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A few months ago I had the privilege of talking to a great group of people in Concord, New Hampshire about The Compassion Movement and the heroes in the book, Rescuing Ladybugs. 

I made quite a few friends that night.  One of them is Jimmy Pappas, a Vietnam veteran, teacher, and published writer.    

After reading Ladybugs, Jimmy reached out to me to tell me he enjoyed the animal stories.  He also wanted to share a poem he wrote about his friend Bobby, a fellow Vietnam veteran.  “Bobby was poor and uneducated, so he would never be able to travel in life. This gives him a chance to travel in death. I hope the world sees him as just a regular human being called on to do terrible things,” he said.

I know that Memorial Day was last weekend but we all know that our love and gratitude for those who serve is everlasting. 

Jimmy’s poem about Bobby has won a Reader’s Choice Award.  He’s asked me to share it with you, my friends – from all over the world.  For your Sunday dose of grateful reflection, please click on this link: 

On this Martin Luther King day, I’d like to honor the youth in our world who are discovering they CAN change the world!  I’m pleased to introduce you to a group of students I’m really proud of – the EHOVE medical careers class in Milan, Ohio.

When Rescuing Ladybugs was released in September, I set an intention.  I wanted the book to be used as a school curriculum.  So when, just a few weeks later, school teacher Kim Davidson contacted me to tell me that she was reading the book to her class, I saw her message as a sign.  That class would be the first to try the book as curriculum!  Kim agreed and the high school class started reading about animals, heroes, and the compassion movement while learning world geography.  I asked them to do me one favor while they were reading, to think about one thing they could do that would make a positive difference for others less fortunate.

Inspired by their teacher and the heroes in the book, they chose to involve the whole school to fill the rooms of the Huron County Humane Society with pet food, treats, supplies, blankets, and so much more.  Their holiday drive was so successful they took truckloads of goods to the shelter.  In doing this, they realized that when you walk on a path to do good for others, you are joined by an army of people willing to help.  I am so very proud of these students.  I am so grateful to their teacher for leading the way.

The successful quest to do good has inspired them to continue their fundraising by participating in a 5K dog walk/run this spring to benefit the shelter and its homeless and abandoned animals.  BRAVO team!

If you’re a teacher and would like to use Rescuing Ladybugs as curriculum to inspire your students, please contact me.  I’d love to work with you to make that happen.

And to the EHOVE students, I love you and can’t wait to meet you soon on Skype!  Jennifer

Reading Rescuing Ladybugs and being empowered to create positive change for the Huron County Humane Society

EHOVE Medical Careers Class

BREAKING GREAT NEWS!  Something spectacular happened today!  Some might call it a miracle, but it wasn’t because it was created from hard work, perseverance and dedication to right wrongs.  Today, President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law and with it, several animal protection initiatives were born. They include the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act, the Pet and Women Safety Act and the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act – which makes dog and cockfighting illegal in U.S. territories.  All of these acts – which many of us have worked on for years to see become laws, were incorporated into the Farm Bill as amendments. With this Bill, legislators also said NO to the proposed King Amendment that would have stripped states of farming and animal protection laws.  THIS IS HUGE!

On top of this news, last month Californians voted against the extreme confinement of farm animals and Floridians voted overwhelmingly to end Greyhound racing and the cruelty that comes with it.

We end 2018 on a great note for animals, one that screams to lawmakers that we’re not going to take animal abuse and exploitation anymore.  We’ve given notice that animal welfare is a bipartisan issue.  It’s not about politics, it’s about compassion.

I’ve promised myself to celebrate these wins because I’ve spent years working to help make them happen by going to Washington and successfully meeting with lawmakers.  But no one person did this alone.  WE DID THIS!  If you signed petitions, made phone calls or sent emails to lawmakers, attended fundraisers, gave money to lobby groups like The Humane Society of the United States Legislative Fund and Animal Welfare Action – if you volunteered, wrote letters to editors, and if you saw something wrong and did something about it – I ask you to please celebrate this win with me and end the year with a renewed commitment to keep going to create positive change.

This is a magnificent accomplishment and we must absorb the positive energy that comes with it. We’re all part of the compassion movement and together, with the signing of the Farm Bill, we have; made it easier for women to leave abusive relationships with their pets, made it illegal to eat dogs and cats in the United States, and made it illegal to fight dogs and cocks in U.S. territories – a move that will stop a myriad of illegal acts that go with the torture of animals in these activities.

Bravo to the lawmakers themselves who worked hard for today’s success. And to all the people I work alongside, and to those who I haven’t had the pleasure to meet but who have participated in today’s win by speaking up for those who can’t – you have my admiration and gratitude.  #HEROES

~Jennifer Skiff, Advocate and Author of Rescuing Ladybugs, The Divinity of Dogs, and God Stories

Meeting with Maine Senator Susan Collins to discuss animal welfare issues.

Becky Sentementes with Humane Society of the United States representatives Katie Hansberry and volunteer Jennifer Skiff lobbying for animals in Washington, D.C.

This is my friend Hope. Most days now, I drive to her house in the late afternoon and help lift her into the back of her Mom’s car so she can go to the dog park to spend an hour with her friends. Hope is always grateful.

We’ve been friends for a decade and during that time, she has never missed an opportunity to tell me I’m special, that I matter to her. Her smile radiates love and is a gift to me. I’m grateful for Hope.

When all feels lost, gravitate toward dog because love is mirrored and gratitude transcends species.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Jennifer & Hope

There’s a battle being waged in Florida by the compassionate people who’ve witnessed the abuse of greyhounds for decades and are rising up against it.  They’re the people who have picked up the pieces left behind by those who exploit these sweet dogs for profit.  These large dogs are confined in small cages and muzzled for up to 23 hours a day.  Lab reports have proven they’re often drugged to race and statistics show that a greyhound dies on a racetrack every three days in Florida.  The vote to end greyhound racing in Florida is on November 6th.  #YESon13!

I often wonder how some people can sit at home and love their dog more than anything in the world and not make the connection with dogs who are mistreated and exploited.  When Emma Haswell was a young girl, living in Tasmania, Australia, she had an experience with a greyhound that changed her life and caused her to become a hero for animals.  I profile Emma in my new book, Rescuing Ladybugs.  I’m pleased to share the connection with one outcast soul who changed Emma’s life and put her on a course to change the world.

Jennifer Skiff & Josh Balk

Excerpted from the book:  Rescuing Ladybugs

I first met Josh Balk when we were seated next to each other at a leadership summit dinner for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in Washington, DC, in 2015. Josh, a boyish redhead with a wide and welcoming smile, was wearing an HSUS staff name tag. We introduced ourselves before sitting down to listen to US Senator Cory Booker, a fantastic orator and animal welfare advocate, speak to a room filled with HSUS volunteers. It wasn’t until the next day, when we were working together on a Massachusetts ballot initiative to end the extreme confinement of calves, pigs, and egg-laying hens, that I discovered this young man in his midthirties was, in his own right, a world leader in the social justice movement for animals. As vice president of farm animal protection for HSUS, he is credited with negotiating groundbreaking deals with food companies to better the lives of farm animals. He is also an entrepreneurial golden boy, having cofounded the food technology company JUST (originally called Hampton Creek).

Like many people who’ve chosen a career path advocating for animals, Josh was an empathic child and was especially affected by animal suffering.

“As early as I can remember,” he says, “I cared about animals. I had dogs at home, and I loved them very much, but I still had a feeling that animals outside my circle mattered. I felt incredibly sad when I saw suffering — even on television programs. My dad and I often went fishing, but once I got the fish, I felt bad about the whole thing. To this day, I have nightmares about my fishing past.”

After high school, driven by a steadfast sense of right and wrong concerning animals and their treatment, Josh aligned himself with like-minded people. While attending George Washington University in Washington, DC, he interned with HSUS and later became a volunteer. Advocacy turned to activism in 2002 when Josh accepted a job with the nonprofit Compassion Over Killing. During his time at the organization, he worked undercover in a chicken slaughter plant owned by Perdue Farms. He was twenty-five years old.

***

Howell, Maryland

I still remember my first day on the job. My shift was early morning, so it was before sunrise. The ride to work was cold and dark. I parked in the lot, walked into this decrepit building, and found my way to the locker room. I remember I was paralyzed with fear because there were a dozen or so workers there eating and getting changed and drinking coffee. I was sure they could see the hidden camera on me.

Then the supervisor came in and motioned for us to get in the shackling room. We followed the supervisor in, and I got in line with the rest of the workers, all in front of the conveyor belt. The belt was waist-high and just above it were metal shackles. I heard a noise to my left. A truck pulled up, parked, and dropped an unrecognizable white mass on the belt. Then the belt started to creak and churn a little bit and move. The shackles began swinging, and I looked over again and saw the chickens approaching, piled on top of each other on the conveyor belt heading my way. I thought, Oh my God, this is actually happening!

We were being trained to grab the chicken and shackle her. That’s it, I remember thinking, I can’t believe I’m going to grab this poor animal and do an unconscionable thing: shackle her and send her to her death. I grabbed her and she started flapping her wings to try to free herself. She was trying to scratch me and peck at my hands. She was fighting for her life. She struggled with every ounce of energy she had. Her legs were all crooked because chickens in the meat industry are genetically manipulated to grow so big their legs often cripple beneath the weight of their bodies. Her breast was featherless and bright red, burned by ammonia from the floor of the factory farm where she was raised. She was scared and screaming, and I remember saying underneath my breath, behind the surgical mask I was wearing, “I am so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

It was an experience I will never forget. It’s one thing to read about or watch the plight of farm animals. But nothing can match seeing the suffering and fear firsthand. Seeing this poor bird in pain for no fault of her own inspired me to fight on her behalf and the billions like her in the poultry industry.

***

Josh’s work exposed cruelty to animals at the Perdue plant, and media coverage brought to light the abusive slaughter practices in the chicken industry. A year later, Josh transitioned into a role leading the corporate negotiation efforts for the farm animal department at HSUS. There are currently no federal laws that regulate the treatment of the nine billion animals raised for food in the United States each year inside factory farms.

To circumvent the government’s passivity in protecting animals used for food, Josh was directed to eliminate the worst factory farming abuses by convincing companies to require higher standards of care for the animals used in their supply chain. He moved swiftly, leading a team that convinced hundreds of companies to adopt strict animal welfare policies. Threatened by his success, meat producers worked against him by strengthening their lobbying force in Washington. One lobbyist, Rick Berman, went as far as to create a Facebook page and website called “HumaneWatch,” which attacks HSUS and its staff, including Josh. Instead of embracing consumers’ cries for change, Berman tries to silence the good work of the organization. But the attacks have only served to strengthen Josh’s resolve.

Most meat, eggs, and dairy come from factory farms where animals are raised in windowless sheds, provided no enrichments, and left to breathe an unhealthy amount of ammonia emanating from their own waste. In the United States alone, hundreds of millions of these poor animals are confined in tiny cages that prevent them from moving more than a few inches for their entire lives. As the human population increased and the standard diet included more meat, eggs, and dairy, there was a growing need for these products to be produced as cheaply as possible. As a result, small family-run farms have given way to factory farms that value the mass production of meat over the humane treatment of animals.

Witnessing this inspired Josh to start a food company.

***

In my work, I was being exposed to it all. The more I knew, the more it became clear that the animals needed us to be as strategic as possible during our finite time on earth if we really wanted to help them. I wanted to disrupt global factory farming, which represents the more than 90 percent of farm animals who we make suffer in the world.

Aside from the transformational work I was a part of at HSUS, I thought that if I could form a company that produced plant-based foods that are affordable, marketed to the mainstream, and taste just as good as animal-based food, then I could make a further difference.

I pitched my idea on the phone one night to my high school friend Josh Tetrick. He had wanted to start a company that was inherently good for animals and liked my idea. So we started building a team. We hired a chef, a head of research and development, and a person to lead sales. We impressed a venture capital team enough to get a half million dollars, and we got started. Hampton Creek — named after my late St. Bernard, Hampton, who was such a love for me — was formed.

Our goal is to create the biggest company in the world that happens to be good for animals. Our values were to be innovative and aggressive, to go fast so I can have the biggest impact I possibly can in my lifetime. It’s a mentality that requires thinking about mortality. I’d hate to, in my last moments, think I could have made a bigger difference but didn’t give it a shot. If I was bold and acted with courage to take leaps, I think I could peacefully say good-bye to this world.

***

In 2011, Josh Balk and Josh Tetrick cofounded Hampton Creek, later renamed JUST, when they were both thirty-two years old. Their products — which include egg substitutes, cookies, cookie doughs, mayos, salad dressings, and even “egg” patties — are made completely from plants. Their most popular product is Just Mayo, an egg-free mayonnaise. They started selling “clean meat” in 2018 — meat grown from a small cell sample; that is, meat that has never existed in animal form. The product is expected to change the world by eliminating factory farming and the subsequent need to slaughter animals.

Proof that innovation can be rewarding, within three years of the company’s inception, the two Joshes had raised $120 million to fund their venture. Within four years of its founding, the company was valued at $1.1 billion.

As vice president of farm animal protection at HSUS — his full-time job — Josh leads a team that has persuaded hundreds of companies — including Walmart, Kroger, Kraft Heinz, Starbucks, Aramark, and Supervalu — to adopt animal welfare policies that prohibit extreme confinement of animals raised for food. He’s also worked to pass laws ending the crate and cage confinement of calves, pigs, and chickens in a dozen states through successful ballot initiatives or legislative campaigns in state houses.

According to Paul Shapiro, founder of Compassion over Killing and former vice president of policy at HSUS, there are more laws and corporate policies protecting farm animals than ever before, and more consumers are leaving animals off their plates and eating plant-based meals instead. This colossal shift is due to Josh and other leaders in the compassion movement who confront cruelty head-on, using common sense and innovation. By exposing a food system that is inherently bad for animals and the people who eat them, they’re creating positive change for everyone.

Link to get a paperback, e-book, or audible copy of Rescuing Ladybugs:  https://jenniferskiff.com/books/

Michele Newman has faced death, loss, and immense hardship. What’s kept her here is the fact she knows her life has purpose.

Michele rescues senior dogs. I met her when she rescued a dog name Hooch. He had spent 10 years on a chain. We connected instantly and then she went quiet for a long time. I recently asked her what had happened. This was her response:

“Without the dogs in my life there would be no me. That’s a fact. It is only through all the innocent souls who not only looked forward to me going into the shelter every day but those who needed me to pull them to safety into my rescue group to spend their last days, weeks or months, that gave my life true meaning.

In October 2010 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. Eighteen months later my husband Bill and I went to a doctor who diagnosed me with infertility. Bill left me on the spot and never talked, touched or looked at me again.

A month later I tested positive for BRCA, a genetic disorder. A year later I had a hysterectomy and just months after that, had a double bilateral mastectomy. An infection ensued and I was rushed into surgery because of a hematoma.

All this time I had no one. But I did have my dogs, all old souls counting on me as much as I needed them. I reached out to a couple of girls at work and without hesitation, they came. One took the keys to my house and promised to take care of the dogs, while the other reminded me that my pups needed me to be strong and focused. Another girl and her boyfriend stayed in the hospital and waited out my surgery. Tina, Laurie, & Rose acted how I only wish all of humanity would act toward one another- with a kind heart and selfless soul.

After the surgery I became deathly ill and was placed under the care of infectious disease doctors who placed a PIC line in me to receive treatments. But one night I couldn’t breathe and dialed 911. An ambulance rushed me to the hospital and I had emergency surgery to find out my gallbladder was gangrene. The surgeon told me it had most likely been dead for seven months. I’d used my life reserve to stay alive.

After that, I had seven surgeries to rid my body of the infection and scar tissue. I had skin graphs and spacers placed to help relieve some pressure from my chest.

While going through all this I lost six of my dogs, Rilee, Mikey D, Brooklyn, Kane, Flower, and Mya. Pushing on without them was near to impossible – and so my fight continued for the others.

I did my grieving in silence. I didn’t want pity and believed if I talked about it, it would take root. So my mission was to cleanse my body of all negativity and to believe that God’s plan was for me to share my story to inspire those around me not to dwell on the sadness. So I grieved my losses with my dogs around me and it was ONLY through them and their unconditional love that I was able to achieve happiness. I owe them my life!”

Photo: Michele with Zeus.

Tattoos: The name of every dog who loved her through her medical journey.

Charity:  Senior Animal Medical Aid Fund:

https://www.facebook.com/Senior-Animal-Medical-Aid-Fund-Inc-119486670195/?fref=ts

Four years ago this week I adopted this special girl and named her Honey because of her sweet nature. She came to the Dogs’ Refuge Home of WA after being hurt by someone.

The veterinarian said she had suffered blunt force trauma and was permanently blind in one eye. That didn’t bother her. And, well, I loved her immediately.

A year ago Honey lost her hearing and her only working eye began to cloud over, her vision obstructed by a cataract. Her quality of life changed dramatically. She began to bump into things, slept a lot, and lost muscle strength.

My husband and I took her to an eye specialist and were told she could have cataract surgery but there was a risk. Although it was slight, a side effect of cataract surgery is sometimes glaucoma, causing irreversible blindness. So we made a conscious choice to wait until she had nearly lost all sight before the operation.

Archie the globetrotting ambassador

From a rough life with convicted criminals to shedding his light as a globetrotting ambassador! Meet Archie.

I had the privilege of his smile and company while visiting my friend Cynthia recently. Cynthia’s the U.S. Consul General in Perth, Australia. She asked me over to meet Archie and his guardian Marsha Lance who recently moved to Australia to work at the U.S. Consulate.

Archie, the most adorable Pom who definitely resembles Boo, had a rough start in Kentucky. His story is that he kept escaping, running away from his house. But, people with good intentions kept delivering him back. Finally, after his legal “owners” went to prison, he was released and… adopted by Marsha.

Welcome home Archie! It’s good to have your bubbly personality representing the United States in Australia!

Lesson #1: Some dogs run away for a reason.

Lesson #2: Everybody deserves a fresh start, especially Archie!

Fin’s Mom, Heidi

Fin’s Dad, Gary

Favorite Fin! I keep a collection of photos of my fosters and ‪‎dogs‬ I’ve helped adopt.

These are two of my favorites. “Muffin” arrived at the SPCA of Hancock County in an RV. She was in a small, dirty cage. Her “owners” said she was crying all the time and they didn’t want her anymore as she was “ruining” their vacation.

Our director, Diana de los Santos, took her and watched as they drove away with another little dog in their RV.

Within hours the source of Muffin’s pain was determined; rotten teeth. We paid for the surgery and I became Muffin’s foster Mom. While I pampered her through her recovery, my friend Marion at Acadia Veterinary Hospital kindly posted an adoption plea to her clients. Three families were interested.

During the interview process it was clear to me that these two people were meant to bring her into their home. And they did! This is Heidi Burnham and Gary Rich. They own the Atlantean B&B in Bar Harbor, Maine (a B&B that was actually my first house when my family moved to Maine). As you can see, they like to hike!

This year they donated a portion of their proceeds to the SPCA for saving Muffin, now named Fin. I want to thank them and to also show you what a happy adoption looks like – all smiles.

If you get a chance, you could head to their Facebook page and thank them for adopting Fin and supporting the SPCA.

Here’s the link: Atlantean Cottage B&B