In Memory Of Lilly
Our Inspiration, Our Companion, Our Daughter
Lilly lost her mother shortly after birth and was left to fend for her self alone in a world where few care for female black strays. She starved and struggled in the unforgiving summer heat. One evening, as I walked down the street with a friend, this sweet child approached me. She was clearly malnourished but I could see traces of her youthful cheer still shining though. I spent some time with her and as I rose to walk home, she followed me as though that's where she was meant to go. I walked slow and kept glancing back. Larger dogs barked to chase her out of their territory but she kept on undeterred, until an alpha male confronted her and she had to turn around. That moment, the look on her face, as she walked away, sad but still smiling, pulled at my heart like nothing has before. I berate myself for not picking her up right there and then. I berate myself for having walked home without her. After thinking about her all evening and through the night, I returned the next morning with my partner and we searched for Lilly. She was wasn't to be seen. We inquired with people who worked in that area but no one knew of her. It hit me then, just how alone that child was. No one even noticed her. We continued searching and eventually found her, half conscious in the tiny space under a security cabin, barely able to move. I crawled to get closer and encouraged her to come to me. I pulled her out of that dark space wrapped her into my arms and took her home. That is the day that my partner and I turned vegan. Lilly became our daughter. She was the most grateful, understanding and independent child. She healed quickly and soon thrived. We had four beautiful months with her... And then she was gone.
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Lilly went missing on 24th July 2020. We searched for her everyday for two months, breaking lockdown curfews, jumping walls, chasing CCTV footage, sitting for hours at police stations... and we continue searching today.
As time moves on, life trudges in vein, to regain a semblance of normalcy. While we're out buying groceries, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, or driving over to meet family and friends, we still stop to look at every black dog on the streets of Chennai. But it's never her. Every day we spent with Lilly was a blessing and a privilege. She was once in our arms. She will forever be in our hearts.
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There are many more like Lilly out there who need you. When we breed and buy animals, we are supporting an industry that abuses mothers and discards them like trash when they can bear no more children. We deny children like Lilly a chance at happiness. Our animal shelters are unable to cope with the overwhelming population of animals that we have bred, used, abused and abandoned. Please adopt. Don't shop.
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To know the truth about the dog breeding industry, please watch the documentary film Earthlings.
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Vegan Diets for Dogs
This was a typical morning. Lilly sitting by the balcony, watching the birds hop about the tree branches, as her adopted sister Mitsuha lay next to her. Within two months of our rescuing her, she was flourishing. A muscular toned body, a soft shiny black coat, astonishing emotional intelligence and a keen sense of humour. All of us lived a vegan lifestyle. No animal products whatsoever. Why should we unnecessarily torture and kill one animal to feed another? Dogs, goats, pigs, chickens, cows are all capable of feeling physical as well as emotional pain. Why do we humans get to decide which species have the right to live with peace and dignity and which don't? When did we start playing God? If God saw the way we treat his creations, what would he say?
I know what some of you might be thinking. So let me say, yes, dogs can flourish on a plant-based diet. The meat used in most packaged dog food is in fact just the waste generated in the meat and dairy industries. These industries actually sell their waste rather than dispose of it. Since this waste lacks the necessary nutrients for dogs, the food has to be artificially fortified with vitamins and minerals. Plant based dog food is basically plant based protein and carbs fortified with similar vitamins and minerals. So why buy the waste of an ugly inhumane industry in the name of doing a humane act? If we really love animals, then why not use a food system that upholds the rights of all animals?
To know more about plant based diets for your pets, please visit Pet Food Innovation