Why are you here?

My mother is a vegetarian; I chose on my own to become vegetarian at thirteen, and when I was fifteen I became a vegan. I had many pets growing up, and I realized early on that they were all different to each other individually. I attribute this greatly to my decision. Actually, that is something that annoys me to this day; how people believe that animals are cut copies of each other, without their own unique personalities. Anyway.

I consider my dietary changes related to all three common reasons behind a typical person's choice to adopt a vegan lifestyle; ethics, health, and the environment. It's also a belief and ideal of mine (and I expect, many others who have adopted the vegan lifestyle) that no being should have to suffer; I'm an extremely empathetic person, seeing anything in pain just makes me feel horrendous.

Horse Racing: Nope, I can understand that some horses LOVE to race, and I don't have a problem with that as long as they are treated well (and retire happily), but I certainly do not support the industry. What really concerns me about horse racing, is that so many race horses are bred, and many them are not efficient enough to race professionally (or cannot race any longer), and thus, are cast aside and sent to the tin food factories. Also, I loathe the idea of animals as objects for human hedonism.

Pets: I'm kind of torn over this one. I support arguments for and against owning pets. It really irks me the amount of domesticated animals that are euthanized each year due to mass reproduction, abuse, abandonment, etc. related to human negligence. But I love my pets though, they are great companions, and I wouldn't give them up for the world...I'm pretty undecided on this one.

I let my pets eat meat. I think that dogs can be vegetarians as their diets seem to be diverse (my dog Maxwell loves vegetables!!!), unfortunately, I live at home, so he's really my parents' dog and so I don't really have a say in his diet (but that's okay, because his diet isn't solely meat). In terms of cats, I think they are truly carnivores (I'm yet to see a cat eat some greens), and should have a diet of meat; it seems so cruel otherwise.

Horse Riding: Kind of like the 'owning pets' argument. I can understand both sides of the argument. Really undecided.

Circuses: No. Just no. It just screams cruelty.

Animal abuse is sort of like morals in a sense; subjective to each individual's preference. Whilst some believe that horse riding is cruel, others won't be believe so. I think as long as an animal is healthy (both mentally and physically), and is not conveying or experiencing any kind of discomfort or pain when confronted with an action, then it isn't cruel (of course, this have exceptions - such as circus animals).

Thanks for replying!

Yeh i was curious to see how people view things and how we all differ. It’s what makes the world go round! My mum use to be vego and then went back to eating meat because she got sick and thought meat was the answer. Then when i decided to stop eating meat she also joined me and realised meat is not the answer. Oh and my cats have some greens in their food…they are a tad weird though. I’m all for protecting the environment and as far as my cats go they are all in huge cat runs. Sort of like Disneyland for cats. Lol. I don’t allow them to roam out because of wildlife and because the farmers like to shoot them.

I went vegetarian when I was 15, I'd never eaten red meat before, so going completely vegetarian was pretty easy for me. Later that year we were doing a school project on global warming, and I stumbled across 'Meat The Truth', that got me thinking about veganism, but it didn't get me to change. Then I joined Unleashed, and realised that the majority of people here were vegan, I didn't know a lot about veganism, so I posted a question asking for advice, and about 10 days later I was vegan.

My animals don't eat meat bought from the butcher or the meat isle in the supermarket, they just have canned meat. The dogs' main diet is dry food, the canned meat is just to make it different and tastier, I often cook up different vegetables to supplement their diet. The cats are super fussy, so they'll only eat the Whiskas Sachets.

I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping pets, but perhaps there's something wrong with the term pets. It sounds very dominating, and makes the animal sound like it is well and truly below you. Companion animals sounds better to me, because they're not my pets, they're my companions. I'm not superior nor inferior to them, we are equal. I have an issue with people who buy animals from breeders, newspapers, online trading sites, pet shops, etc, I think companion animals should all be rescued, and if people are going to breed, it should be done ethically, but rescuing should always come first. And exotic animals as pets, no way! Unless it is being rehabilitated for release, people should stick to the domestic animals who are sitting in shelters, rather than buying an expensive wild or hybrid animal that will simply join the domestics on death row.

Circuses, nope! Very cruel, not even domestic animals like dogs, cats, horses, pigs, etc should be in a circus. If you train your own dog to do tricks, that's fine! But don't make him travel around the country constantly doing tricks so that you can make money. Your animal is your companion, not your income.

Horse racing, NO WAY! Cruelty at its best is the horse racing industry! The majority of horses bred for racing never even see the track, and the majority of horses who DO see the track, join those who didn't at the slaughterhouse. Horse racing is extremely cruel, I wouldn't support it for anything.

Horse riding as a personal hobby, I'm okay with. But it stops there. I don't like horse riding schools, pony clubs, etc, as those horses can also be found at the saleyards. But if you have your own horse, and you are going to commit to that horse like you would your dog or cat, I don't have an issue with you riding that horse, as long as the horse doesn't have an issue with being ridden. If the horse dislikes being ridden, or is even just tolerating being ridden, that's a no no. If he enjoys being ridden, then that's okay, in my opinion.

A good alternative to honey is agave nectar. It's not as thick, but tastes exactly the same. A lot of people also like maple syrup or rice syrup as alternatives. I love maple syrup and agave nectar, but I haven't tried rice syrup yet.

Myself and my family ate meat (my uncle eating alot of meat and all different kinds) up until about 6 months ago (in fact, six months on Tuesday!)... I ordered what I thought was a diet book (having fought with my weight for about 10 years, since the age of 13).. never thought it would change my life. The book was "skinny bitch". I remember that day eating a chicken and cheese sandwich for lunch and then turning around at 4pm, face full of tears and telling my mum that I am going to be a vegan. When she asked why, I told her that I didn't have a choice, knowing what I knew after skinny bitch. I then did more research (as part of me thought that it couldn't be this bad) only to find out it was much worse than I could ever imagined... I then read the book to my mother and she made the change as well. My uncle took a little more convincing (he thought he knew it all), but after watching Gary Yourovsky's speech on Youtube, he finally sat down to watch earthlings and was forever changed. He still occasionally eats fish, but has cut out milk, butter, cheese, all land animals and eggs (for the most part - he wants to find a family run humane egg farm - even though I've told him it probably isn't possible)..

The two girls I work with (who wee both Vegetarians) have, in one case, cut down on their animal products and in the other, has pretty much gone vegan entirely. My boss and his wife have also gone vegan after reading skinny bitch/bastard and their three girls are now being raised vegan. I'm a firm believer in that when you know better, you do better. We who know, just need to make everyone else aware!!

In regards to animals in entertainment, I'm pretty hard-lined as I think that in any industry where animals = profit, whether it be food, dairy, eggs, zoo's, horse-racing, circus', etc...corners are cut and animal welfare is the first to go. I think it is very sad that the majority of humans feel they 'need' animals to feed, clothe and entertain them. If you need to see a horse race around a track or a lion balance a ball on it's nose to feel entertained, you're probably missing something.  

In regards to pets, I have three rescues: Max (12), princess (5) and Belle (6 months) and they no longer eat canned food or anything with pig products (pigs are my favourite animal) , and am currently feeding them earthborn biscuits which they LOVE. It's got fish and free range chicken in it and we are starting to mix that food with vegan pet food, which they are coming around to.... so eventually they will be vegan pets. I understand everyone's reasoning behind that cats, unlike humans are carnivores but If i'm going to live my life cruelty-free, and if I can make sure they are getting all their nutrients, then why not?! On the same subject of pets, I am obviously against puppy/kitten mills, etc. My princess came from a kitten mill ( I think) and she is so scared and frightened all the time. I hate to think what happened to her.   :

Maggie I'm with you on the calling your animal a pet. Sometimes i do but i don't necessarily mean it in that context but i completely understand where you are coming from. When i meet someone new and they ask how many people there are in my family and i say 24, i always get a strange look! Lol

Yeh I don’t ride my own horse anymore (an ex pacer), instead I ride a friends. He use to love going out on rides and even though he is only 13 this year I decided to retire him. He has stifle lock and so he was starting to get really sore after being ridden and so now he just spends his days plodding about his paddock eating and being loved.

oh and thanks for the advice on my honey situation. will definately go and get some!

My name is Emma, I'm 17 and vegetarian.
I've been vegetarian since towards the end of the year before last, and was pescetarian a year before that.
When I started high school, I made the connection that I was eating animals, and why should I eat animals when I claim I "love" them? I choce to go vegetarian, uninformed and surrounded by omni's, a lasted maybe a month if that. I then began researching and saw the video expose by Darren Cordeux on factory farming, researched more and pushed to go vego, but my parents convinced me pescetarian was the way to go.
Thanks to some very kind and patient people on here such as Jesse, Jane and Karen amongst others who have left the forums, they all helped me make the transistion to vegetarianism and make the decision that I want to be a vegan, as soon as I have the resources to.Growing up in a family that professionally breeds bulldogs and bullmastiffs for a living, I have grown a tender respect for dogs, and a passion against people who do ethically wrong things against dogs. Animal's Australia helped me make the connection that if I wouldn't eat my dog, nor stand for horrible conditions some dogs are brought up in, why is it ok to bring up a pig or a chicken or any other farm animal in the same way merely because peopel consume them?


In the end it's the animals, my health and our environment I'm trying to look out for in my dietry and ethical decisions.

My reasons for going veg*n are many, but I guess it all comes back to my experiences working in the factory farming industry. I had jobs with various companies in various capacities, mainly working in the poultry industry. I saw and did some shocking things and I no longer wanted to support an industry which sees millions of birds abused and murdered every week in Victoria alone. That figure is not hyperbole either - some of the larger processing plants slaughter up to 300,000 chooks every day, and there are numerous factories across the state.

Further to the mass murder, I also take interest in minimisation of harm on the environment. I am a motoring enthusiast - I have been my whole life. The raspy Formula 1 sound of a Ferrari 355, the wailing scream of a 1000cc inline four motorcycle, and the "no punches pulled" brawn of a big block V8 or v-twin bike... I love it all. I like MotoGP, NASCAR, Superbikes, prototype factory racing such as Le Mans and I luuurrrve the insanity of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. However, I also have the ethical quandary that I do care about the planet, and I like engines a whole lot more than I like eating animals. Sorry meat - this is why we parted ways.

Since flicking animal products I haven't looked back. It opens up an entirely new world to explore!

I went vegetarian in Feb last year right before my 18th birthday BBQ, and 8 months later in October I became vegan. I think i was attracted to veganism because a lot of the people i respected and looked up to were vegans. I was influenced largely by a few individuals who played in local hardcore bands. I looked up to anyone who was able to completely minimize animal products in their life. I remember one day imagining how i would be in the future, I saw myself as a vegan and that day i made the change. I felt that i was letting myself and others down as a vegetarian and when i had finally changed to become a vegan, my interest and support for animal liberation became much stronger.

I am against horse racing, circuses and most zoos. I support the ALF who bravely risk their freedom for other non-human animals. If a dog or cat found its way into my life i would feed them a vegan diet and I hope one day to have vegan children. I joined this forum because i am always learning something new. It is good to know that there are other people who deal with the same frustrations as I do.

I'm like EmmaPaige - I went vegan after reading "Skinny Bitch".  I was in absolute tears about how horriffic factory farming is and once I'd gotten past chapter 6 I was ready to vomit, crying my eyes out and determined not to use an animal as a food source again.

I also watched the DVD "Food Inc." and "Fast Food Nation" - both eye-opening and these 2 movies actually made me re-think meat choices and stopped me from eating meat.  A few monthes after this I read "Skinny Bitch".  

I actually told my partner about "Food Inc" and he watched "Fast Food Nation" with me.  From this he doesn't eat red meat or white meat anymore.  He's also cut down his fish eating from about once a week to once every 6mths.  I'm so proud of him.

I myself am vegan, although I have animal products from before I went vegan e.g. leather shoes, skincare, cosmetics, fragrances; all of which I won't be repurchasing anymore.

I don't call my dogs my pets.  They're my babies, my children; flat out.  Don't try to argue with me as I will never have human babies of my own as they're an absolute drain on the planet and if i did I'd adopt a little girl from China. My babies eat organic vegies, organic pasta or rice or pearl barley, and unfortunately meat (but meat only makes up 1/5th of their diet).

I used to love horse-riding.  I'm okay with this if the horse is well treated.  I'm torn about the horse-racing industry.  Some horses clearly love the competition, just like some of us strove to be in the Olympics (yes, I'm talking about myself - rowing was my poison).  

I love coming onto the Unleashed forum - I like reading about most contributors viewpoints (I dislike trolls on here & in everyday life), I like getting new ideas and I love that most of you are so supportive.