Vegan Practically

I’m a bit late with my “Tuesday-post” this week (it’s Thursday now) because I wanted to report on Kendra Coulter’s book launch for her new release, Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection. I attended the energizing launch on Tuesday and purchased myself a copy of the book. So far I have only had a chance to glance at it, but I can’t wait to really sit down with it. So this is more a preview than a review.

I want to start with something simple and wonderful: the catering at the launch was fully plant-based and delicious. Anyone who has been following the blog for awhile might be aware that inadequate attention to plant-based options at catered events really annoys me. Indeed, yesterday I attended a breakfast where in the first instance I was told I could have fruit and fried potatoes from the breakfast buffet. Being hungry, I did. And luckily I know to bring my own creamer for my coffee. After I was finished eating they presented me with a plate of tofu scramble and grilled tomatoes. But I digress. Kendra’s launch had a wonderful selection of yummy tid bits.

She gave a short overview of the history of her work on the book and of the book itself. The book is about the front lines of animal protection. It opens with a first-person experience going out “into the field” with a veterinarian and therapist who work as a team to deal with cases of animal hoarding. They had just finished “an intense animal-hoarding case that involved over seventy dogs who had taken over an entire house. It had grown so filthy and dangerous that the human resident had to hide out at a neighbour’s home” (p. 1). Now, with Kendra along to observe, they were going to a small apartment where a woman was living with over a dozen cats and a turtle, none adequately cared for. It’s a powerful story to open with, and Kendra describes the “vicious” smell of animal hoarding, the kindness with which the workers handled the situation — offering solutions that would remove some of the cats to a shelter and eventual adoption to a new home. They were also going to return with a more appropriate tank, both in size and features, for the turtle.

The book covers range of animal protections because there is a range of animal cruelty, towards pets, animals in the wild, wild animals in captivity far from their natural environments, and of course farmed animals (in a chapter brilliantly titled, “The Elephant in the Room Is a Chicken.” There is also a whole chapter devoted to horses and horse welfare.

In her talk at the launch, Kendra told the story of her dog, Sunny, who appears in the first picture inside the book. Sunny “was beaten and deprived of food and water for the first year of her life. The workers at the boarding kennel where she was housed after being removed from the abusive situation said she was the most terrified dog they had ever seen” (p. viii). Sunny warmed up to Kendra’s dog, Buster, so much on the visit to the shelter that they adopted Sunny into their family. She has proven herself a survivor who has slowly started to trust a small number of humans.

Kendra also told the story of a baby raccoon rescue that she was involved in during the pandemic, and driving the injured little one to an animal rescue three hours away. It’s an amazing story that shows the deep commitment that Kendra, her husband, and the animal rescue worker who took the baby raccoon into care have to the lives of animals. You can see a picture of the recovering raccoon on p. 139 of the book, along with a full account of the story.

The book shows a deep respect for animals as co-inhabitants of the planet. Kendra notes early in the book, “I never refer to animals as it. Animals are not phones or cars. They are not objects” (7). But her book also shows immense respect for people, especially the dedicated few who show up as animal protection workers every day. She says, “People are the problem, and the solutions” (p. 7).

The sense of hope and optimism that the book promises from the very beginning in the subtitle, “Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection,” draws me to it. It’s easy to look around and feel despair at the lack of concern that the majority of humans casually display towards animals. And that doesn’t even get to the instances of active cruelty.

As I noted, I have not yet read the book, but I still wanted to draw it to everyone’s attention. It’s an important book, with incredible endorsements, including by Jane Goodall. Goodall says, “Defending Animals is a compelling exploration of animal protection, challenging readers to build a more compassionate and equitable world” and calls it “A powerful call to action.”

Congratulations to Kendra Coulter on the launch of Defending Animals.