Have you seen the new PetRescue ad on telly? TOTES ADORBS! (Sorry, for a second there I thought I was a Kardashian.) It is adorable though. Check it out:
(Keep an eye out for the brief cameo appearance of a big droplet of doggy drool).
I love this ad. Making the choice to adopt an animal instead of buying is such a great way to save a life. (Head to the bottom of this blog to share your stories of a rescued animal and go in the running to WIN the most adorable book EVER.)
I have fostered dogs while they're waiting to find a forever home and loved it! Not only do they already come with a name (which is great for indecisive people like me), they also (usually) know how to not wee in the house. Bonus!
The little treasure pictured below, is a dog I fostered, named Cassius. As you can see, he needed a bit of extra love before he was ready for adoption. When he first came to Maggie's Rescue (escaping euthanasia at the pound by mere minutes) he was more than 15 kilos underweight and so weak that he couldn't even stand up on his own legs. :( We don't know for sure but we think he was raised to be a hunting dog. He had scratches on his face and bald patches on his bottom, probably from being kept outside on the cold concrete.
With plenty of hugs (and a good bath :-/ ), Cassius quickly came into his true character as a goofy, loveable boy, who wanted to sit on everyone's lap! He also became the poster boy for Maggie's Rescue. Then everybody wanted to adopt him. Let's be honest, nobody can resist a dog in a scarf!
Cassius was abandoned and came so close to being put down. But thanks to the people who adopted him he got a second chance, and is now a much-loved part of the family!
Anyway, enough of my love story for Cassius. I want to hear about the special animals in your life! Post your story below about an animal you've adopted, or who you've seen get a second chance to find their forever family.
One lucky person will win this super cute Unlikely Friendships book (OMG A MONKEY AND A DOVE AWWWWWWW). We'll judge the winner by funnelling our tears into a beaker. Whichever story creates the biggest fountain of joy will take the awesome prize. Can't wait to read the entries!
Good luck!
Fine print: Entries must be less than 200 words and the competition closes Sunday 30 June.
Ok, so maybe I am getting a little bit too old for cartoons, but you have to admit that there is nothing better than an episode of Scooby Doo with your cornflakes on a Saturday morning. And the little kid in me absolutely LOVED this episode of Arthur:
How cute is Sue Ellen's new bestie Sally? You know, Sue Ellen and I have something in common – almost four years ago I made a new friend called Joey. He lives in a monkey sanctuary in Cornwall, England. (Luckily he is very hairy because it gets FREEZING there!)
For 9 years, Joey had been kept as a pet in a cage, which was MUCH too small for a monkey, and he had become physically disabled as a result. Luckily the sanctuary rescued him and he now has plenty of space and other monkey friends. When Joey looked at me, poked his tongue out and threw an apple at my face, I knew that I could never eat animals again!
Sue Ellen and I are not the only ones who have made a friendship with an animal that has changed us for good. Lisa Simpson beat us to it when she became vegetarian in 1995 after bonding with a lamb. That means Lisa has been vegetarian for over 17 years! Strangely enough, she hasn't aged a day. Could this be the consequences of living meat-free?
By deciding not to eat animals, Sue Ellen is going to save up to 100 cartoon lives per season! And Lisa has saved thousands and thousands of cartoon sheep, cows, pigs,chickens and fish. If you want to save real animals you can make the pledge to be veg! Start with my personal wintery favourite – minestrone soup!
And while you are warming up with a bowl of delicious cruelty-free goodness, why not tell us about your special animal friend in the comments below?
I just love seeing a big, burly bloke go all Superman to help an innocent animal, don't you? Well, Damien Mander's story is just that. And it's got buffalos and elephants and snares and rangers and special ops and ... how about I just let him tell you about it:
Wow! What a great question Mander poses to everyone at the end! Now I know, as an Unleashed member, you're brave enough to speak up for animals, so I'd like to pose a different question to you:
What are you going to do this week to make a difference for animals?
We all know Australia exports sheep and cattle for slaughter, but did you know we also export goats? :-(
A new Animals Australia investigation has revealed MORE cruelty in the live export industry, this time in Malaysia, and this time to goats! This is the first footage of exported goats ever released and they are literally screaming out for help.
Animals Australia's investigators witnessed goats being roughly handled, shoved into bags and stuffed into the boots of cars. When these unlucky animals arrive at their final destinations, stressed out and frightened, they have their throats cut while fully conscious.
It is absolutely clear that live export rules aren't working. EVERYWHERE we look in this trade, we find cruelty.
What happened to these goats really makes me sick. Worse still, we've also recently uncovered footage of a poor bull, we've named Jacob, who was one of many animals brutally killed in Egypt .
Want to put your foot down against live export cruelty? Then take action today:
If you're 18+, head here to tell your MP to ban live export.
If you're under 18, click here to tell the PM whats what!
It is a little known fact that goats have been known to show unconditional love, just like a dog. So show some love for goats and together we can make a difference for them!
Run Cow Run is my new favourite phone game. Sorry Candy Crush Saga, I still love you, but who wouldn't want to save this little cow from being turned into steak, and help her rescue other farm animals?!
The creator of this marvellous (and FREE) app, Oren Bengigi, describes it as the game that the meat industry doesn't want you to know about. We think this game is just great and so we picked the creator's brain about where the idea came from. Turns out, it's based on a true story!
What inspired you to make Run Cow Run?
I saw a YouTube video about a cow called Maxine, who escaped from a slaughterhouse and was rescued by a farm sanctuary. I really liked the story and decided to make a game based on the idea of a cow that runs for her life. I was a vegetarian for 13 years and at that time I decided to become vegan and also started developing the game.
What do you want people to take away from the game?
In most games, players identify with the main character. The message I'm trying to pass on is that animals are not a product - they have feelings and needs. During the game the cow escapes and on the way she can rescue other farm animals (pigs, chickens, ducks and goats). They are locked in cages, just like in real life, but the players have the possibility to save them and lead them to a nearby animal shelter. (They also have the possibility to save animals in real life!)
Most people don't know what it took to produce the food they are eating. The meat and dairy industries are cruel and the only way to stop it is by not eating animal products. Nowadays it is very easy to go vegan, there are lots of tasty alternatives and the food is healthier too.
How has the response been so far?
Most of the players like it and say that the cow is very cute. Some are annoyed when the cow is caught by the farmer, but I can't make the game too easy! Our current game ratings are 4.6 out of 5.0, so there aren't many complaints.
What is the cow's name?
Her name is Maxine. And her number is 269, based on this campaign.
You can start saving farm animals NOW. Download Run Cow Run using the links below. It's FREE! (It's also free to save animals in real life. Here's how.)
This week is National Volunteers Week and we would like to say a big THANKS to everyone who has given their time to speak up for animals over the last year.
Disclaimer:
We’re supposed to let you know that the ideas expressed here are the views of the individual authors, and may not necessarily reflect the views of Animals Australia or Animals Australia Unleashed. So now you know.
For 9 years, Joey had been kept as a pet in a cage, which was MUCH too small for a monkey, and he had become physically disabled as a result. Luckily the sanctuary rescued him and he now has plenty of space and other monkey friends. When Joey looked at me, poked his tongue out and threw an apple at my face, I knew that I could never eat animals again! 
Sue Ellen and I are not the only ones who have made a friendship with an animal that has changed us for good. Lisa Simpson beat us to it when she became vegetarian in 1995 after bonding with a lamb. That means Lisa has been vegetarian for over 17 years! Strangely enough, she hasn't aged a day. Could this be the consequences of living meat-free? 
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