating and change-inspiring!

A day on the farm

Having lived in Bay Area since I was a teenager, it’s pretty incredible that it took me so long to explore the agricultural side of California.  But this past weekend, my fiancé and I headed up to Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary in Stockton, CA and had the pleasure of meeting the fantastic staff and the adorable animal residents on the farm.
Just an hour away, Harvest Home is full of amazing stories of survival and strength.  Animals born in captivity and having experienced the cruelties of factory farming and laboratory testing now roam happy and free.  If you live in the Bay Area and are looking for a fun day trip for you or you family, check out the Harvest Home – it’s definitely a trip worth taking!
Here are just some of the animals who opened their home to us.  We were welcomed by Dexter, who accompanied us on the tour and made sure that all the other animals followed the rules of the farm.  This determined little pup with an “I-mean-business” demeanor and a heart of gold had wondered onto the Harvest House farm several years ago and hasn’t left since!

One of my favorites from this weekend was Mohawk, the potbellied pig!  Mohawk was a little shy at first but then succumbed to my belly rubs and even followed me around the pen.

        
Some of the others we met were chickens, ducks, bunnies, turkeys and goats!
 
 
  
Thank you, Harvest House, for showing us around and for introducing us to your animals.  I’m looking forward to my next visit!