My First Demo!

I've mentioned before that I've wanted to get out there and be more active with animal rights. I'm not exactly sure where I fit yet, not sure where my time is best spent or which area I'm most passionate about. But when plans for a Beagle breeding facility for dogs used for vivisection applied for planning permission close to where I live, I knew this was the best place to start.

Here's me (one of the dogs) on the evening news!



Just in case any of you who watched the clip were fooled into believing that ''the re-development and modernisation is in the best welfare interests of the animals'' let me just point out that currently, the facility holds 5 dogs, and the application is for TWO THOUSAND cages. Also it's important to note that the clip of Beagles scamping around happily was supplied to the TV channel by a group who promote animal testing. B & K have admitted to only letting the dogs out to run around like that for 10 minutes every few days, I would have liked to have seen some footage that truly represents their dire conditions!

In any case, I am absolutely delighted that this is gaining national interest. There have been a number of similar protests this week and certainly the most exciting development is that following occupation by animal rights activists, Marshall BioResources in Italy, the largest breeding facility in Europe has been temporarily shut down after a police raid revealed horrific welfare violations. Things are really happening, and never has the famous Margaret Mead quote rang so true for me:

''Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.''