Tales: Crazy Animal People

The conversation I had with the member of Rep. Jack Franks’ staff last night is still circling my mind. And, with the circles have come images that I fear she has envisioned of me: one of those crazy animal people – a member of the highly controversial animal rights organization: PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Of which, I am not a member.

People, like me, are often thrown into the category of crazy animal people when we speak our opinions and voice our passions for the welfare of animals.

People tend to conjure images of hippies, protests with red paint thrown on fur coats, or individuals stealing laboratory animals to free them.

It is not to say that I would never even think about participating in any of those acts – I might – but I am SO NOT crazy.

I am a well-educated woman with a Bachelor’s from the University of Illinois and a Master’s from National Louis University in Business and Human Resource Management.

I wasn’t born yesterday and I did not grow up in a circus.

There are a lot of things I care about and have been involved in beyond animal welfare. I write for a local paper and I give press to growing businesses, amazing teenagers, creative artists. I am a volunteer at the school and I participate in civic activities to beautify my town.

I have managed a department and have been responsible for a 300 million dollar company’s personnel issues like wages, benefits, hiring practices, etc.

I am not boasting about any of this – I am merely trying to demonstrate that I am not a whack job screaming bloody murder about replacing Punxsutawney Phil with a robot!

I am also not naively preaching about animal welfare or the plight of puppy mill dogs – because I have seen their horror with my own eyes and that, THAT, is what has made me so passionate about the issue.

That, and the two dogs who are staring up at me as I type this who I saved from the HellI found them in – who I nurtured back to “almost” normal. Who were so sick and so battered that they were afraid to be held.

I don’t just believe that there are horrible places like puppy mills – I KNOW that there are.

When I wrote about not voting for Rep. Jack Franks – it came right from my heart. Not because I have it out for him – but because he let me down and caused me to re-think who I was giving my support to.

I have favored Franks for many years, but when it came down to something that is so close to my soul – I could no longer look the other way. And isn’t that why we have elections – to show our politicians what issues mean something to us?

It is a blizzard here today which will undoubtedly keep a portion of the voters away from the polls. But, to those of us who have a passion for something – some snow on the roads will not stop us.

Especially those of us who have seen puppy mill dogs forced to live in wire cages unprotected from the elements – having to shiver for months on end until spring came.

No, the snow outside will not stop me from using my vote to help those who cannot help themselves: puppy mill dogs. So, many people before me have given their life and even their lives so I can vote and make my voice heard. They never specified what issues were important to vote on – they only specified that we never take our vote for granted.

My two dogs, Penelope and Thorp, puppy mill survivors, are counting on my vote to help change the world they were forced to live in. – My vote is something none of us take for granted.