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Step 1
ADOPT SHELTER ANIMALS INSTEAD OF BUYING THEM FROM STORES
If you're planning on getting pets, you can adopt from an animal shelter instead of buying them from a store or breeder. Oftentimes, shelter dogs are only in shelters because they're active or nervous, or because people didn't have the patience to train them. By giving them a home, you guarantee that they won't be put to sleep. Many times, stores that sell puppies are supplied by "puppy mills," breeding facilities that care more about getting puppies than they do about the living conditions of the pregnant mother dogs. And breeders will often have litters of dogs with chronic conditions and diseases, because of the constant inbreeding to keep the breed line intact. The less business they get, the less likely it will be that they continue their practices. -
Step 2
BUY ANIMAL-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
Most people go to the grocery store once a week to stock their home with food and cleaning supplies. This is a great opportunity to express your feelings about animal kindness. You can purchase eggs from cage-free chickens to show that you think animals should have space to move around and be free. You can buy only dolphin-safe tuna fish, knowing that dolphins aren't being killed in the fishermen's nets. And, perhaps most importantly, you can boycott any product that uses animals for their testing. There are still many companies that unfortunately use animals to test their products, and you can let them know with your purchases that you support companies that have found other ways to test their products. -
Step 3
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Companies and individuals are never more scared of anything than bad publicity. When a logging company starts shooting wolves to clear them off their property or a celebrity wears fur coats when they shoot a film overseas, the last thing they want is for the world to be aware that they've done something of which people disapprove. Signing petitions, sending letters to your newspaper or even your governmental representative, calling radio talk shows, and making these things public are some of the most effective ways to bring about change. -
Step 4
EDUCATE FRIENDS AND FAMILY
It might be easier to avoid a problem by not telling your friends or family the truth around the dinner table, but sometimes it is more important to be honest than nice. Letting a family member know that foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks until their livers almost burst is uncomfortable but necessary. There's nothing wrong with being honest with children about what happens to animals that are being held for food or trapped in zoos. Telling people things they don't want to hear isn't being impolite, if the things they don't want to hear are causing pain and death to animals all over the world every day. You don't have to spend a huge amount of time and money to change the world for animals; you just have to be willing to do a few small things consistently.
