A Wonderful Story!

This dog was abandoned by his owner and left with two other dogs on the property. He was left unchained while the other two dogs were tied up. He scavenged for food each day and brought it to the other two tied-up dogs. He kept them alive for a month before CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare) rescued them! He is an absolute saviour and deserves a second chance at life! Please contact CLAW on 011 763 1638 if you can help him. 

Pictures from the Fur Free SA Demo

Here are some pictures from the Fur Free SA demo this weekend, taken by Tricia Davis of Fur Free SA. 

Here I am with my dog, Lucy Elizabeth; Kelly-Leigh of Spread the Word; and Matthew. 

Here activists are demonstrating the plight of animals caged and skinned alive for their fur. 

Fur Free SA Demo November 2010

Congratulations to Fur Free SA for a fantastic fur free demo today! The protest featured activists in cages, scantily-clad protesters in red body paint, and a visit by Jeremy Mansfield. The turnout was very impressive, and a lot of press showed up to see!  

The protest drew attention to the cruel fur trade, and coincided with protests all around the world.

Lucy Elizabeth resting after her first demo. 

I took Lucy Elizabeth along, in her handmade "Spare Me, Don't Wear Me" tshirt and her "Pure Rescue" collar. She had a wonderful time! Everyone wanted to pet her, including Jeremy Mansfield, and she loved all the attention! 

Please let us know if you see anything about the protest in the news! 

Happy Fur Free Friday!

It's a fun week full of good karma when you have a Meat Free Monday and a Fur Free Friday! Well, Fur Free Saturday in our case! This Saturday Fur Free SA is going to put on a huge demonstration in Johannesburg. 

Now, I'm NOT going to show you a bunch of awful pictures that will turn your stomach. But they would turn your stomach. The fur industry vaginally and anally electrocutes foxes and chinchillas, clubs seals, and skins dogs alive. It is truly awful, and completely unnecessary. 

Please go Fur Free, for good! You can pledge to stay Fur Free, here. 

Fur is dead. And while we're on the topic, so is leather. 

"Leather" is just another word for skin. The skins industry supplements the meat industry, it is not a by-product. This means that the animals you wear were not "dead anyway". Leather is a reason for factory farming. Tens of millions of cows and pigs are stunned, hung upside down and bled to death for their skin. This happens after they are raised in very confined quarters (where they don't see the sun and live in their own feces) and transported for hours in hot trucks.

Leather is bad for the environment. Not only is modern-day farming unsustainable, but the treatment and preparation of skin involves large amounts of chemicals that pollute the environment. 

Leather is not glamorous. Go Leather Free! 

PETA's really fun "Cruelty Doesn't Fly" video featuring Pamela Anderson is here. There's nothing upsetting in it, and it's really worth watching! Enjoy!

These Puppies Need Homes

Updates and Personal News

• This week I finished my exams for final year law! I'm so pleased that's done! I haven't completely decided what I am going to do next, but Business School looks very likely! 
• Next Saturday is the Fur Free SA fur demo. See you there? 
• This cute pig was rescued by CLAW and is now happy in his new home!

• CLAW is still looking for a home for the 3kg toy pom who was surrendered with an embedded collar. If you can give him a home, please call Laura on 011 763 1638. 
• My friends and I have a stall at the CLAW Christmas Carnival this year. Today I went out and bought 1200 prizes for the 600 children who will be attending the carnival! We're going to have a treasure chest, musical bumps and hula hoops. Contact me if you're interested in sponsoring a clown or stilt walker on the day. 
• Apparently Vegetables are the New Meat.
• I still can't get enough of P!nk's new music video.  
• Please remember your dogs, cats and horses in this heat. Make sure that they have shade and fresh water at all times. Heat stroke is fatal. 
• Kelsey sent me this new Andrea Gibson piece. Enjoy! 

A Rant

This is a travesty. According to News24 a fifteen year old girl was brutally gang raped at school - a place where she is supposed to feel safe - by some of her classmates. The other students did not try to intervene, but rather filmed the attack on their cellphones. 

The police initially did not make any arrests because the students were writing exams. Then they said they did not have evidence it was rape. In the end, they decided to charge the attackers with statutory rape (sex with a minor under 16). Now, this young victim is also being charged with statutory rape, because one of her attackers was only 14!

I am so appalled. Are women going to come forward to report rape when they think they risk being charged too? 


The following organisations which support rape victims really need your support:
People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA)
Rape Crisis Cape Town 

Happy Tortoise Story

The following is a guest post from Kate Townshend. 

This afternoon the Johannesburg Water Department rang the doorbell to ask whether I have a strange pet which runs like *this* because it went into the plants and they think I must fetch it and take it back inside. Turned out to be a tortoise who was in the garden on our pavement. How bizarre! Anyway, Tortoise is now at FreeMe and will be released next week to go and enjoy the life she was supposed to have. Till then it is fine dining and some relaxation time at FreeMe. 

You can donate to this fantastic organisation here. 

Update on Fur Free Demo plans for 27 November

The good people at Fur Free SA have been hard at work planning the Fur Demo in Johannesburg on 27 November.  Here's an exciting update: Jeremy and Jacqui Mansfield are attending to help take a stand against the cruelty of the fur industry. Someone named Jason Greer will also be there. 

Email Tricia for more information, or to sign up (and give her a few days to get back to you.) They really need all the volunteers they can get! 


"Just because everybody does it doesn't mean it's right, and it takes more strength to defend the weak against the masses than be part of the masses that pick on the weak." -Steve Nash


Please do come, and bring your friends and family! If you need to inspire them, there is more information here. See you there? 

Happy Meat Free Monday

A year ago I visited Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Maryland, USA with my friends Kelsey and Stacey. We met some wonderful animals who had been rescued from becoming lunch.

Pigs are more intelligent than dogs. 

These beautiful animals are sentient and feeling. They deserve so much more than being killed as soon as they are large enough to be eaten. 

The cutie I am holding is named Harrison, too.

By pledging to go Meat-Free on Mondays, you can save animals like these! You can also win amazing prizes valued at R 40 000. If this is not enough, maybe the following information from Meat Free Monday will change your mind: 

• Reducing your daily intake of meat by 60% will help reduce excess weight and obesity. 
• Eating less meat will prevent heart disease, strokes, cancer, and diabetes. 
• If we were to save just 15% of the total water used to convert animals into meat at the abattoir, then 104000 households could be provided with all their water needs for one year.
• More than ½ the maize we grow goes to feed "food" animals while 1 child dies every 45 min from malnutrition. 
• Animal agriculture contributes to the destruction of tropical rainforests, soil erosion, dwindling reserves of fresh water, land, fuel and other resources.
• 250l of water is needed to produce 1kg wheat, 25 000l of water is required to produce 1kg meat.
• Protein derived from meat requires 25 times more energy to produce than comparable protein from vegetable sources.

"I held his face and looked into his eyes the way I do with my dog,  Marley." - Stacey

Try to go Meat Free just one day a week: Monday, perhaps? To make your Mondays easier, Fry's Vegetarian produces some amazing meat alternatives which are available at Pick 'n Pay and Checkers! You could also try the Steers Veggie Burger or the Kauai Veggie Wrap - both made with Fry's Vegetarian products. You could also try, you know, good old vegetables! 

This sweetie-pie didn't even get up when Kelsey and I came over to say 'hi'. 

Once you've got Mondays down, why not Go Vegetarian? Check out Vegetarianism in a Nutshell.

P!nk - Raise Your Glass

Praise for The Sarah Harrison Chronicles

This email made me very happy! 

Hi there, I have been following your exploits for the last few weeks and think it is reputable what you are trying to achieve.

Somewhere inside every human being we know we are the odd ones out in this world, but still continue with our monotonous day to day existence and never just taking one step back to see what we are doing. Your news making and blog has made me stop and rethink my life and what we are doing to the earth by our continues consumption and waste.

Okay, I'm done showing off now. 

Thank you to everyone who visits and supports this blog!  

5 Easy Ways to Help Animals Today...or any day

1. Sign up to join a protest - even if it's your first one! Fur Free SA is holding a demo on 27 November in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. It will be legal, and fun! You can email Anneke for more information.
2. Put an Animal Rights bumper sticker on your car, laptop, dustbin or diary! Leave your postal address as a comment, or email me and I shall send you some for free.
3. Join an Animal Rights group like Fur Free SA or Beauty Without Cruelty and a facebook group like Spread the Word or Animal Rights South Africa.
4. Try Veg for a day! Support Meat Free Monday next week. If you sign up here, you could win some amazing prizes. To make your life easier, try the Steers Veggie Burger or the Kauai Veggie Wrap. They're both from Fry's Vegetarian.
5. Sign the Petition against KFC.