Too Hot for Pets!

If you can't walk barefoot on the sidewalk or asphalt, neither should your dog! Make sure you keep them plenty cool and with plenty of water in the summer heat.

May all beings be happy and well, free from suffering and the causes of suffering.

Tenzin Dorje

Tenzin Dorje

September 15, 2006 - May 18, 2017

AZ Now Safer for Pets!

Today, the AZ Humane Society writes:

It’s getting safer and safer to be an Arizona pet! With your support, the Arizona Humane Society and the Humane Legislative Coalition of Arizona successfully led efforts to pass two bills that will soon be state law and benefit animals in our community.

Animal advocates have a reason to celebrate next year’s tax season thanks to the signing of HB2523, which allows Arizona residents to make a voluntary contribution via a check off box to fund much-needed affordable spay/neuter services throughout Arizona. This initiative is expected to generate close to $200,000 to support spay/neuter efforts statewide.

And, last week, Governor Doug Ducey also signed into law HB2494, a bill that aims to end hot-car deaths and allow Good Samaritans to take action without risk of civil liability if they rescue a child or a pet from a hot car.

HB2494 Provisions

A person who uses reasonable force to remove a child or domestic animal from a locked motor vehicle is not liable for damages in a civil action if they comply with the following conditions:

-The rescuer has a good faith belief that the confined child or pet is in imminent danger of suffering physical injury or death unless they are removed from the vehicle.
-The rescuer determines the car is locked or there is no reasonable manner in which the person can remove the child or pet.
-Before entering the vehicle, the rescuer notifies the proper authorities (defined).
-The rescuer does not use more force than is necessary under the circumstances to enter the vehicle.
-The rescuer remains with the child or pet until the authorities arrive.

Read more...

Keep up all your good work toward protecting our beloved pets!

May all beings be well and happy.

Is Pet Food Poisoning Your Pet?

As you know our dear dog is dying of cancer... cancer caused by toxins like arsenic, and we just saw a report about how commonly toxins are present in very high levels in most - if not all - dog and cat foods.

The brand we had carefully researched (or so we thought) and chose to feed him for the past 5 plus years, is likely what is killing our beloved little one.

This is heartbreaking, and helping to save other lives is the only good that can come of this horror.

PLEASE check this resource for your prefered brand to see if it is safe:

http://www.cleanlabelproject.org/category/product-list/dog-cat-food/

"Natural," "Grain free," and other labels as well as price have nothing to do with the risk of the toxin level. Please check your pet food now!

Watch the news report: http://www.abc15.com/news/national/are-pet-foods-safe-for-your-pets

And, see this excellent video by the Clean Label Project:
https://www.facebook.com/CleanLabelProject/videos/vb.1591831381135323/1788895824762210/?type=2&theater

May all beings be well, free from suffering and the causes of suffering.

All Sentient Beings - Water for Pigs

A Canadian activist who faced time behind bars for giving water to pigs has been found not guilty.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39799514

This is wonderful work, which I hope will continue and spread.

Indeed, pigs are sentient beings, as are cows, chickens, fish...

May more humans reach out to help them and fewer humans use and abuse them, unnecessarily.

May all beings be well.

Hot Summer Pet Safety

Especially for those folks who move here from other places: Please do not walk your dog on hot sidewalks and asphalt - even during early summer evenings - as it can (and does) result in serious burns to their feet. 

Many people come here from other places and don't know this. They think they can walk their dogs after work as the sun is setting, but they do not know that the asphalt is still too hot! 

We see people doing this more and more during the summers here, and it is very sad and frustrating to see.

It can be as much as 11 degrees hotter near the ground, where the dog lives. So in addition to the concern for the pads of their feet, they can quickly become dehydrated from the hot air low to the ground.

A good rule of thumb to check before you walk your dogs: If you can't comfortably hold your flat hand on the asphalt or sidewalk for 5 to 10 SECONDS, it is too hot for your dogs' feet!

Then, it is SO important to not leave pets in cars, even for any short amount of time, in the Arizona summer heat!

Do with your pet what you would do for a child - or for yourself! You would not walk barefoot on hot asphalt, and you would not sit in a hot car, so don't make your pets do it!
Be careful and enjoy your summer.

May all beings be happy and well, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Falling Into Love

Blessing or curse
Either way, a bona fide, utterly mundane miracle
This heart beat...
this gentle rise and fall of nourishing breath
And we wait to see where this precious one will rise above, or sink into the loving and cease the living. . .
At least in this precious and beloved vessel of density so bound by gravity of this place.
Love... we turn ever deeper into love, loving, the Beloved...

~ Parvati

Tenzin Tribute

Yesterday, our little Tenzin was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma.*

Today, we made this video of him playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRtmexRIzDI

He is happy, alert and playful as usual here, though he has had some bad days recently.

We do not how much longer we will have the great fortune of his presence in our lives, so we are more diligently recording him, as that will - in a sense - be all we have left of him soon. And, we want others to know how great he is, in addition to those who already know.

He has a mass in his belly around his spleen, along with growing lumps on his chest and abdomen. Those had been looked at and deemed benign, though oddly blood-saturated. It was after a third episode where he suddenly collapsed, then acted oddly (slinking around, finding a different place to lie, drinking more water...) that we took him in for an EKG (normal) followed by an ultrasound, which provided the diagnosis and prognosis: "two to six months."

It can be anytime, actually, so we are keeping even closer with him than usual - which is pretty close! He is our only child.

Last night as I began to deeply grieve his impending loss, I wrote this to my partner, his mother:

"...it is surreal here...I touch and look at Tenzin’s body and see it is not him...and that there is really no Tenzin. I mean, soon he will be gone, and here he is still, but only an illusion, really. His love and our love for him is the only part that’s real, if you see what I mean.

"This thing about a whole life, suddenly no more...almost as if it never were....and yet so much love happens in that space, boundlessly... It’s amazing and strange and heart-rending, all of it."

She, sharing this with a friend offering condolences, wrote:

"Yes, the gift in such a scenario is the ability to know ahead a bit that these are our last precious times together with our beloved one. And Shivadam said the most beautiful thing about cuddling Tenzin and realizing he is not his body but rather his loving... and our love shared."

Here are some other videos we posted years ago. All of these profile his amazing wit and charm.

Tenzin's Toys, Tunnel and Tricks (2013): https://youtu.be/-ua2Cj9MA3Y
Tenzin's Easter Egg Hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbC6Ihc7BnY
Tenzin's Favorite Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdL7b0iQPVg
Tenzin Physics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951i1PijgTY

Tenzin is the smartest, most interactive and affectionate dog I have ever known. Like my other dogs, he is a mutt. I am convinced they are the best kind of dog, the mixture of breeds bringing many benefits in intelligence and charm.

PLEASE support rescue.

Rescue a dog or cat. Offer donations to rescue orgs. We found Tenzin - as with all my dogs - as a rescue. He has enriched and "rescued" our lives as much as we did his. We will never forget him, and so he will live on in our hearts.

---

*Here is a good article about hemangiosarcoma with other helpful resources related to hospice and euthanasia:

http://pawsintograce.com/the-sad-realities-of-hemangiosarcoma-in-dogs/

May all beings be well and happy, free from suffering and the causes of suffering. SVAHA

Mini Cow in Paradise

"Suffering is suffering, regardless of the type of living being experiencing it. We are all connected on this planet and any pain, neglect, cruelty, helplessness, makes the world a colder, harsher place for all, even in ways that may be yet unseen. Any act of rescue, comfort, healing, raises our collective consciousness and supports the foundation for a kinder world, a hope for all to walk their own path without fear and with the joy intended by the creator.”

Read more and see the adorable pics!

http://www.today.com/pets/rescued-mini-cow-living-paradise-her-best-friends-dogs-t109869

May all beings be happy and well.

Great news! Dairy Ditches Milk!

Cow milk sales in the United States have fallen by 50% in the last 5 years.

And now a dairy in Queens, New York, has stopped producing cow’s milk altogether, and will produce simple, raw, plant-based milks instead.

After 90 years in the dairy business, the company decided it was time to make a change.

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/food-and-health/dairy-company-ditching-dairy-plant-based-milk/

May all beings be free!

Vegan Viewing

ChooseVeg.com has chosen the top Vegan-related films available on Netflix. They may help you switch, if you have not. Good food for thought, in any case.

Check 'em out, and happy vegan viewing!

http://www.chooseveg.com/here-are-8-of-the-most-vegan-movies-on-netflix

May all beings be free.

Helping Stray Dogs: A Thank You Letter from Rinpoche

In 2016, Lama Zopa Rinpoche heard about a service that rescues stray dogs in Malaysia, and that had cared for more than a thousand of them. He was deeply touched to hear about this rescue effort. Rinpoche wanted to make an offering of food to help the dogs and also support the woman who ran the rescue service. The local FPMT center, Losang Dragapa Centre, raised money and Rinpoche also contributed. Together, they offered enough money for six months’ worth of food. In addition, Rinpoche asked the center members to put Namgyalma mantras on the ceilings of each of the kennels where the rescued dogs stayed, which they did. Because of this, the dogs now receive purification and blessings from the mantra.

Afterward, Rinpoche sent the center the following letter of thanks.

My most dear, most precious, most kind wish-fulfilling one and everyone,

Thank you very, very much billion, zillion, trillion times, to all the students and all the friends. Please tell everyone my billion, zillion, trillion on and on thanks for the support for the dogs.

Buddha said:
Any sentient being, who during the period of my teachings,
Makes charity well (even if the material is the size of hair)
For 80,000 eons there will be great result of great enjoyment.
No pain, no disease, and enjoyment of happiness.
Like that, one will be enriched with desirable things.
At the end you can actually achieve the result—the peerless cessation and completion (enlightenment) 
After hearing that there is the great result—who wouldn’t want to collect merit?

Please pass on this quote and my thanks to everyone. Also please give it to the lady who has the dogs, telling her it is from me.

With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Transcribed by Ven. Holly Ansett. Lightly edited by Ven. Holly Ansett and Mandala.

Benefiting animals is one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Vast Visions for FPMT:
http://fpmt.org/fpmt/vast-vision/#animals

Watch a short video about the benefits of the Namgyalma mantra:
http://fpmt.org/mandala-today/the-benefits-of-the-namgyalma-mantra-video/

For more about FPMT’s activities to benefit animals see:
https://fpmt.org/tag/animals/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

May all being be well and happy and free of suffering.

Goats of Anarchy

I am so proud that a dear friend and student is now donating money in my name to this great effort.

Watch this moving video about the work of one woman committed to raising awareness about animals' needs (especially goats'):

http://goatsofanarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/GOA-Main-Edit-v0.2-SD960.mp4?_=1


Thank you!

May all beings be well and happy.

Learning How to Care for Animals

Neil deGrasse Tyson just tweeted:

"Odd that our measures of animal intelligence are often tests for what we do best, rather than tests for what they do best."

Ah, we have so much yet to learn!

In other news: 

The co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, Gene Baur, recently told Greg Peterson about his life as a vegan and triathlete as well as what prompted him to create a safe facility for rescued farm animals. 

He has many helpful tips for those who are wanting to try the meatless lifestyle and diet, and he shares some insight on how to work with those you disagree with.

Listen to hear: Making choices to help defend animals in industrial agriculture.

May all being be happy and free!

"Use" Is Abuse

On a neighborhood forum, someone posted many "ads" for the Avon products they hope to sell. One neighbor pointed out that she does not buy products tested on animals, and the Avon rep replied with rather ranty and uninformed objections that included multiple exclamation points and questions marks, and - even after some evidence was offered - resorted to "You can't believe everything you read on the internet!" and, finally: "PROVE IT!!"

The conversation continued. I wrote:

This may be helpful: Avon's website.

Avon has a nice page where they talk about their company's ethics. The fact that they - a cosmetic company - do not mention being "cruelty free" - while most cosmetic companies know that this is an issue that matters to many consumers - leaves me with the impression that they or some of their suppliers do in fact test on animals.

Looking more closely, according to Avon's own website under "Corporate Responsibility", we find:

"Unfortunately, a few countries require additional safety testing, which may include animal tests. Avon, in partnership with other organizations, works to help advance government acceptance of alternative non-animal testing methods. But if a compromise cannot be reached, we must comply with the testing required by local law."

http://www.avoncompany.com/documents/corporateresponsibility/resourcecenter/pdfs/policies_positions/Avon_Commitment_to_Animal_Welfare_QA.pdf

So, we can conclude correctly at this time that Avon cannot guarantee animal cruelty-free products.

I appreciate the information from our neighbors who want to help other neighbors learn more about products and services advertised on Nextdoor.com. Thanks!

Only hours later, when this article came to my attention, I added it to the conversation:

Here's an interesting report from the Humane Society: Most people (especially women) oppose the use of animal testing in cosmetics:

http://www.hslf.org/news/press-releases/majority-opposes-animal-testing.html?credit=web_id420978266#.WJkCFlMrKCh

I hope Avon will more actively pursue working with only cruelty-free sources.

Another neighbor joined in and asked this excellent question:

Ok how many of you who are jumping all over [the Avon rep] about the cruelty of animal testing are vegetarians? Animal testing is not pleasant, nor is it necessary, but compared to the horrors of the meat industry, it pales in comparison.

And, I replied:

I am not only vegetarian, I am vegan, because the dairy industry is nearly as bad as the meat industry.

Animal AG is also damaging the environment (via waste); consuming natural lands and ecosystems; requiring disproportionately vast amounts of water; and adding more greenhouse gases than all other major contributors to climate change.

In my view, any "use" of animals that involves their suffering to satisfy our desires (rather than needs) is actually abuse and reveals how far we yet have to go to become truly humane humans.

May all beings be happy and free of suffering.

Demand USDA Restore Animal Welfare Records

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) late last week removed from its website all inspection reports on thousands of commercial dog breeding operators, Tennessee Walking horse show participants, roadside zoos, aquariums, circuses, research labs, and other facilities regulated under the federal Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act. The USDA is hiding the work product of its own inspectors from the public!

Tell the USDA to stop protecting animal abusers and restore access to animal welfare records: 

http://bit.ly/2liq6ht

https://www.change.org/p/tell-the-usda-to-stop-hiding-animal-cruelty-from-american-taxpayers

https://secure.aspca.org/take-action/usda-puppy-mill-reports-petition

May all beings be happy and free.

Circus to Close!

In another victory for animals, Ringling Bros. has recognized the groundswell of opposition to animals being used for entertainment and profit - which too often has involved horrific abuses and unnecessary risks and injuries - and have agreed to discontinue their Circus!

Learn more about the end of the Circus, here.

Those who oppose circuses understand that animals have greater value as individuals and fellow beings deserving of respect, care and love.

May all beings be free!

Library of Animal Sounds and Images

Beautiful! Sounds and images of our sacred animal friends: Cornell's Macaulay Library: a scientific archive of 150,000 bird calls and animal sounds http://macaulaylibrary.org/

May all beings be happy and well.

R.I.P. Great Animals - 2016

Several remarkable animals passed in 2016, as well as the many people we know about. Read about those animals here.

May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Great New Year News for Elephants!

Today, China announced a complete domestic ivory trade BAN in 2017! A major win for elephants!

http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/news/ban-ivory-trade-china%E2%80%99s-new-year-present-elephants

Happy New Year!

May ALL beings be happy, free from suffering and the causes of suffering.

More Good Quotes

"If your love is true love, it will benefit not only humans, but also animals, plants, and minerals. When you love one person, it’s an opportunity for you to love everyone, all beings. Then you are going in a good direction, and that is true love.

"Cultivating the four elements of true love—loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—is the secret to nourishing deep and healthy relationships. When you practice with these elements regularly, you can handle the difficulties in your relationships and transform the suffering you feel inside. You become like a Buddha. You love everyone and every species." - Thich Nhat Hanh

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - M. Gandhi

"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu." - Elizabeth Warren

Let's give every being a voice.

May all beings, without exception, be happy and free.

Saving Half of The Earth

It's looking more clear that by 2020, two-thirds of wild animals on our planet will be gone. Life is being extinguished as fast as when the dinosaurs disappeared. Unless we stop this tragedy, the Earth’s delicate biodiversity could completely collapse, leaving our planet deathly silent and uninhabitable for humans.

Scientists say our best chance to save our ecosystems and 80-90% of all species is giving them enough safe space to thrive, then nature uses its wisdom to regenerate. It's being called The 50% Plan. To get this off the ground we have to show our governments now that people overwhelmingly want to protect 50% of Earth from deforestation, dirty energy, and industrial fishing and agriculture. 

Here's a petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/protect_half_our_planet_loc_sus/

Learn more:

Could we set aside half the Earth for nature? (The Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2016/jun/15/could-we-set-aside-half-the-earth-for-nature

How do we achieve the goal? (Nature Needs Half)
http://natureneedshalf.org/nature-needs-half/how-do-we-achieve-the-goal

Conservation: Glass half full (Nature)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v531/n7593/full/531170a.html

Sixth Wildlife Mass Extinction May Happen in 2020, Experts Say (Nature World News)
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/30805/20161027/year-2020-era-wildlife-mass-extinction.htm

Don't Mourn, Regenerate!
https://www.organicconsumers.org/essays/message-marrakesh-don%E2%80%99t-mourn-regenerate

May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

What A Fish Knows

For those who eat fish, consider this book and the author's recommendation that - because fishes, have individual personalities, feel love and emotions and understand their world in much the same ways as we - one should "do your homework" to learn about how the fish you want to eat were raised, captured, killed, etc. and decide if you are ok with that whole process before voting with one's dollar for that kind of activity.

Jonathan Balcombe's book is called What A Fish Knows.

Toward the end of the NPR interview program "What A Fish Knows" (here), Jonathan reminds us that none of us have any say over the form (family, gender, even species) in which we are born, and this should inspire great empathy for others.

"I think that recognizing that animals have a proper place in the Earth is the next great social movement for our species."

May all beings be happy and well.

Stunning Loss, Some Gains

While we can readily project that the results of the 2016 US Presidential and Congressional elections will make life harder for most beings on Earth over the coming years, news from the election was not all bad.

In fact, many local election results supported animals in some meaningful ways, showing that compassion did factor into the election.

Read HSUS President Wayne Pacelle's report on his blog.

May all beings be happy and well, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Buddha Wisdom

May all beings be well and happy, free from suffering and the causes of suffering. SVAHA

Update on World's Vertebrate Loss

My sense that we are in trouble - big trouble - solidified when I read a report in 2014 that since 1970, humans had wiped out just over 50 percent of all of Earth's non-human vertebrate creatures. 

Intuition tells me (and I am confident I am not wrong) that humans cannot survive on Earth once we have lost all (or virtually all) other vertebrate life, because the life-sustaining functions of our biosphere depend upon ecosystems mostly intact, even if not healthful.

We (some humans) might be able to survive that loss, but it would be just that: survival. My sense is that most will question whether there remains any value in living in a world in that condition. Aside from the sheer physical and health challenges that would result, we would also be reckoning with the moral dilemma of having destroyed so large an amount of living beings. When we consider that all Life is truly One, we will find ourselves living out the final breaths of global suicide.

My "Doomsday Dharma" (my proposal that we ought to begin to stop trying to "save" the world and begin to learn to love and care for one another as we find ourselves in this hospice situation together) was predicated on this group’s 2014 report about the loss of 1/2 of the earth’s vertebrates. Today's update predicts a much more rapid die-off than I had envisioned just two years ago. 

This October 2016 report suggests that we will lose fully 2/3 of all vertebrate life as soon as only 3 years from now! That is much more rapid than even my own most dismal assessments, where I had calculated maybe 30 to 40 years for total vertebrate loss. Based upon this new report (assuming current trend in rate of loss), the most generous projection for a habitable Earth may be down to 25 or fewer years.

Shocking. Sad. 

And a wake-up call to begin learning to love and care for one another now more than at any other time in human history.

May all beings be well and free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

Make McDonald's Make Meatless

Sign this petition to encourage McDonald's to make a meatless burger, in part to accommodate Millennials, 12% of which are vegetarian: https://www.change.org/p/mcdonald-s-it-s-time-for-a-healthy-meatless-option

May all beings be happy and free!

Racing Extinction and SAM

Racing Extinction: A powerful new website and film: http://racingextinction.com/

And SAM - Social Action Machine: https://socialactionmachine.com/

Join me in signing up and participating in more actions to help save our beloved, divine Biosphere!

May all beings be well and happy.

Oct 4: Feast of St Francis and World Animal Day

Two celebrations of animals happen on October 4th: World Animal Day and the Feast of St Francis, a day in which some churches offer blessings for animals and pets and animal welfare, rescue and education are highlighted.

Let's hope that any "feasting" that happens on this day is fully vegetarian!

World Animal Day: http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/about_us
Feast of St. Francis: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/st-francis-assisi-feast

Here are some things you can do:

Read this article about a Buddhist who liberated rabbits (click here).

Make a donation to World Animal Protection by Oct 6 and your donation will be matched, dollar for dollar! https://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/donate-today

May all beings be well and happy!

Anthropocene Anthropodenialism

I've thought this for years: we are intently looking for "aliens" while myriads of species have yet to be discovered here on Earth.

Recently, we discovered a new species and it went immediately onto the Endangered Species list. There are surely, and will be many more, entire species that we wipe out before we ever discover them.

This comes in part because of our misunderstanding of our place on this animal planet, and therefore our relationship and responsibility toward others.

Of course, animals have every right to be here as we have. I don't like the insistence of those who continue to say that we are the pinnacle of conscious evolution, nor ideas that we are the only beings who can "understand" our divinity. We may be the ones who have most forgotten it, based on how we behave toward others.

Here's an enjoyable article worth the read. It includes numerous links to other important and moving reports, articles and videos.

"Even Charles Darwin was ridiculed for claiming the lowly earthworm showed intelligence. Darwin pointed out that humans are animals over a century ago, but today he'd still face the same anthropodenialism.

"This outdated notion is based on a fundamental fallacy that assumes our unique form of intelligence makes us this planet's only true beings.

"The more we actively observe altruism and justice and pain and love and fear and play and politics and romance and commitment all around us, the harder it is to maintain a destructive distinction between us and them. And the more we click, the more clearly we see the fundamental problems of the Anthropocene Era and its rising seas, poisoned waters and mounting extinction.

"At long last, science is finally proving something millions of humans who live with 'pets' have known for years -- that animals are 'people,' too."

Read more....

May all beings be well and happy.

Fasting For Farm Animals

There is a movement and you can sign to pledge you will fast on Oct 2 in protest of the slaughter and treatment of farm animals! 

http://www.dayforanimals.org/unite

May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

BBC - Horses Can Communicate With Us

No surprise for those of us with close relationships with animals, this BBC Science report about findings that may offer more tools and awareness for those concerned with animal welfare:

Horses have joined a select group of animals that can communicate by pointing at symbols.

Scientists trained horses, by offering slices of carrot as an incentive, to touch a board with their muzzle to indicate if they wanted to wear a rug.

The horses' requests matched the weather, suggesting it wasn't a random choice.

The scientists hope that other researchers will use their method to ask horses more questions.  Read more....

Might we also be able - and willing - to ask questions of animals like cows, pigs and chickens?

May all beings be well and happy.

Dog-levity - Hilarious!