More good news!!

Just after I heard about Woolworths reducing its support of cage eggs, now I hear that Cadbury New Zealand has accepted public pressure and has decided to remove palm oil from its chocolate. This is wonderful news for the orangutans, whose habitat is being rapidly destroyed by the removal of palm trees. Palm trees are harvested for palm oil, which is used in almost every soap product on the shelves, cleaning products, cosmetics and in foods, such as chocolate.

The change has come about largely due to public pressure from the 3500-strong Facebook group, ‘Take palm oil out of Cadbury chocolate bars’, of which I am a member.

This is exciting, wonderful news. Yet again, we see that we CAN make a difference to our world. And again, I am excited by these recent decisions that reflect the growing consciousness of the planet. These are exciting times!

This is some of the best news I’ve heard in ages

Woolworths recently announced that it would bereducing the number of cage eggs for sale on its shelves. Initially, it will drop the number of cage egg products from 20 to 15, furthering reducing this to 11 by the end of the year. Woolworths says that the decision is based on customer demand, and that’s fantastic news. People can vote with their feet and they’re doing it!

I applaud Woolworths for taking this initial step. Competition between the supermarkets is practically nil in this country and the simple fact is that we rely heavily on Woolworths and Coles to make ethical decisions for us. 

But Animals Australia cautions that, while this is a good step forward, there is a long way to go before we see the end of battery farming of chickens. Certainly, there’s a long way to go before we see battery hens taken off the fresh meat department… and hopefully, that will lead to pigs as well, who are also ‘battery farmed’.

Despite the long road ahead, I am taking a good long moment to bask in this wonderful news. It reflects the growing shifts in consciousness around the planet. Well done everyone who chooses to buy ethically and well done Woolworths for taking this step. I intend to write to Woolworths to congratulate them and I encourage others to do the same.

Animal Massage Course

There are still a few spaces left in the popular animal massage course, running this Sunday.

The Animal Massage course is designed to provide participants with a working knowledge of massage techniques to assist in the holistic care of animals and enhance their overall wellbeing.

The course covers:

• Benefits of massage
• Safety principles
• Basic anatomy
• Massage techniques
• Principles of a good massage
• Hands-on practise (on humans and animals)

 When: Sunday 16th August, 2009

Location: Enoggera Memorial Hall, Trundle Street, Enoggera, Brisbane.

Time: 9.30am to 5pm

Morning and afternoon tea provided. No kitchen facilities but there are a variety of food shops two minutes walk away. Take-home manual of information provided, as well as a certificate of completion.

Cost: $120

Presented by Lucy Gabrielle (Hercules Publishing: Qualified human massage therapist) and Eileen McLean (Natural Animal Care: Veterinary Nursing, Canine Massage).

An orb of love for the goats

I just love the Brisbane Exhibition (known to us locally, as ‘The Ekka’). I always have and always for the same reason. Animals. Animals everywhere. Cows, horses, dogs, pigs, sheep, poultry, cats and goats.

My favourites are always the showjumping, the poultry (who could walk past the dramatic puffing and crowing of huge roosters, and the enthusiastic quacking and water swilling of ducks?)… and the goats. I have fond childhood memories of goats, not least of which include the fact that goat milk practically saved my life as a baby who was severely allergic to just about all milk forms.

So it was with much enthusiasm that my husband and I returned to the goats yesterday. And they were divine. They all wanted as much patting, stroking and massaging as we could offer. They were endlessly fascinated and fascinating, intelligent and humourous. Totally gorgeous. And this year, my husband fell completely in love with them, declaring that we simply  must get goats.

And check out the orb of love over his chest in this photo that I took of him with a Saanen goat!!

We love goats

Are cats left or right-handed?

This was a question posed by scientists who challenged cats to tests to see if they preferred one paw over the other. They found a strong correlation between the sex of the cat and the result, with male cats being ‘left-handed’ and female cats being ‘right-handed’, the Herald Sun reported.

The study helps us to understand the complexities of our feline friends just that little bit more. As Peter Wedderburn from the UK Telegraph says, he always thought his male cat had “some sort of deficiency” because he couldn’t open the door while their female cat could. Now, he realises, his male cat couldn’t do it because he was left-handed and the door was a ‘right-handed’ opening door.

The state of being left-handed or right-handed was previously only thought to belong to humans, dogs, horses and chimps.

When scientists ‘discover’ something like this it always reminds me of how very little we know about our furry friends and therefore just how much extra time and care we should take to get to know them on as many levels as possible. This is why I find the field of animal spirituality so very exciting! It’s like exploring the depths of the ocean or the far reaches of outer space. I never know what I’m going to find next!

Daisy in scampy mode

A couple of cute and fun competitions going right now for you to celebrate your furry friend.

Channel 7’s morning program, Sunrise, is celebrating our pets through their Pet of the Day competition. You can upload photos of your pets here. One pet is chosen each day.

You can also enter your dog or cat into Vote My Pet, a national competition looking to uncover the next face of Advocate flea control. 

This is our dog Daisy (left) and she is currently entered into both competitions. You can vote for her by clicking here.

Daisy has already lent her radiant personality to the cover of Your Animal’s Oracle and is happy to keep spreading the Daisy Love!!

Lia Scallon, musician and actress and creator of the Sounds of Sirius CDs (which seek to provide healing on multiple levels), has released her latest work. This one, Song of Love for the Animals, is a CD dedicated specifically for animals, and for assisting our own healing while connecting to the animals.

Lia says:

This profound and mystical, musical journey invites us to contemplate the extraordinary privileges we human beings enjoy, surrounded by the wonders that nature provides. If you have a special animal friend, play them this song. Their response may surprise you! And as you listen, send this song out from your heart, to embrace every single creature in the animal kingdom.

You can order the CD from Lia’s site: www.soundsofsirius.com.