Animal Rights Awareness Week: How You Can Help
What Is Animal Rights Awareness Week?
This year, the week of June 14 – June 20 has been designated as Animal Rights Awareness Week. The goal of Animal Rights Awareness Week is to help raise awareness of animal rights by educating the public about the basic needs of animals around the world. It also serves to advocate for the humane and compassionate treatment of all animals and is an opportunity for us to learn how we can help to end animal abuse.
Animal rights awareness extends from our own individual pets to all companion animals, farm animals, wildlife, and animals used for testing, experiments and medical research. While most people treat their own pets with kindness, many people are not aware of the treatment of animals and the living conditions in animal facilities, such as puppy mills, pet shops, shelters, labs, factory farms, zoos, and circuses.
How Can I Help?
There are a few ways you can help spread the word about animal rights, and ways you can take action to help promote animal rights! Here are some suggestions:
1.Volunteer or fundraise for your favorite animal charity.
Consider donating your time as a volunteer or supporting the charity financially by organizing a bake sale or walk-a-thon. Check out our blog “Where Do I Volunteer With Animals Las Vegas” to find out how you can help! Also, report animal cruelty to your local animal control agency. Check out our blog “5 Reasons to Appreciate Animal Control” for more information.
2. Prevent contributing to the pet overpopulation problem.
There are thousands of puppies and kittens born every day and nowhere near enough homes for them. By spreading the word to your community, this could help reduce the number of homeless animals around the world. See our blog “7 Ways to be a Responsible Dog Owner” for more information on this topic.
3. Adopt, don’t shop!
Every year we euthanize millions of dogs and cats around the world as people shop for pets rather than adopt. When you buy a dog from a pet shop, they have often come from a puppy farm, which is an inhumane commercial breeding facility that breeds puppies for sale. The dogs there tend to live in terrible conditions. By adopting an animal, you’re saving a life and helping fight these harmful breeding practices. See our blog “Where Do I Adopt a Pet in Las Vegas?” to help you find your fur baby!
4. Keep animal testing out of your shopping cart.
To prevent animal testing, buy products marked as vegan or cruelty-free. You can become a more compassionate consumer by making sure your cosmetics and personal care, household and pet care products aren’t tested on animals. Also, buy organic or free-range meat, chicken or dairy products.
This Animal Rights Awareness Week and beyond, really spend some time thinking about your relationship with animals, whether it be your own pet, the farm animals that provide your dinner, or the homeless pets abandoned in a shelter. Then spread the word! Together let’s make this world a better place for people and animals!
