People have been trying to use my Canadian-ness against me, saying that my opinion doesn't matter because I am Canadian. It is frequently being used as "oh, well she's this, that AND CANADIAN" like it is some kind of sin. Or "she is not American." This needs to stop. Animal welfare, breeding, animal rights, abuse, neglect, these things are all universal problems. Where my ass sits when I am writing doesn't really matter, does it? You either agree with what I am saying, or you don't.
Second. My blog is opinion based. It is not articles, it is a blog. It is not the be all, end all of information, it is my opinion. I am human, and amazingly, can be wrong about things. I accept that, and move on. Good example - the barrel dog houses. I thought(and still think) that those barrel dog houses are great! However the judge said they were not, and I accepted that, and moved on. People cannot take my word as gospel, they cannot take it as a news source. I try to provide all the links that I can, and make sure that people know how I came to my conclusions and why, but the end result is my opinion based on the facts available to me. I've been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again, but until I am proven wrong, I will stand by my beliefs.
Third. I am a breeder. I breed rabbits for show, I sell my unshowable animals for pets, and I also breed rabbits for meat. Now, before you fly off the handle, let me tell you, it took me almost 3 years of breeding rabbits to take the step into breeding rabbits for meat. The final thing that pushed me over into breeding meat rabbits was being unable to afford to buy the amount of meat I needed to keep me healthy. See, I try to buy organic, hormone and steroid free, free range meat. I have a farmer I deal with, I have been to her farm, have seen and pet her animals. I want to know that the meat on my plate was happy and cared for from birth to dinner. So, what better way to do that than to start breeding for my own meat? My meat rabbits are happy, healthy, well socialized and well cared for. They do not know a minute of fear from when they are born to when they are processed. When the end comes, they are placed in a box that is lined with plastic and fabric(easy clean up, so the next rabbit is not smelling blood and death before he or she goes in), given their favourite treat, allowed to start eating and then killed with a pointed pellet to the back of the head. Instant death. The rabbit goes from eating their treat to being dead, without a minute of fear or stress. This is, of course, one of the preferred methods of dispatching rabbits, the other main method being cervical dislocation(breaking the neck). I don't like that method, because I feel the rabbit is afraid before death - unhappy meat.
I even provide rabbits for reptile food. I refuse to sell live, because I feel I owe my rabbits more than that. I owe to them a death that is as peaceful as possible. They deserve more than being terrified in the last moments of their life.
Fourth, I eat meat. For medical reasons. I tried going vegetarian once, and became ill. My dr told me that I needed to take iron supplements. I did. This did not help. My body was unable to properly process the iron in the supplements. I was told, by my doctor, that a vegetarian lifestyle was not appropriate for me, and he encouraged me to start eating meat again. Since I would rather be alive and eating animals, than dead because I thought eating factory farmed animals was not right, I started eating animals. Pleas read the second comment in regards to how I try best to support ethical farming and harvesting of animals.
Fifth. I love animals. I think animals are great, and all have a place in this world. Amazingly, I began breeding rabbits because I love them, and wanted to share that love of that breed with the world. I am against mill-type breeding operations, and feel these should be shut down. I am against bad breeders, and feel the people in charge need to be educated, and either stop breeding, or start breeding ethically. I support ethical breeders, those who are in it for the right reasons, and want to ensure their animals are cared for. I think animal abuse is as disgusting as anyone, and feel that the alleged perpetrators need to be caught, and tried as the law in their area dictates, and if found guilty, punished according to the law. I think that neglect is also disgusting, but feel that often it is caused by ignorance - the owners need to be educated, the issues rectified and the animals made safe in their home. If the owners continue to willfully neglect their animals, or refuse help/education, then the animals need to be removed in a legal manner - search and seizure warrants obtained, and taken by real animal control officers.
Sixth. I am against vigilante justice, threats, conspiring to break the law. I do not feel that this is an accurate way to get your message across, that it is disgusting, childish and counterproductive. I feel that people need to take the time and educate themselves, to realize that by flinging insults, or posting threats in public forums is detrimental to their cause, no matter what. Saying you want to harm someone, in any way, or steal someone's animals is not okay. It's just not. And I don't understand how anyone could think otherwise.
Seventh. I support rescues and rescue animals. Just because I am a breeder, and I have bought animals in the past does not mean that I don't think that rescues do good work, or that rescue animals deserve a home. I do understand that sometimes a rescue is not the answer. Not everyone has the means to take a rescue dog and convince it humans are not bad. Sometimes, it's easier for someone who wants an animal to start with a young animal with a clean slate. I think that both breeders and rescuers are important to the world, for without breeders(the good, the bad and the ugly) there would be no need for rescuers, because there would be no animals in the world left to save.
Eighth. I do not feel that an animal is more important than a human. I would not allow a human to die for the sake of an animal. I understand that animals are important, but without humans, a great many animals would no longer exist. Cows cannot survive in the wild. Domestic rabbits, 95% of dogs(the small and the largest), cats, fish, birds, horses, and many more animals have all been bred to specifications required for humans, they have had their instincts bred out of them and would all die. Many wild animals have been rescued and unable to complete the rehab required for release - those animals now populate our zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, circuses and other places. Humans as a whole have been detrimental to animals, but without humans, many of those animals would be gone forever. It's a hard row to sow, however I feel that we are all linked together in a giant circle... One might call it a circle of life, and it moves us all...
I would not allow a stranger to die to save my dog's life. I would be horrified, and destroyed, if my dog died, but I would still not allow a human to die for him. That human may change the world for everyone, or they may not, but I know that my dog is only ever going to offer companionship to my life. I believe that human lives are more valuable than animal lives.
And finally, Ninth. I don't write to change your mind. I don't imagine that anyone reading my blog posts are going to have an epiphany and suddenly change their ways. I write for a place to put my opinions, and to hopefully make you THINK. I do not want to be taken as gospel, I do not want people to automatically assume I am right. If you think I am wrong, challenge me! Provide links to credible information, try to make me think. You probably won't change MY mind, but you will make me think, and make me consider your view of things... If you write coherently and politely. I don't want people to take what I write as gospel, or to consider me a credible source... I'm just some chick behind a computer screen who takes the time to ramble on and hit the "publish" button. I just want to make people think for themselves, I want them to check my sources, I want them to stop being a sheeple and blindly following the mob mentality. If in the end, you've thought it over, considered both sides of things and still feel the way you felt? That's excellent, because you've made it your choice. You've thought it through, considered other opinions, other view points, other sides... and are comfortable with what you believe. I'm not trying to change your mind, I just want you to use your mind, and make your choices.
So, now you've had a bit more of a look into the person behind this blog. I hope you can maybe understand my position a little better, and realize that, like you, I am a human, with feelings, opinions, a soul and a heart. I do not want to argue with people, I simply started this blog as a place for my opinions to go, where I could write and respond about current animal related issues. I was tired of seeing all the fighting on all the groups, and wanted a place for me to write what I felt, and if people wanted to read and respond, excellent. If people didn't want to read, they didn't have to.
Thank you all so much for reading, and for posting - both those for and against me. I will be working on some more information based blogs in the near future, and will continue to blog as I see fit.
As always, comments are welcome, but will be censored. No name calling, insults, threats, or anything else that would be considered bad behaviour.