Living Cruelty-Free: An Introduction

A while ago I talked about a few passions of mine - one being animal rights.  I haven't talked much about it on here but it's such a big part of what I believe in that I feel like I should share more about it and try to educate others who love animals the way that I do.  I feel that if by doing these posts, I've convinced just one person to be a more humane consumer, I've succeeded.

Recently, I have been a lot more careful about the products that I buy so that I know I'm not supporting businesses that still test on animals.  It is UNREAL how many companies still test their products on animals.  A few of these products really surprised me and a few were hard to give up,  but looking at the sweet faces of all of the animals I'm in contact with on a daily basis, makes it so much easier.

One that was hard for me was Giorgio Armani because Josh wears Code and I think it smells amazing but then I see photos like this and suddenly, it doesn't smell so good any more.

Yes, this is hard to look at but please don't just leave this page and ignore it because it's easier to do.  There are plenty of resources out there that provide the names of companies that still test on animals:

The Vegetarian Site is one that I've printed out and take with me when I go shopping.  You may look at the list and think that there are a lot of products on it that you use every day and that there is no way you can give them up.  But do me a favor and look at that sweet animal of yours and then back up at that picture above ... if that's not enough to change anyone's mind, I don't know what is.

If you want to ease your way into buying cruelty free products check out the Leaping Bunny.  The leaping bunny guide is a great place to start as it is a list of products that ARE NOT tested on animals.  The companies listed have a met the requirements of a rigorous, internationally-recognized cruelty-free standard.  And of course, there's an App for that!  Just look up leaping bunny on your Iphone/Android and it will help you with your shopping.  I use it every time I question a product!

Beagle Freedom Project also recently launched an App called Cruelty-Cutter.  It is $2.99 and totally worth it.  All you have to do is scan a product and it will tell you if a product is tested on animals or not.  You can even share these findings on Twitter and Facebook and earn "Doggie Dollars" which can be redeemed for discounts on cruelty-free products!

Also, some of the companies (but not all) have this logo on it to help shoppers recognize cruelty-free products:

Over the course of ... well, however long it takes, each Thursday I will be sharing products that I use that are cruelty free and that wont break the bank.  I plan to break these products up by company and share the products that I use as well as the products that leaping bunny provides on their site. 

As I said before, if one person takes this seriously I feel like my time writing these posts is well worth it.  

Oh, and if you still need more convincing, watch this video of rescued pups taking their first steps in grass ... ever.   They spent their ENTIRE lives in steel cages.    I ugly cried through 90% of this.