4 Apps That Help You Go Cruelty Free

Day in and day out, animals are continuously being tested for various reasons. Some are tested for medical purposes, others are tested to see if household products are harmful. Worse yet, many animal are tested so that cosmetic companies can sell their products.

When it comes to dogs, beagles are chosen for animal testing more than any other breed. There are over 65,000 dogs and 20,000 cats in labs in the United States alone. In England, 94.7% of dogs that are using in animal testing are beagles. This is because of their gentleness, trusting nature and ability to forgive easily. 95% of animals are not protected by animal legislation in the United States.The Beagle Freedom Project has been working to free beagles from a laboratory and a life destined for euthanasia by banding together to help legislators find these dogs a home.

Cruelty Free Apps

While we are unable to only hope that more legislation succeeds in giving these animals a loving home, we can control the products that we buy on a daily basis. Some apps even offer a scanning feature to help you find out right in the store if an item is cruelty-free or not. For all of you who own iPhone and Android smartphones, you can download the following apps.

Cruelty Cutter

Cruelty Cutter is an app that promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. It's free to download. This app was created exclusively for the Beagle Freedom Project. It offers many features including, a pledge to shop cruelty-free, doggie dollars which give the recipients discounts from their monthly sponsors once they've accumulated a certain amount and bite back, which allows you to communicate with cruelty-friendly companies to campaign for the welfare of animals.

Cruelty-Free

Cruelty-Free is another app that makes it easier to navigate through the animal testing waters. This app is available for both iPhone and Android smart phones.

Bunny Free

Bunny Free was created by Graduate Student Margaret Pearce as a special project for PETA. The app will scan products and let you know if they're animal friendly or not. PETA also provides the data information for the app.

Choose Cruelty Free

Choose Cruelty Free is an app that was created for our friends who live across the world. Since the organization is based in Australia, most of the products researched will be pick up products in that continent. This may be handy for cruelty-free lifestyle pursuers in New Zealand and parts of Asia as well.

It's Not Hard To Be Cruelty Free

Living the cruelty free lifestyle isn't the easiest thing in the world. Many times, companies will find a way around the animal testing laws and pretend they are cruelty-free, but really have just found a loophole. You don't need to be a vegan or vegetarian to help end animal cruelty, but by choosing carefully which products you'd like to purchase is a great step to take.

Let's Discuss!

Do you have a favorite cruelty free app? What steps do you take toward a cruelty-free lifestyle? Please share with me in the comments below.

It's All Related!

• The Dogs Were Rescued
• 41 Dogs Rescued From Spain
• Some Questions for the Ministry of Defence and the RAF

The Dogs Were Rescued...A Book Review

Recently released on October 7th, The Dogs Were Rescued (and so was I) isn't your typical rescue story. Why, because there's so much more to it. The writer Teresa J. Rhyne, has a voice that is very honest. You learn about her love for her beloved Seamus, wine and longtime love Chris.

At first, one thinks they are going to read about dog rescue. However, this book is more about discovering oneself through your dog's eyes. It shows how going the extra mile for your dog, can trickle over into their human's life. It shows how passion for a lifestyle grows from one incident.

If there's one thing that separates this book from others in it's class, it's the unvarnished truth the author presents about fighting cancer, how the Beagle Freedom Project has saved so many dogs, finding oneself and making choices that define your life without losing yourself in the process.

It's a book about discovery and really opens one's eyes to many topics we tend to ignore because they can be uncomfortable. Reading this sheds light on the effects of animal testing on dogs, how vegans don't fall into one stereotype and that as messy as life can get, one always finds a way to navigate through it.

This book is highly recommended for those love non-fiction with an unusual twist.

41 Beagles Saved From Spain

Photo: Andy Holzman

Yesterday, I saw a story on the news about 72 beagles being saved because an animal research lab was closing in Spain. All I could think of was there were all these dogs like my Homer out there who were suffering.

Luckily, the Beagle Freedom Project was able to bring 41 of these dogs home on Thanksgiving. Shannon Keith, the president of the organization maxed out her credit cards to make this trip possible. Currently 16 of the 41 beagles are staying temporarily at her LA home. The The other 31 dogs were adopted out in Europe.

It is believed that these dogs were being used to test for human drugs. Beagles are frequently chosen as test subjects because of their calmness and docility. The age of these beagles is between 4 to 7 years old.

The dogs have never seen anything but the inside of a crate. Now, as they wait to be fostered and/or adopted, they are in pens where they can move freely. Many got the chance to feel grace under the feet for the first time in their life.

Many of the dogs were given celebrity names like Tom Hanks and Sylvester Stallone since they were headed to LA. They seemed to have settled into their surroundings just fine.

How You Can Help

Originally, the Beagle Freedom Project started in December 2010 when a research lab from California gave Beagles their shot at freedom. It's been going strong ever since.

There are still beagles out there who are looking for a foster home or a forever home. The group also accepts donations. At the end of the year, their 2012 calendar will be coming out too.

Let's Discuss!

Have you known a dog that was rescued from a research lab?

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