Do the right thing, Sea World.

I'm not going to lie. I was a little disappointed when I went to Orlando last year and did not have time to go to Sea World to see the beautiful sea creatures that I adore. I often have very vivid dreams involving orca whales and have no idea what that is all about, but that is neither here nor there.

As I learn more about the food industry in my quest to eat healthier foods without supporting factory farming and animal abuse, I have realized that there are many other ways that I am ignorantly supporting industries that profit from the suffering of animals.

Bob Barker, a source of nostalgic comfort as he entertained me with The Price Is Right on the days that I stayed home from school, (and rumor has it, the show aired on the days that I went to school, too), is also well-known for his love of animals.

In collaboration with PETA, (and I know PETA can go off of the reservation from time to time, but I respect the essence of their mission), Mr. Barker wrote an eloquent appeal to the owners of Sea World to "make [the] humane move now and start moving the captive orcas and other marine mammals to transitional coastal and wildlife sanctuaries and replace them with state-of-the-art virtual reality exhibits such as those used in the hugely popular "Walking With Dinosaurs" exhibits that wow youngsters and adults alike."

Like many people, I blindly assumed that these animals have it made with human caretakers. Like my newly-rescued Golden Retriever, I imagined that these animals were happy, well-fed, and lived without the danger of attack. Killer whales; however, are not Golden Retrievers, and they need much more than a squeaky toy and a romp in the yard (pool) to be physically and mentally fulfilled.

The intelligent, social, ocean animals kept in the most pitifully small tanks at SeaWorld are denied everything that is natural and important to them. In the wild, they swim up to 100 miles a day in the open ocean, but captured dolphins are confined to small tanks where the reverberations from their own sonar bounce off the walls, driving some of them insane. Some of these animals were violently captured from their homes, many are forced to learn circus-style tricks, and according to whistleblower tips from trainers, withholding food and isolating animals who refuse to perform are common training methods. The only thing that people learn from visiting a SeaWorld theme park is how miserable life is for animals held there.

I am very sad for Dawn Brancheau, who I am sure loved her job and loved the animals that she trained, and I am sorry for those who knew her, loved her, and miss her.

One mantra that I have read repeatedly in articles about living a vegan/cruelty-free lifestyle, is the fact that violence perpetuates violence, cruelty perpetuates cruelty. While I realize that Sea World offers family-friendly entertainment, I have to consider the big picture. I cannot with good conscience spend money on an industry that profits from an animal's captivity and suffering.

The Plinko-master's letter can be read in it's entirety, here:
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22670901/detail.html

Welcome Home, Maggie McFly!

We knew it would happen... We wanted it to happen! We knew when we decided to open our home to foster Golden Retrievers, that we would end up adopting a dog. We hoped that we would find the right dog to rescue, after a harrowing experience of trying to find honest and respectable breeders. Did we expect that the first dog that would come to our home would nestle herself into our hearts and be the one that we would adopt? Absolutely not. Lucky for Maggie, and lucky for us, we were smitten.



Maggie is a funny, sweet girl! We lovingly call her McFly because she doesn't always make the brightest decisions; but I believe that she has potential to learn. She is very eager to please and very proud of herself when she does a good job.



I had my heart set on getting another puppy. Molly was my BABY and I thought that bond existed because I raised her from puppyhood. But with Maggie, Matt & I have a whole new experience. We don't know all of the details of her life before rescue, but we know that she is about to spend the rest of her life spoiled beyond belief! Getting a three year old dog means that we don't have to worry about her chewing everything in sight or the pains of housebreaking. Instead, we have a moderately trained dog who we believe is pretty grateful for her new life and all of the attention that she is given in her new home.

So, even though she's been here for a few weeks, we can officially say, welcome home, Maggie!