Cecil Loves His New Vegan Food!

Give Us A Smooch!

Cecil's Look-Alike

Me and Dan are always saying how our little Cecil looks like a cartoon character or a Pixar creation. And here's further proof that he is just too cute and gorgeous to be real. My friend bought a book for her daughter and look who was in it...

Uncanny!!!

I love it :-) when I look at this page, all I see is my little Cecil prancing around in his ballerina outfit making his mummy so proud. 

*Note to self: Must make Cecil a tutu. Too much? 

You sneezed?? That'll Be Because You're Vegan!

My boyfriend broke his toe playing football a few weeks ago. The other day his mum asked him how it was getting on. Still no better, she told him it's because he's vegan. Clearly not getting enough calcium, and prescribed him a feast of cheese and milk.

Forgetting the fact that Dan drinks an obscene amount of fortified soya milk due to his banana milkshake addiction, rendering her point about him not getting enough nonsensical, everyone knows that bones take at least 6 weeks to heal. What she's saying loosely translates as ''because he hasn't developed super sonic healing powers with which he can mend a snapped bone in a fortnight, surely being a vegan is killing him'' or something like that. 

I'm astonished at how quickly meat eaters jump to conclusions about our health based on no evidence whatsoever, and will deny the scientifically proven facts supporting a vegan diet that I provide them with.

Most infuriating are those who love to tell me how dangerous my diet is while they eat take away pizza every night. What, seriously? You're honestly concerned about my nutrition? I have to wonder, do they really believe what they're saying, or are they just trying to be a pain in the ass?

They're too snuggly? 

Oh, that's because they're vegan.

Too Lazy?

That'll be because he's vegan

Too stylish? 

Because he's vegan.

Looks too much like Oliver Twist in that hat...

Vegan.

Cecil Says #1

''Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do''

~ Steve Jobs

Cecil Learns to Gimme Five

I feel compelled to show off, as any proud mum should, that my little baby learned a new trick tonight! Aww, he's such a sweetheart, I love him so much *goes to snuggle him*.

Che Guedooga

It was my mum's birthday and there were about 40 of us having a celebratory meal. The only people not eating meat were me, Dan and Mickey. She's an animal rights activist...and a stripper *shrugs*. To each their own!


Anywho, as the waiters brought out the food, a chorus of coos, gleeful comments and excitement ensued. Mickey, clearly repulsed, chimed in with ''Oh look! Yay! Plates full of dead animals!!''


Everyone was infuriated. Angry that she'd dared to attempt putting everyone off their dinners like that! ''How embarassing!''  ''You just don't say that do you??''  ''Who does she think she is?!'' I joined in, I couldn't understand why she felt the need to say it at all. I was very content to not eat meat myself, but leave people be I thought, let them make their own decisions.


Now I get it. Why should they get to feast on the corpses of the animals she adores without being reminded of where their meat has came from? How dare they be so cowardly as to deny the fact that their meals were once living, breathing, loving creatures? 


It's fine to leave people to their own decisions when they're the only ones who suffer - but how can we be expected to just watch quietly when they're murdering innocent beings? Not only watch quietly, but actually be accepting and make it easier for them to revel in their violence by not saying a word while they celebrate the taste of the kill right in front of me.


I censor myself because I don't want to be one of those vegans. But I get it. I see people getting excited about plates full of my tortured and butchered friends, and it makes me sick to my stomach. I see people care more about the cow skin on their shoes or their sofas than they care about the wonderful being who was murdered for it. The world is insane and it's revolting.


It's difficult to keep quiet, and always be the perfect vegan ambassador. Sometimes it's just right there, being shoved in my face and it's all I can do to keep myself from screaming at them. I have to keep reminding myself that people like Mickey don't help the cause. But I don't blame her. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany watching Jews being persecuted and I can see what's going on but no one gives a shit, and in fact they attack me if I try to defend the victims. 


It's such a slow progress, and when it's a matter of life and death it's painful to be patient. To keep quiet knowing that every day, millions of animals are being slaughtered, is gut wrenching. 


But there is progress, it's a long term plan, the spread of veganism. I have no doubt that one day meat eaters will be seen as the extremists, and animals will be allowed to freely live their lives. However resistant to change and stupid humans can be...if history can tell us anything it's that they usually see the error of their ways eventually. I hope that I get to see some real, significant change in my life time. Considering just how recently animal rights activism and veganism has come about, and how far it's spread in that time, it's entirely possible.


Especially when we have visionaries and revolutionaries on our side, like Lord Wallace, AKA Che Guedooga.

Being Vegan is Easy!

When going from veggie to vegan, I was most nervous about discovering animal products needlessly lurking in everything. And while it's true there are lots, there are squillions more vegan friendly stuffs than I ever imagined! Today I got replies back from two companies I've emailed asking whether some of my fave foods were vegan, and turns out they all are!

I had no idea how close to eating a vegan diet I already was, I assumed it would completely change the way I ate, which is probably what took me so long to get there, but it literally took a few tiny adjustments like swapping butter for sunflower spread, swapping milk for soya, swapping Quorn sausages for Linda McCartney ones and hey presto - no more animal cruelty. And I don't feel like I'm missing out at all.

I'd already gotten rid of all my leather things a while back. To me that didn't feel like a 'vegan' thing to do...vegetarians don't eat dead animals, so why would I want to parade around with them on my feet? 

One of my friends is on the verge on becoming vegetarian (more on that another time) so I'm taking her a hamper of vegan friendly goodies so she can see for herself that it certainly doesn't mean deprivation. I really think if I would have known just how many food products were vegan, I would have done this a long time ago!

Running Rascals

I love taking photos of my guys while they run riot round the park. The results never fail to make me smile, especially the goofy ones...

Is it Lord Wallace jumping?

Or is it Superpup?

Cheeky Pup!

Lazy Bears

Park Walkies

We took our little men to the park today. It's one of my favourite things in the entire universe; seeing them run freely with no leads meeting millions of new doggie friends.

The look of love.

Look at my lovely belly.

Agreed. Nice belly.

Oops. Funniest accidental photo of the day!

Tongue pulling contest.

Scruffy sweetheart.

Poser.

Skeptical of the horse beast.

Pit stop.

Fluffy little jumping bean.

Another entry for the tongue contest.

Happy baby.

Worn out baby.

Earthlings

I started to watch Earthlings for the first time last night. I couldn't bring myself to watch more than 10 minutes. I don't think I've ever felt more sad in my entire life.

I felt so strongly that I needed to do something, needed to share it, needed people to see it so they can understand. I know from past experience that being 'preachy' is met with such resistance that I feel it certainly hinders the cause, since people dig their heels in and refuse to listen.

I asked one of my best friends (who eats meat) to watch it, not even now, just consider watching it soon, even just a little part. She told me she'd tried once but couldn't. This means she knows, she gets it, but still chooses to ignore it. I despair.

Sometimes it all just feels very hopeless.

It makes me feel separate from the people who have always been my favourite ones. There's definitely a divide between us now. The most unfortunate part is, I'm betting they'll use this 'divide' as further reassurance that becoming vegan is nonsensical. I can't stay quiet and be part of the ignorant herd, but I feel like speaking up is useless. I can't win.

I'm sorry for the melancholy post, but my frail little heart is heavy and I needed to offload!

On a cheerier note - at least I have my lovely family to keep me sane :-)

Me, Cecil and Lord Wallace, lounging in the garden :-)

Beagle Breeding and Thieving Poochies

I've been such an ignoramus. Until last week, I literally had no idea that dogs were bred in the UK for testing. Have I been living under a rock?! I was sick to my stomach and a sobbing wreck when I read about it all on the BUAV website.

Now, I value no life above another, so it might seem surprising that I'm more shocked at this than I am at say, the fact that people breed mice for tests. The reason this makes me more sad and despairing at the world, is because if England, supposedly a nation of dog lovers, can allow this to happen, then what chance do the rest of the animals have? We're even further behind in this war on animal cruelty than I ever thought.

I'm going to this anti-vivisection march at the end of the month in London. Can't wait.

In other news, my naughtiest pair of fuzzy ones, AKA Lord Wallace and his devilish accomplice, Cecil, were up to their usual cheekiness last night.
I was starving in the evening and the only vegan food we had in was a fruit salad (mango, pineapple, melon and kiwi fruit - yum!) I left it on the dining table for 1 minute, literally 1 minute. Popped upstairs, came back down to see the guiltiest looking Lord Wall I've ever seen trying his best to act nonchalant, and as if he'd played no part in the robbery, while Cecil didn't bat an eyelid and continued feasting on my last piece of pineapple right in front of me! They'd scoffed the lot the little swines!!

I went to bed hungry thinking that perhaps I need to regain some control of my pesky pals and rule the roost once more.

''No chance lady. I'm the boss around these parts''

Cecil Goes Swimming

My smallest furry friend, Cecil, has some problems with his teeny little knees and hips. His poor little bones don't fit together properly. In large part, due to over breeding, yet another reason to boycott dog breeders - as if we needed another one.

Anyway, its not a bother for him now that he's just a spring chicken (apart from that when he runs he is the subject of much mockery because of how his little twiglet legs shuffle along in the silliest, cutest way you've ever seen) but as he gets older it could cause him lots of painful trouble.

So when the vet offered a surgery free option to building his muscle strength (which would in turn reduce stress on his joints) I was delighted. Even more so when she told me it included going to our local canine swimming centre. Wait - what? A swimming club for dogs?? You're giving me a license to soggy my doggy and have him engage in people games and all in the name of his good health?! As a person who can frequently be seen confiscating my pups' doggy dignities by doing shameful things like putting bows in their hair this was right up my street!

Plus, we got to see him wearing a teeny tiny little life vest! Adorable...

The triple whammy of joy was completed when he dried off to reveal the fluffiest dog I've ever seen.

Mostly I was happy that he wasn't too nervous of his adventure...he's not the most confident little guy so I was overjoyed when he put on his brave pants and shot straight to the top of the swimming class. Proud :-) 

My Pedigree Shame

You'll notice that I'm the proud pooch mummy to a matching pair of squish faces. You'd be right if you guessed that I bought them from breeders. At the time we got Lord Wallace (the bigger chap) I was a meat eater (blergh!) and he was to be my first canine companion. I hadn't given any consideration to adopting a rescue dog that really needed us, or to the fact that by contributing to the world of breeding I was practically ensuring that some pooch, somewhere, was going to be euthanized because he had no chance of a loving home.

I really am mortified at myself for being so ignorant. The part I most kick myself for, is buying Cecil, the most miniature of my squish faces, from a breeder about 9 months ago. When I was vegetarian and I did 'care' about animal welfare.

I had literally never came across anything that had pointed out the perils of choosing a bred buddy over a shelter one. Obviously that's my own fault, it's my job to make myself aware. But my point is that it's no wonder shelters are full to bursting and the amount of wonderful creatures being euthanized is increasing each year, if even people like me, who are besotted with animals, are ignorant to these facts.

Luckily though, I just so happened to purchase the most wonderful doggies on the planet (what? Biased? Never!) who, I can safely say inspired me to become vegetarian and now to become vegan. Without this pair of monkeys I wouldn't have been convinced that non humans are magnificent, intelligent, loving, awe inspiring scamps who need to be given a voice.

I also take some solace in the fact that Cecil was intended to be a show dog or a stud. At least by him living with me I've put an end to that nonsense. I can't say the same for Lord Wallace, he was from the reject bin of show doggies - too chubby and ' imperfect' to be entered, too mischievous to be trusted with performing. They were wrong by the way. He's the biggest show off, a  natural performer and he's cute as a button. Perfect.

My Furry Friends

I have a few close friends who can be held at least partly responsible for me becoming a vegetarian. Here they are, in no particular order...I have my favourites but that'll stay between me and them. Who am I kidding - there's no denying my complete and utter devotion to my number one guy; Lord Wallace.

Here he is enjoying a carrot. Well, not so much enjoying the carrot, as revelling in shredding it up without eating it after stealing it from his arch rival...

Who is also known as Miss Delores Lemondrop. We adopted her when my boyfriend's brother could no longer look after her. She's a doll...

Her boyfriend Frank thinks so too. She's totally out of his league and he knows it. We adopted him from a rabbit shelter. A wonderful place ran solely by an amazing woman who has devoted her house to rescuing abused and abandonned bunnies. Poor Frank had a tough time before he came to us. Now he is the Hugh Heffner of rabbles and is rather pleased with his hot little Playboy bunny missus.

And last but certainly not least, my baby Cecil. He's tiny, and afraid of everything, apart from snuggles, and relishes in every opportunity to engage in one.