Speak For The Animals

PHOTO © SOPHIE GAMAND

JUNE 2017 / VOL. 1 NO. 2

Flower Power

Sophie Gamand talks about why she photographs dogs

Rescuers

The Rescue Issue Giving up is not an option

Shelter Stories

Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell’s book; Love Guaranteed

FREE

Welcome Back To SPEAK FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK I hope you enjoyed last month’s issue. If you missed it in the stores, please access it online at petsinthecitymagazine.com.

Our cover this month, in keeping with our June rescue issue theme, is one of Sophie Gamand’s Flower Power portraits. Inside are more Flower Power photos and an interview with Ms. Gamand. This special rescue issue contains a mix of regular features, and feature articles on rescues and rescuers. It’s a “keeper.”

We have featured the stories of four rescuers, and the results of their rescue efforts.

We also have the second part of our EXCLUSIVE interview with Carol J. Adams – what an amazing individual! Vet Talk is about the importance of spay-neuter, not only to control animal overpopulation, but to keep your companion animals healthy. Andy, of course, will have his column, Andy Speaks, another regular feature. Our Book Review this issue, in keeping with our theme, is Patrick McDonnell’s Shelter Stories. If you don’t follow Patrick’s syndicated comic strip MUTTS now, this will make you a lifelong fan.

Also look for Shelter News, Animal Welfare News, a Product Review, and other goodies.

July is our wildlife-themed themed issue. But before it’s on the stands, we have our SPEAK/Pawparazzi Launch Party. See calendar inside for details, and remember to RSVP. This magazine is a labor of love. We hope it is as meaningful for you to partake as it is for us to create.

Please feel free to email me (at mary.speakmagazine@gmail.com) with article queries, suggestions for topics, and feedback of any kind. Keep telling all your friends about us.

For the animals, Mary Holmes, Editor

PICM/SPEAK Disclaimer: All reader submissions and photos are voluntarily submitted without expectation of compensation. All opinions of the Authors in this Magazine are those of the writer or contributor and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. The publisher has not confirmed the accuracy of information contained in the articles. PICM/SPEAK reserves the right to edit, alter, modify the submitted article to the extent we deem necessary.

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS PUBLISHER PCIM Publishing, LLC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Deborah Myers EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Holmes

p

16

content 02 From the Editor’s Desk 04 Product Review 05 Animal Welfare News 06 Vet Talk 07 Meet Our Readers 08 Art & Animals 10 Shelter News 12 Feature 17 Andy Says 18 Beach Blanket Bow Wows 19 Book Review 20 Activists Speak:

Carol Adams Interview, Part 2 23 Calendar

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Patricia Denys CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Michelle Sathe, Best Friends Norman Seat, DVM ART DIRCTOR Karlie Kawa COVER Flower Power Photo: Sophie Gamand CIRCULATION Lane Pellinger Circulation Manager AA Distribution L.L.C SALES & ADVERTISING Deborah Myers 801.702.1171 debbiepetsinthecitymagazine@ gmail.com ACCOUNTING Richard Beamer

petsinthecitymagazine.com

A RESCUE PLEA: PICM/SPEAK is dedicated to and encourages rescuing companion animals of all types. There are thousands of animals in California and across our nation needing a forever home.

If you are interested in rescuing a companion animal there are hundreds of rescue organizations in California. A good resource is petfinder.com, a database for companion animals of all types. A rescued animal can add a great deal to your family and provide you with undying gratitude.

PICM/SPEAK for the Animals Magazine © 2017 is an independent, free monthly magazine published by PICM Publishing. For information regarding Speak for the Animals Magazine, visit www. petsinthecitymagazine.com.

2 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

13

p

@BILLYFERNANDOPHOTOGRAPHY

Is this your dream job?

Best Friends is hiring!

As we reach out to save the lives of pets across the nation, we need more compassionate and capable people to lend their expertise.

We’re looking for people with diverse skills, interests and experience in select cities and here at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

For a list of job openings, visit

bestfriends.org/careers Work with us to Save Them All.

ÂŽ

PRODUCT REVIEWS

JEWELRY

W

hat a lucky find! We found Nair and Bjorn, and jewelry maker Kimberly Spector when we spied a ring being worn by Jenny Mackay. Jenny’s story about her pit bull Lexy and other senior adoptions is in this issue.

We tracked Spector down. It seems when she rescued her dog Mowgli from the street, she was galvanized into starting a new jewelry line. Inspired by Mowgli, Spector launched her handmade accessory business, Nair & Bjorn, by combining two of her passions – creating elegant and contemporary jewelry, and helping rescue animals.

Spector finds herself influenced by the sumptuousness of Indian apparel and accessories, using Swarovski crystals in many of her pieces, meticulously applying them by hand for an effect that is both opulent

and unexpected. These pieces make up her GlamWear jewelry line.

The Nair and Bjorn RescueWear line, on the other hand, is trendy and vegan. Featuring stamped inspirational phrases relating to pet rescue and animal advocacy and adoption, the RescueWear line is favorite among animal lovers, and a testament to the unconditional love that only an animal can give.

All told, Spector has over 200 pieces available for purchase. The RescueWear line is over 150 pieces, all handmade in either aluminum, silver, or pewter. Any “leather” used in this jewelry is faux leather/vegan leather. And the pieces are quite affordable; you can afford to buy more than one. This jewelry would make an awesome gift for a fellow animal rescuer.

It gets even better. What began as an outlet to be creative, one of Spector’s passions has

also helped to give back to one of her other passions––helping rescue animals. She is extremely devoted to this cause, helping rescue animals “one accessory at a time” by donating 20% of sales to no-kill shelters and animal charities.

Fueled by her passion to help rescue animals and support “Adopt Don’t Shop,” Spector donates to several no-kill rescues and has created a complete line called RescueWear which includes creative designs that highlight the love of different breeds and promotes animal adoption and awareness.

Spector is a member of The Artisan Group® and has had her designs displayed at exclusive awards gift lounges celebrating the Emmys, Oscars and NY Fashion Week.

— BY SPEAK

“Helping rescue animals one accessory at a time.”

PHOTOS © NAIR & BJORN

4 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

ANIMAL WELFARE NEWS

Update on

AB 485

BY MARY HOLMES This bill, authored and introduced by Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach), according to a press release on O’Donnell’s website, “requires all dogs, cats, and rabbits offered for retail sale in California pet stores to be obtained by an animal shelter or non-profit rescue organization.”

When we first published news on this bill, in our May issue, according to a press release dated 4/18/17, AB 485 – The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, had been referred out of the Committee for Business and Professions, and was set to be reviewed by the Appropriations Committee. According to an update from SCIL (Social Compassion in Legislation), one of the bill’s sponsors, AB 485 passed the Appropriations Committee review on 5/17/17. On 5/30/17 AB485 passed the full Assembly! The bill will now go to the Senate Rules Committee for a policy committee assignment.

Do you feel that prohibiting inhumane, greedy, filthy puppy mills from being able to sell their “products” in California pet stores is radical? Look for further updates as this bill makes its way through the California Senate. Contact the Senator from your District today to make your support known.

You can find your Senator at www.senate.ca.gov/senators.

VAL VERDE COCKFIGHTING BUST In what has been described as the “Largest Cockfighting Bust in U.S. History,” Los Angeles County sheriffs and local animal welfare experts searched a facility in Val Verde, where they found an estimated 7,000 birds. Also found were a handful of other animals.

Evidence was obtained from the property: steroids and syringes which are used to make the cocks more aggressive when fighting, gaffs, which are attached to birds before fighting to aggravate the extent of injuries, and mobile fighting pits.

Many birds were found with injuries consistent with the “sport,” as well as birds suffering respiratory infections and bird carcasses. About 10 people were detained at the property in the 29000 block of Jackson Street. The property owner has been identified, but as yet has not been arrested. This is the second time this property has been raided for cockfighting; the first raid occurred 10 years ago. At that time, 2,700 birds were seized.

The property owner has been identified but has not been arrested or charged yet, said Perry, adding that he expects several people will face charges as the inquiry unfolds. Sadly, all the birds seized will be euthanized. At least it will be a humane euthanasia.

5

V ETTALK

DR. SEAT’S special areas of interest include Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Endoscopy/ Colonoscopy, Soft Tissue and Orthopedic Surgery. He is a member of AVMA, SCVMA, CVMA, and is an USDA accredited veterinarian.

SPAY/NEUTER This month’s issue features rescues and rescuers. Of course w,e want to congratulate our rescuers for the awesome work they do, and we want to celebrate the lives of the many animals who have been rescued. But wouldn’t it be nice to reach a day when we have no need of rescuers? We need them now for one simple reason: pet overpopulation. The best way to eliminate this overwhelming problem is to have animals spayed or neutered whenever we can. Remember all the animals who are not fortunate enough to be rescued, who end up in the nation’s shelters. There are no accurate numbers but it has been estimated that between 1.5 million and 5 million animals are euthanized each year in this country.

A trip to your veterinarian, or a low-cost spay/neuter facility with your beloved dog or cat can help reduce these numbers. To ease your mind, yes, these are surgical procedures, and there is some risk to your animal. Spays and neuters are the most frequently performed surgeries by most veterinarians. They are considered routine procedures, and the overall risk of complications is quite low.

For a female dog or cat, the procedure is known as an ovariohysterectomy. The ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus are surgically removed, thus rendering the animal sterile.

For a male dog or cat, the procedure is known as an orchiectomy, and the testes are removed, again rendering the animal sterile.

There are not only behavioral benefits from these procedures, but health benefits as well. Early spaying can help protect female animals from uterine infections and breast cancer. Neutering reduces the risk of enlarged prostate glands and testicular cancer in the male animals.

Talk to your own veterinarian if you need reassurance.

Your vet should do a complete physical before the surgery to make sure your animal has no underlying health issues.

The procedures can be done as early as eight weeks of age and recovery time is minimal.

After surgery, you as the animal guardian can help your animal to have a safe and comfortable recovery by observing the following advice:

•

Keep your animal inside and away from other animals during the recovery period.

• Limit activity for two weeks after surgery, or longer if your vet so advises.

• Monitor the incision site to ensure your animal is not licking it. (An Elizabethan collar, the so-called cone, may be necessary.)

• Check the incision daily; if there is redness, swelling or discharge contact your vet immediately.

• Baths are a no-no for at least 10 days after surgery.

• Lastly, call your vet if your dog appears uncomfortable, lethargic, not interested in food, or has vomiting or loose stool.

Spaying or neutering is the conscientious thing to do for your companion animal, your family, and your community. As they say, be a part of the solution, not the problem.

NORMAN SEAT, DVM - OWNER Antonio Animal Hospital 22461 Antonio Pkwy A120 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 (949) 858-0949 www.antonioah.com

REALTOR | BROKER

Orange County Coastal Specialists Kerry Soussé 714.412.9014 Mauricio Soussé 714.412.8512 info@TheSousseGroup.com

TheSousseGroup.com www.sousseonthecoast.com Facebook.com/ TheSousseGroup CalBRE# 01363725, 01238377

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 840 Newport Center Drive, Suite 100 | Newport Beach, CA 92660 Owned By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. ©2017 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo service marks are registered or pending registrations owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

6 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

Meet our readers Do you want to share a photo of your companion animal?

Bernie

Beau

Email your high-resolution photo & your companion animal’s name to patricia. speakmagazine@gmail. com

Max

Shep

Granpa

Annie

Michelle Lola

Rufus

Punkin

Captain Ramen Noodle

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 7

ART & ANIMALS

PHOTOS © SOPHIE GAMAND

SOPHIE GAMAND TALKS ABOUT

AND WHY SHE PHOTOGRAPHS DOGS What a magnificent cover we have this month! The photos accompanying this article are equally amazing. I had the pleasure of speaking with Sophie Gamand about her work on Flower Power and other projects, and got a glimpse of her future. Gamand is a self-taught photographer, born and raised in France, now residing in New York City with her husband and a rescue dog.

Gamand remarks on her website that she photographs dogs to better understand humans.

When I asked her to elaborate on that statement she said, “While photographing dogs, I realized they really held a mirror to our humanity. I think that’s when I started thinking about what dogs mean to us, what they mean to society and the place they occupy. I could recognize they were not just animals; they were much more than that. They were companions that have been with us for millennia. I thought, they deserve to be photographed for the soulful beings they are, and not just as animals or pets.” Her focus has been on photographing shelter dogs. “I found shelter dogs so interesting and poignant, because they’re really at the mercy of humans. They reveal a lot of our dysfunction and the dysfunction between humans themselves, between communities, between people and their dogs, too.”

She has so many photographic projects I concentrated on a select few. For access to a more extensive gallery of her work, go to www.sophiegamand.com. Ms. Gamand can also be reached at her Instagram address @SophieGamand. Her series “The Anatomy of Discomfort” was shot last winter at a municipal shelter in Puerto Rico. It is not only about the fate of dogs in these shelters – which have a 90% euthanasia rate, but about what it means to rescue dogs. As she so aptly describes it, “A lot of people think, oh - rescue, you just pull the dog and put him in the cage and Yea! Your work is done. It will get adopted. But I’ve met and photographed a dog who

8 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

had been waiting for ten years in a cage. And knew nothing else of life.”

That dog in question did indeed get adopted, thanks to Gamand’s portrait of her. Gamand adopted a sato, as they are called in Puerto Rico, just last December. She went there with the intention of photographing shelter dogs but, as she puts it, “He was there and we found each other.” Gamand describes him as a “multi-mutt;” his name is MacLovin.

Another project, also in Puerto Rico, was Dead Dog Beach. As Gamand relates, “Dead Dog Beach happened a few years ago. I was trying to volunteer for rescues as a photographer, and shelters. And at first, everybody was kind of shutting the door in my face a little bit.”

She had recently moved to New York, and no one seemed to trust her intentions. “A couple of months after I moved in, I met this woman in my neighborhood who said she was rescuing dogs from Puerto Rico.

She asked if I could photograph them. I was ecstatic! We kind of hit it off and the following week, she said, ‘Hey, I’m going to Puerto Rico. Are you coming?’ And I said, ‘Oh my God, yes.’”

At this juncture in her career, she had only done studio work, and had never done any rescues. They flew to Puerto Rico, and an hour after they landed drove straight to Dead Dog Beach. The first dog they encountered that day died before a vet could treat him, “…the dog basically looked at my camera and took his last breath in my friend’s arms.”

She spent the next two years traveling to Puerto Rico with her friend to document Dead Dog Beach and the surrounding areas. And rescuing dogs. “I learned everything I know from that experience. It made me a better artist, I think. A better photographer. And a better human being when it comes to animal welfare.”

Where did the Flower Power project come from? “That series really comes from a place of fear, actually. I was afraid of pit bulls and it was a deep, ingrained fear that stemmed from what I had read in the media.

Moving to the States and working with shelters I saw a lot of them and whenever the staff would bring one on my photo set I always tensed up.

I was always so nervous around them.” Gamand started evaluating her own attitudes toward pit bulls after a while. “And one day I really questioned myself and I thought, ‘Why am I so afraid, and what can I do to overcome that?’ because it felt like it was very unfair to the dogs themselves. They needed me just as much as any other breed at the shelter and I wasn’t giving my best. I figured, you know what, I’m going to do a series only about pit bulls and that’s going to force me to interact with a lot of them, and basically just form my own opinion about pit bulls.”

Then she had to come up with a way to photograph them that depicted them in a new way. Finally, she came up with the idea of giving them flower crowns. Starting with just 5 images, the project has expanded to over 350 dogs. The response has been overwhelming, with an overnight viral response on social media. Her original intent, “I thought, ‘This will be it. I’ll have these 5 dogs adopted. That will be great. And then I’ll move on to my next series.’ That was three years ago and I haven’t been able to shoot anything else because it’s so popular, and going viral immediately propelled me into the role of a pit bull advocate. Coming from somebody who was afraid of them it was pretty ironic. But it also I think made me a powerful voice in the debate because I came from a place, you know, of being that person and deciding: ‘I’m going to overcome this.’”

Flower Power has taken on a life of its own. Gamand had no idea how impactful Flower Power would become. “I had a long list of projects I wanted to shoot and get involved with. For the past three years Flower Power has been really everything I do. I eat, breathe, live Flower Power.” At first, she was worried it was taking up so much of her time, as she had other projects she wanted to pursue. “I’ve kind of decided this year that I’m going to stop feeling guilty that I’m not shooting new

projects and helping more animals and instead just really carry Flower Power as far as I can. Just continue riding this wave, but also more than riding it. I think I’ve been riding it for three years but now I want to carry it. I want to dare bigger.” She designed a big exhibit around Flower Power, and is currently in search of the proper venue and partners. Gamand thinks Miami might be a choice location because MiamiDade County has a breed-specific ordinance (BSL) banning pit bulls.

She hopes the exhibit might open a political dialogue.

What does the future hold for Gamand? There is currently a Flower Power calendar available, but Gamand has plans for a “beautiful coffee table book.” To date, no publisher has been willing to take it on, as they feel it lacks commercial potential. She’s determined, though, and is talking about launching a Kickstarter campaign at some point to make it a reality.

— Mary Holmes

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 9

THE BENEFITS OF

SPAY & NEUTER

BY MICHELLE SATHE

There are several reasons why having your companion animals spayed or neutered is important. First, it helps reduce the number of homeless companion animals who are killed each year in America’s shelters. Nearly 5,500 animals are killed every day in shelters simply because there isn’t enough space for all of them. Reducing the number entering shelters has a direct impact on the number of companion animals who die there.

10 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

“

“

SHELTER NEWS

There are many ways to get involved. Hundreds of volunteers are needed each season to help.

By having your companion animals spayed or neutered, you are preventing them from having unwanted litters and producing dozens of offspring — many of whom could end up in shelters, abandoned or neglected.

While many shelters are over-populated year-round, it is especially problematic in the spring, when free-roaming cats have countless numbers of kittens. Neuter and spay surgeries prevent that.

WHAT IS SPAY/NEUTER? Simply put, the word “spay” is the common term for surgery to remove a female animal’s uterus and ovaries so she cannot get pregnant. The word “neuter” technically refers to surgery for either a male or female animal, but in the U.S., the term is most commonly used for the procedure to castrate a male animal by removing his testicles.

While spay and neuter are the most common terms used to describe the removal of sex organs from a male or female animal, synonyms include sterilize, fix, castrate, unsex, desex, alter, cut and change.

Spay and neuter surgeries are performed by veterinarians, who do the procedure to sterilize animals, making it impossible for them to have babies. Both surgeries are done with the pets under anesthesia, so they don’t feel any pain.

THE BENEFITS OF SPAY/NEUTER There are other benefits of spaying and neutering for companion animals, their families, local shelters and the entire community.

WHY SPAYING AND NEUTERING IS CRITICAL FOR ACHIEVING NO-KILL When you choose to neuter or spay your pet, you are directly affecting the amount of space available at shelters for deserving homeless animals. By sterilizing your companion animals, you make it impossible for them to have unwanted litters, who may end up neglected and abandoned — or relinquished to shelters.

Today, there is simply not enough space in U.S. shelters for all homeless companion animals. In fact, especially during the spring and summer months, motherless kittens who come to shelters and are still in need of being bottle-fed are often killed shortly after they arrive if no foster families are available to care for them.

Best Friends has helped reduce the number of dogs and cats killed in shelters nationwide from approximately 17 million each year in 1984 to approximately 2 million annually today. And yet today, nearly 5,500 cats and dogs are killed in America’s shelters every day simply because they don’t have safe places to call home. With more room in shelters, we can save more companion animals — which is why spaying and neutering animals is so important.

Low-cost spay/neuter is available at the Best Friends Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills. For more information, visit bestfriends.la and click on “Fix Your Pet” for costs and clinic hours, call 310-574-5555 or email clinicLA@ bestfriends.org.

When female companion animals are spayed, they: • Have no risk of uterine infections, ovarian or uterine cancer • Have a greatly reduced risk of breast cancer • Do not go into estrous or heat, which means they will not have bloody discharge or attract unwanted attention from male companion animals • Have no risk of accidentally getting pregnant When male companion animals are neutered, they: • Have a reduced risk of testicular cancer • Are much less likely to spray or urine mark in their home • Are less likely to attempt to escape their yard or home in search of a mate • Are unable to impregnate female companion animals • Are less likely to bite or exhibit aggressive behavior; studies show that most dog bites on humans are from unneutered dogs

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 11

RESCUERS

GIVING UP IS

NOT AN OPTION

This is the story of Nalu and Andrew and Crystal. Nalu is the dog miraculously saved by Santa Monica firefighter Andrew Klein. After the smoke cleared, we took the time to talk to Klein and Nalu’s animal guardian Crystal Lamirande. Like Klein, Lamirande has also dedicated her life to helping others. She is a radiology nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica.

Lamirande left Nalu home one day to go to Starbucks and read a book. Normally, Nalu went everywhere with her, but it was a rainy day, and she decided he’d be better off at home. He’s a sweet little dog, and seemingly very well-behaved. Apparently, he felt in danger in the apartment in question, as Lamirande recounted in retrospect. It seems over the years they lived there, he had destroyed no less than 20 sets of window blinds, scratched all the doors badly, and one day even pushed his way out of a screened window.

This is a tale of synchronicity. When Lamirande arrived home, it was only minutes after her neighbor had noticed her apartment on fire and called 911. The firefighters arrived only minutes after she did. Once they found out there was a dog inside, Klein’s captain gave him the goahead to effect a rescue. It took two tries to find Nalu, and when Klein brought him out of the apartment he was totally lifeless. As Klein tells it, Lamirande was there when he brought Nalu out. “She was in tears, crying, and saying, ‘My dog’s dead! My dog’s dead!’ My motivation is to turn that around and focus on my job because we have to organize the chaos.

We have to bring everything we learn through our training, through our experience, our intuition, bring it to that moment to make something of that situation.” Klein started by putting an oxygen mask on Nalu, which was not effective. Then he began doing chest compressions. And finally, he went to, as he put it “mouth-to-snout.” Nalu was lucky, Klein was certified in animal first aid and CPR, a course he took of his own volition.

He was even luckier because of the Department’s mission. “As far as doing the job like with Nalu, our crew, we treat an animal like a kid. Just because it’s an animal doesn’t mean that the animal is any less of a life worth saving. It’s a life, and that’s what our department is. We’re all in when it comes to a life.”

All the time, Lamirande was by the side of the firefighter and Nalu. As he slowly started coming around, she said, “‘Nalu, Nalu,’ and I swear that he heard my voice and he came back. Because he wasn’t totally gone but he was almost gone. Like he was about to go.” Klein further added, “There is some kind of connection, in my belief, that helps get things moving, if that makes sense. So, I think she played a critical role in his survival by being a believer and being there.”

All the while, Billy Fernando, wedding photographer and part-time Uber driver, was taking photos. He happened to be driving by, saw the commotion, signed off Uber, and began shooting this amazing rescue.

Another unnamed passerby volunteered to take Nalu to a veterinarian who had an oxygen cage. This through Los Angeles rush hour traffic. She dropped Lamirande and Nalu off, and he spent 24 hours in the oxygen cage. Lamirande said she was told Nalu’s carbon monoxide level at admission was 27. Normal runs from 0 to 7. After time in the oxygen cage his dropped to a high normal of 7. She was warned he could possibly have brain damage, or suffer convulsions, but none of that has come to pass.

Lamirande and Klein have kept in touch since the fire. She has visited the fire station with Nalu and she states without hesitation about Klein, “He’s a real hero.” Klein for his part, simply responds, “We don’t have an option to give up. It’s not in our nature as firemen, or in our job descripBY MARY HOLMES tion, to call it quits when things are tough or when it’s rainy outside.” For @BILLYFERNANDOPHOTOGRAPHY him, it seems, it’s all in a day’s work.

12 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

Firefighter Andrew Klein, Nalu, & Crystal Lamirande PHOTOS © BILLY FERNANDO

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 13

RESCUERS

MEGHAN, ABE &

a pit family

PHOTOS © RITA EARL

Meghan and Abe Ammari are a very special couple with an amazing family of four-legged creatures. Meghan is a stay-at-home mom, who grew up with the companionship of pit bulls.

So, when they decided it was time to adopt, naturally they went for a breed she knew and loved. Meghan explains, “It was thought of.

We had a plan. We wanted to adopt a dog. We wanted to adopt a big dog. A dog for the family.

The rest of them? It just kind of came about.”

You see, Abe’s business requires him to spend long hours away from home. They figured a big dog would have a certain intimidation factor, and ensure Meghan’s safety when she was home alone. And along came Bubba, whom Meghan found in a shelter. The rest of his Crew just kind of happened, but all are rescues. We won’t go into all the details about the Crew; there is still a lot of pit bull prejudice out there. Let’s just say Bubba is part of a pack of pit bulls, all of whom have different personalities, but are all complete marshmallows within the family. If an outside intrudes, all bets are off.

Since Meghan spends so much of her time with them, I asked her what they bring to her life. Her answer was more than heartwarming.

“I don’t know how to answer that question. I don’t really know what it would be like without

them. I think that they bring everything to my life. They bring me so much laughter; they’re so funny and it always surprises me how sensitive they are, how in tune they are, loving, silly.”

They spent a great deal of time talking about the personalities of the dogs. As anyone who has spent time with dogs knows, each has his/her own personality, the same as humans.

Bubba, though, is sort of the superstar. He has been certified as an ESA (Emotional Support Animal) dog and frequently goes to work with Abe, who is a physical therapist. He’s very frank about Bubba’s appeal, “As soon as he walks in the room faces just light up. They want to meet him, they want to say hi to him, they want to know what the story is. Me, nobody cares. It’s all about Bubba. But I don’t mind. He can steal the spotlight.” Meghan comments they had no idea this was Bubba’s calling when they first adopted him. “I think that, when we first got Bubba, I don’t think we ever would have envisioned him doing the work that he does now.

Over time, they kind of open themselves up to you to show you who they truly are. We keep learning, we just keep learning.”

Abe summed up their pack relationship quite eloquently. “We have no regrets whatsoever. You cross paths with these animals just

like you do people, for a reason. They changed our lives just as much as we changed their lives. If it was up to me and I had all the money in the world, I’d buy acres and acres and I would – ‘Give me all the dogs!’ But this is a crew, this is our pack, and I think it was meant to be this way.”

— MARY HOLMES

Top: Bubba & Meghan; Below: Rufus, Meghan, Abe & Bubba

14

Top: Valentina & Mr. T Below: Granpa

ANGELA’S

angels Angela Rinaldo, rescuer extraordinaire, is one of the most energetic, focused individuals I have ever encountered. I’m proud to call her my friend. She is a force to be reckoned with.

I asked her one day how many dogs she’s rescued over the years. “Yea, I have a list. I have an ongoing list. I have two lists. The boys I’ve dated, but it’s a much shorter list, and the dogs I’ve saved. And I always do a clay imprint of their paw when I save them so I’ve got this box of paws. I believe my number is at 123 for my lifetime. Individually, single-handedly pulling dogs out of the road.” She single-handedly rescues them, but she has an enormous group of friends who believe in her and the work she does with strays. Somehow, she cajoles friends to foster, transport, feed and otherwise support her rescue work, including the occasional GoFundMe campaign. And she manages to successfully find GOOD homes for all her rescues.

Rinaldo is so indefatigable in her efforts she obsesses over her temporary charges even when faced with a life-threatening health issue, in her case a near fatal aneurysm. To hear her tell it, the aneurysm struck right before Christmas of 2016. “December 17th I had the aneurysm. I’d gotten a promotion at work and I filled out life insurance 24 hours prior to having a near fatal aneurysm. I’d been making calls to my family and friends, ‘Hey, what’s your social? I need to know this because I’m putting you down on my life insurance.’ I had arranged a new insurance policy for a better policy for

2017. I decided to ride out the cheap one till the end of the year. I got cheap insurance for 2016, thinking nothing was going to happen to me. I’ll be fine. I was week’s shy of the year wrapping up and my head explodes.”

She was home when the pain hit and called her father for help. He took her to Providence St. Joseph in Burbank, where she was given a 40% chance of survival. “Dr. George Teitelbaum saved my life. Along with you fine people. And the donations and helping the dogs. I think

dog, Valentina, and the two dogs she had recently rescued. One rescue, Granpa, was already with a foster, but Mr. T, her other rescue, had been staying with her and Valentina. “. . . the first thing I said was, ‘Oh my God, my dogs, what’s happening?’ My friends were like, ‘It’s okay. Mr. T’s at this house, your dog’s at this house. We’ve got it covered, Angela.’ And I was relieved because I’d come to worry too much to the point of my brain exploding. That helps me. My friends see how hard I work and they stepped up and worked hard for me when this happened.”

Rinaldo rescued Valentina some five years ago. She’d been hit by a car, and required surgery to fix her injured leg.

While prepping her for surgery, the veterinarian discovered she was pregnant. She had puppies a week or so later, who were unscathed from the accident and the anesthesia. Rinaldo found all the puppies good homes, but made Valentina a part of her family. “Nobody wanted Valentina, as she is an aggressive dog at times, so I kept her.” Rinaldo missed Valentina so much during her hospital stay someone gave her a stuffed animal which she PHOTOS © ANGELA RINALDO promptly named after the dog. Shortly because I helped the dogs so much everyone after Rinaldo was released from the hospital, who follows those stories it’s like, ‘It’s our turn Valentina was diagnosed with cancer, which to help her.’” This is an accurate assessment. has been successfully treated.

Rinaldo is such a selfless, dedicated rescuer A rescue story with a happy ending – not her friends and family came through for her only are Rinaldo and Valentina good as new, when she needed it. When Rinaldo woke up in but Granpa and Mr. T are now in their forever the hospital, the first words out of her mouth homes. And Rinaldo keeps on rescuing. weren’t about her; she asked about her own — MARY HOLMES

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 15

RESCUERS

SENIOR

adoption

W

Lexy in various poses

PHOTOS © JENNY MACKAY

e spoke with Jenny Mackay, animal guardian of Lexy the Elderbull. Lexy is an 11 year old pit bull, rescued from a shelter at the age of 8. Prior to her adoption, she was used in backyard breeding, hardly the life you would wish on any animal. Lexy’s an extraordinary dog, but so is Jenny Mackay, who got her out of the shelter.

From her childhood, her family always adopted rescue dogs. And they were always seniors. Jenny has continued this practice from the time she reached adulthood.

Lexy’s adoptaversary, as Mackay refers to it, is January 28th of 2014.

She looks at it as a time to remember Lexy on her special day, as well as a time to reflect back on all they’ve shared together.

Lexy has an awesome life. She gets a lot of one-on-one with her “dad” during the week, and all three spend great times together on weekends. Lexy loves swimming in the ocean, and her guardians indulge her in her favorite pastime frequently.

Mackay is devoted to working for animal issues – at the top of her list are “adopt don’t shop,” working against backyard breeding, dogfighting, and BSL (breed specific legislation). But if we defined her quest in life, I think it would have to be her passion for adopting seniors. She emphasizes that we, as a society spend too much time judging by labels. Lexy, it seems, despite her years, is very young in spirit. Mackay values each being for its own unique worth, not for how society labels him or her. Or, in her words, “It’s so unfair and so unjust for so many senior animals to be abandoned. To me, it just speaks to the greater flaw in society is that we don’t see them as sentient, feeling parts of our family. By welcoming them in, I can give them at least that decency they deserve.”

Currently, Lexy is the only non-human in the family, by design.

Mackay understand how much extra time and attention an older dog needs, and she wants to be able to devote that time to Lexy.

To cap it off, when we asked Mackay if she had anything she wanted to add anything, that she was being given a chance to get on her soapbox, she said, “I carry my soapbox and a spare with me everywhere I go. For me it’s just about my sincere, great hope that people can see beyond the labels… For me, people always ask me, “Oh, why did you adopt a pit bull?” I didn’t adopt a pit bull. I adopted a dog. That’s what people need to remember. Did I adopt an older dog? I did, too, because she’s lots of things. First and foremost she’s a dog. The rest of it is just what makes her her unique self.” Well-said. — MARY HOLMES

16 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

HINTS & TIPS

ANDY SAYS! HELPFUL TIPS FOR COMPANION ANIMAL FIRE SAFETY Being prepared means having a plan!

1

Companion animals should always have an ID tag and be micro-chipped. Frightening situations can cause an animal to run and or hide and therefore be separated from their loved ones.

2 case of a crisis, have an escape plan for you and your 3 Incompanion animals. Practice the plan with friends and Smoke Detectors:Â Smoke detectors save lives! Make sure your home has them and that they are tested regularly.

family. Keep a leash and carrier(s) in a place near your exit(s).

4

Be sure someone trusted who knows your companion animals well has a key to your home, and your cell phone number, in case you are detained in your normal day or have a crisis at your work place, or are in any situation that prevents you from getting home on time. This is especially critical in Southern California because of the proximity to earthquake fault zones.

a first aid kit ready for you and your companion 5 Have animals. a little extra food on hand and water for your 6 Keep companion animals in case your normal routine is interrupted, or you have to relocate.

TIP

ASPCA has a free safety pack! This includes a rescue window decal in order to alert rescue personnel that companion animals are inside your home. The safety pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet.

http://secure.aspca.org/take-action/order-your-pet-safety-pack Peace, love and compassion for all animals, Andy

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 17

DOG-FRIENDLY SPOTS

BEACH BLANKET

BOW WOWS Does your dog love to run on the sand, romp in the surf, chase Frisbees – unencumbered by a leash? There’s good news and bad news – Southern CA beaches aren’t all that dog friendly – that’s the bad news. The good news is there are five beaches where your canine companion can be off-lead. Last month we talked about the two dog friendly beaches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. This issue, we’ll talk about the three San Diego County beaches. So, pack up the balls, Frisbees, towels, water bowls, and sunblock, and let’s go on a sandy surffilled adventure.

Del Mar is the home to Del Mar Dog Beach, located at Del Mar’s North Beach. It runs from 29th Street north to Solana Beach. Unfortunately, dogs must be on-leash in the summer months. Dogs are allowed off-leash from Labor Day to June 15th. Look for the Dog Beach north of the San Dieguito River Lagoon entrance next to Camino Del Mar. Address is 3200 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014. There’s an awesome trail that runs to an ocean overlook. Parking is available on Camino Del Mar, and at 29th Street. Amenities include trails, lifeguard, toilets, and volleyball courts.

Next, in San Diego proper, is the Ocean Beach Dog Beach, at the northern end of the Ocean Beach City Beach. Parking lot is at the west end of West Point Loma Boulevard. The park is at the intersection of West Point Loma Boulevard and Voltaire Street. Activities include dog walking, biking, and running. Amenities include a bike path and restrooms.

Further down the coastline, in Coronado, is Coronado Dog Run Beach. Situated on the North Beach of Coronado Beach, this is the only beach where dogs can be off-leash on the Coronado Island shoreline.

Parking for Dog Run Beach is at the north end of Ocean Boulevard outside the entrance to the naval base. Keep in mind, you have to keep your dogs ON leash from the parking lot to the beach. The park is at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Coronado Drive. There are restaurants close by in Coronado Beach and at the Hotel Del Coronado, but they do not necessarily welcome four-footed diners.

PHOTOS © JON KAWA 2017

18 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

BOOK REVIEW

SHELTER STORIES LOVE. GUARANTEED. Yesh! to Patrick McDonnell!

Charles Schulz called the comic strip, “Mutts” created in 1994 by Patrick McDonnell, “one of the best comic strips of all time.” Not a bad recommendation if you are new to Patrick’s work. “Mutts” explores the adventures of two friends, Earl the dog, who was a shelter adoption (inspired by his beloved real life Jack Russell, Earl) and Mooch the cat (who loves his pink sock and adds “sh” to most words such as, “Yesh!”). Like the work of Schulz, the day to day observations of Earl and Mooch in regards to their human guardians, their friends and various encounters with the world around them, “Mutts” charms the readers by the innocence and wisdom of its characters in what appears to be a simple comic strip, all the while promoting an animal and earth friendly philosophy and often in profound ways.

“Mutts” appears in 700 newspapers in 20 countries.

McDonnell has received numerous awards, including the National Cartoonists Society’s highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year; “Mutts” has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy; two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club

PHOTO © PATRICIA DENYS

Patrick and his muse, Earl

award. The “Mutts” characters appear on the New Jersey Animal Friendly license plates that fund state pet population programs.

McDonnell also serves on the Board of Directors for the Humane Society of the United States.

One of McDonnell’s themed series of strips is called “Shelter Stories” created to encourage people to support their local shelters and adopt from them.

In 2008, Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed was published which features McDonnell’s animal shelter–themed strips accompanied by real-life adoption stories submitted by readers worldwide. This beautiful book has 70 full color photographs of adopted companion animals including, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and ferrets with more than 100 of McDonnell’s “Mutts Shelter Stories” strips. Also included is a reference section with an Adoption Guide and resourceful links that encourage readers to, as McDonnell writes, “Adopt some love today.” If you are looking for a book with a message about animals in shelters and one full of compassion, Patrick McDonnell gets a big YESH! from Speak!

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 19

SPEAK: What influenced you to make the leap from vegetarianism to veganism?

PART

02

BY MARY HOLMES

PHOTO © MARY HOLMES

Above: Artist Patricia Denys and Carol Adams at SPOM Show

20 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

CAROL J. ADAMS: I became a vegetarian first, in 1974. By 1975 I was trying to be a vegan. I was in Cambridge. People say, “it’s hard to be a vegan.” It’s not hard to be a vegan now. My God, it’s so easy.

But in ’75 I did not have as well-organized in my mind the reasons for veganism to help me move through the social situations in which veganism was alien. Being a vegetarian was easy. Moving to veganism was a challenge. I started with soy milk, it was terrible in ’75 and ‘76, and I wasn’t ready to make my own. During the late 1980s, when I was completing The Sexual Politics of Meat I drew on a term “animalized protein,” from the 19th century.

It was used by vegetarians to describe how all protein is vegetable protein. Some vegetable protein goes through an animal and becomes animalized, but in fact the vegetable protein preceded the animal.

We needed a term to recognize dairy and eggs because they too are from an animal.

They’re not the same kind of animalized protein derived from killing the animal, but they’re still products of animals, and in this specific situation, products of sexual exploitation. I coined the term “feminized protein” to define these “food” items from female animals, and once I did I realized I

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

CAROL J. ADAMS needed to become a vegan. One of the breakthroughs for me was getting hold of The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond. It’s a wonderful, easy cookbook. With my kids, we’d read new vegan cookbooks at night and select recipes we wanted to try. Together we’d learn ways of making muffins without eggs, of using tofu in cheesecakes. It was very liberating. I’ve never looked back. I love my veganism and I’m very grateful for it.

SPEAK: Who would you consider your thought influencers?

ADAMS: In the early 1970s I studied with Mary Daly, and that was very exciting. Mary died several years ago and many know of her writings that are transphobic, and I have been asked why don’t I just separate myself from her? But in the early 70s her work was revolutionary and necessary and spoke “truth to power” (another saying from divinity school). Her work was really helping to step outside patriarchal boundaries and ask questions. She provided a methodology for thinking and writing against oppression. And talk about the idea that feminists see the same thing differently--she equipped us to do this! That doesn’t mean I agree with everything she wrote. I don’t. But in terms of someone who was 22, getting to study with Mary Daly was very important.

In the early 80s when I was in western New York I was very involved in a battle for public housing. The racism of that time shocked me. I started

ACTIVISTS SPEAK

reading everything that I could about the history of the civil rights movement and the history of racism, and while there were many books that were hugely important, the book that really stands out from that time is The Signifying Monkey, which was an African-American literary theory by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I remember when I got the book, I thought – this is what you can do with literature. The other book that was like that was The Madwoman in the Attic, in the early 80s, where Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar looked at women’s fiction in the Western canon from a feminist lens offering an immense new way of shaping our understanding of literature. Those gave me permission to do my own thing with literary texts and literary theory in The Sexual Politics of Meat.

SPEAK: I know you are involved in a myriad of issues, having seen you, for one thing, posting live feed from DFW in protest of the travel ban. I think it would be safe to call you an intersectional vegan. Do you define yourself in those terms?

ADAMS: I’m always worried about how vegans use “intersectional,” because “intersectional” is a term that was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an African-American lawyer and legal scholar, and she’s trying to say that it’s not like you’re either black or female, when you’re black and female you’re experiencing – it’s not a doubling of oppression. It’s that oppression is treating you in a certain way because these identities intersect. It’s going to be different than being black and male or white and female. The sexism and racism compound each other. I’m worried some vegans are using intersectional in a way that’s a metaphor. “Well, how you’ve been treated as African-Americans is like how animals are treated. So there’s an intersection, and so you should be vegan.” I’m not sure that the term “intersectional vegan” is the right way to go about raising issues of how oppressions are connected. We have to make sure we’re perfectly clear that we’re not bringing our veganism to other causes to ask those other causes to become vegan. I generally call myself a feminist vegan, and I feel that feminism is about the transformation of all injustice and, so I guess that, should I say a social justice vegan? I think veganism has suffered for not being seen as the social justice cause it is. I’d like to see veganism situated within social justice thought. I’m more interested in that. Making sure that veganism doesn’t so much need any adjective but is recognized for the radical thing it is.

SPEAK: Are you encouraged by the progress made in the animal rights movement? Does it distress you that, while we have made progress regarding animals, it appears we’re losing ground in other areas?

ADAMS: I don’t know that there’s a yes or no answer.

I’m concerned that animal rights, the way we conceive of animal rights is so separate from recognizing how it’s related to these other social justice causes. Traditionally, it’s said animal rights began with Peter Singer and Tom Regan. It ignores the history that goes before that: the 1964 appearance of Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison, a 1965 article in the Sunday Times by Brigid Brophy on “The Rights of Animals.”

It didn’t gain traction, but some thought Animal Machines was going to have the same effect that Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring did. It did not. It shows how powerful animal agriculture is that it did not have that effect.

I feel that the animal rights movement has struggled with the fact that to care for animals is seen as a female thing, and so the animal rights movement structures itself around several key male-identified aspects to avoid this association and establish that it’s rational, not emotional; that it’s got fathers, not mothers; that the way to achieve what we need to achieve is through argument (the proper use of words). That if we have the right arguments then we’ll prevail. These assumptions are still very patriarchal. I would like to see the animal rights movement more grounded in a feminist ethics of care, abandoning its need to lift up men as the spokespersons, or the leaders or the fathers.

I think the animal rights movement moves forward but has never really dealt with these basic issues of the patriarchal framing of the movement. Its successes are always burdened by what it’s never confronted or dealt with. I think what happens is we avoid talking about out what the movement really is. We’ve accepted this patina that it’s got to be this way. Otherwise men would have to admit they’re part of a movement that’s basically woman-identified and women-maintained. (But not women-led; there’s a glass ceiling in the animal rights movement.) It’s usually much more attractive to be seen as being part of a co-ed movement, a movement that men are involved in, than simply a feminist movement. This was part of the misogyny we’ve had to overcome for decades. The Carol J. Adams Reader includes an essay I did on animal rights movement and sexual inequality where I argue that the animal rights movement has benefited from sexual inequality. It’s not challenging it; it’s benefiting from it.

SPEAK: What would be your advice to a newly-awakened animal rights activist? To an intersectional vegan?

ADAMS: I would say, thank you for letting your consciousness take you to this ethical position but don’t go home and feel you have to do everything. Figure out what you’re best at and where you would like to be involved and get your rest. It’s a long haul. After becoming vegan, don’t become convinced by anyone else that you must do some specific activism “for the animals.” Or that that you can’t take breaks. There are things you must do for yourself because this is a marathon. This isn’t a 400-yard dash. Don’t think that you have to watch any movie or any film or any documentary because people say if the animals go through it you should be able to see it. If you know it, you don’t have to see it again and again. You don’t have to assault your retinas.

We talk about women having more porous boundaries and one of the issues for men is that men feel they can be boundary-violators. Figure out your boundaries, where you end so that you can sleep and so that you can then have some peace. This information is upsetting; you have to find a counterweight, something that gives you joy so that you’re not constantly assailed by this knowledge of what humans are doing to the other animals. It is tragic, and it’s very sad.

Also, don’t think you’re going to change your family at the

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 21

ACTIVISTS SPEAK

PHOTO © MARY HOLMES

SPOM Show art, Patricia Denys, Peep Show

next holiday. Lots of new vegans, new animal rights people read my book Living Among Meat Eaters and have found it helpful because we have a tendency to become very zealous. We think, “My eyes have opened and I want to bring other people into this understanding.” People are not going to thank you for having your eyes opened. The experience (for others) is overbearing, even if what it really is excitement.

What we’re not able to do is recognize that our excitement is saying something about someone else’s choice, something that they don’t necessarily want to hear.

We just have to be careful that how we change is not how everybody’s going to change. I think there are some vegetarians that are trying to be vegan but they’re holding on to cheese. From the 1980s on there have been arguments that assert “before you become a vegetarian give up cheese and eggs; those are the animals suffering the most.” I would say feeling guilt is not good. That guilt is telling you something. Guilt’s role is not to hang around; it’s to liberate you into asking “Why am I feeling guilty about this?”

The guilt is a symptom that something needs to be looked at. Maybe it’s because you were brought up by people who always made you feel guilty. But if one feels guilty because they are still eating animals and dairy and eggs, let that guilt teach you! It’s not there to be a constant reminder you aren’t doing something, but to liberate you into doing something. I think it is a mistake for vegetarians to think that they’ve done enough.

We are never done. As we say, there’s a slice of veal in every glass of cow’s milk. If vegetarians are vegetarians for ethical reasons they need to think about the cow, the veal, and the chicken. I’d invite them to reexamine the idea that change is harder than not changing.

SPEAK: What’s your opinion of horseback riding? Many vegans find it exploitative.

ADAMS: Well, I know that for me, what horseback riding gave me as a sixth and seventh grader, a “tween” was incredible. We had no real athletic program, pre-Title IX. The freedom I had was a gift. But I would not ride a horse again. If you look at a bit, what does a bit do? The bit is what goes into the horse’s mouth. And you can look at these bits. And some of them have just a little bump. But the bigger the bump the harder they’re pressing into a tongue! Now our horses, we just laid around on their backs sometimes. We didn’t ever go anywhere. But still, I would not do it again. I think we can have friendships with horses, and in the Ecofeminism volume (Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth) is a wonderful piece by Deborah Slicer about Joy

22 | SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | JUNE 2017

and a relationship with a horse she saves from the slaughter.

She saves the horse not ever to ride the horse, but to save the horse’s life. I’m grateful for what horseback riding gave me back then but I would not do it now.

I think viewing animals as existing for our use is the root of the problem. Here’s one other way to think about this theory, which is that our subjectification is occurring at the expense of the subject status of other animals. So that instead of seeing a sort of intersubjectivity where we’re all subjects in relationship with each other, we experience who we are because of the object status of others. Now, in a patriarchal society men, especially white men, experience that object status through women. Whites experience that object status through racism and the objectifying treatment of people of color. But the basic way we experience that is through animals, even the language we use about animals. “We’re not animals.” That’s humans subjectifying ourselves at the expense of other animals. So, the minute we’re using animals as objects, rather than subjects of their own lives and subjects in relationship with other animals (the social nature of animals’ lives is something most people don’t even think about)—we are allowing ourselves to know ourselves as subjects because someone else has become a something, a being to be used.

When a farmer says, “My cow only has only one bad day,” justifying killing the cow on an organic farm, their argument can only go unchallenged by taking the cow out of her social network. It’s because we don’t see the cow as a subject, who mourns the loss of her child, who suffers from being pregnant and being milked at the same time, who has relationships with other cows.

So, back to horseback riding, I don’t think it allows for a subject to subject relationship in the way that I believe is the ethically acceptable way of relating to other animals.

SPEAK: Can you share with us some final thoughts about The Sexual Politics of Meat?

ADAMS: I think that The Sexual Politics of Meat was a book I just kept working at, and working at, and working at throughout the 80s and throughout (and because of and despite of ) the other things I was doing. A part of me felt so desolate and desperate that I hadn’t finished it. I did not understand that I’d been incubating it and growing it through all my activism. In the end, I wrote the book I myself needed. The book I wrote made sense out of everything I was thinking and feeling and learning. The gift of the book is that I wrote something other people needed too. Now I have the wonderful experience of meeting people for whom the book functions the way it might have for me if it existed in 1974 when I first had the idea that a connection existed between meat eating and patriarchy. I had to live through the decade-plus process of writing it. And now I’m given this great gift –the book brings new people into my life, people who read the book and were open to its ideas, and through their art or writing or activism, make it their own. The book has given me a community, and the loneliness of the years of writing it has been redeemed by this sense of community, of learning and growing from each other. What a great gift the book has become for me.

JUNE CALENDAR

2017 Summer Corgi Beach Day Saturday, July 1 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Alamitos Beach, Long Beach, CA

OC PET GROOMING AND SPA

Dog Adoptions

Dozens of rescue groups Goal to find FURever homes A wide variety of exhibitors Fur Fun, Shop & Adopt June10, 2017 9:00 AM 1:00 PM FREE Town Center Community Park East 550 Park Center Drive Santee, California 92071

PAWPARAZZI & SPEAK MAGAZINE LAUNCH PARTY! SIX01 STUDIO in Burbank 630 S. Flower Street 6/24/17 4 pm – 6 pm

SATURDAY JUNE

24

www.six01studio.com/contact Companion animals invited too! email debbiepetsinthecitymagazine@gmail.com or call Deb Myers 801-702-1171. Pre-registration is free by sending the number of people attending and a contact email for the Will Call list. info@ petsinthecitymagazine.com

LOS ANGELES AUDUBON MONTHLY WALKS 1st Sunday of the month Topanga State Park 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

2nd Sunday of the month Franklin Canyon /Sooky Goldman Nature Center Time: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

3rd Saturday of the month (except July and August) Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Time: 8:00 a.m.

- Noon

“

grooming so good you’ll want to make an appointment for your human.

“

At OC Pet Grooming & Spa we consider your pets as family. Our highest priority is providing your pet with the most positive grooming experience possible. • State of the art sparkling facility. • Stylists are masters in gentle grooming and precision cutting.

• Three locations serving Orange County since 2002.

3rd Sunday of the month (except for December) Ballona Wetlands Time, 8:00 a.m. - Noon For further birdwalk information: www.laaudubon. org, or contact Eleanor Osgood at birdwalks@ laaudubon.org or call (310) 839-5420.

WEEKLY ADOPTION EVENTS https://kittenrescue.org/ adopt/adoption-events/

www.ocgroomer.com LOCATIONS

SAN CLEMENTE GROOMING 801 Via Suerte, Suite 101 San Clemente, CA 92673 (949) 391-PAWS

DANA POINT GROOMING 34102 La Plaza, Suite B Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 429-PAWS

LADERA RANCH GROOMING 1101 Corporate Dr., #A4 Ladera Ranch, CA 92694 (949) 436-PAWS

“Come Meet your Future Love!”

JUNE 2017 |

SPEAK FOR THE ANIMALS | 23