Woof Worthy Reads: The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World

As a member of the Etsy affiliate program and an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

It’s no secret that I love animals and you’re here on this site, so I’d wager that you love animals too.

But I’m also a person with a lot on the go and while I would love to be an amazing advocate for the wonderous, lovely little creatures we share this planet with m the truth is, I often fall short of that desire.

I’m not alone.

I was talking with a friend recently who would love to volunteer at her local shelter, but they require a minimum of four hours a week. Four hours she just doesn’t have. Another friend loves animal rescue, volunteers with a foster organization and yet, after several months, hasn’t found the right rescue dog to join her own family. She’s started looking at puppies. I have friends who would be vegan – except that bacon is their favourite food. We all love animals. We all want a world where animals can thrive. But we’re often at a loss for how to pair that desire with action.

We live in a world of wanting to do more as animal lovers, but the fear of doing it imperfectly keeps us from moving forward.

When did we get like this? When did doing nothing become preferable to doing what we can? How can we combat the guilt that comes with feeling like we – and our efforts to make the world a better place for animals – are not enough?   These are the questions that plague me and that’s why I was so excited to be asked to review Stephanie Feldstein’s new book The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World.

---

We were given a free e-copy of this book in order to facilitate our review, but received no other compensation for this post. This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we will earn a small commission, but your order will not cost you anything extra. We appreciate you helping support us and allowing us to keep creating fun DIY projects and recipes.

---

 

I want to be the perfect animal advocate in an imperfect world.

But desire and ability don’t always connect. My ideals don’t always align and sometimes, I can feel stuck, wondering if my actions are really making a difference. Enter: The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World. Author, Stephanie Feldstein, right from page one speaks to my imperfect animal-loving heart. So many books for animal advocates focus on perfection; this book is the opposite. You and whatever you can do are enough. Small efforts add up.

 

No one person can ease the suffering of animals, but together, even small actions can create an avalanche of change.

If you’ve ever wanted to be more involved in animal welfare, activism or even just make kinder choices for the products and foods you eat, An Animal Lover’s Guide to changing the World can help. Filled with actionable and practical advice, there is something here that every. single. animal lover out there can implement. Maybe you can swap out a few beauty products for cruelty-free versions. Maybe, like me, you eat too much meat and you can explore some delicious meatless options a few days a week. Maybe you can’t protest in person, but you can start a letter writing campaign to your local officials. Read the book, pick something that speaks to YOUR animal-loving heart and take a few baby steps towards being a better animal advocate. It makes a difference. You can make a difference.

If I had to nitpick one thing about the book, I’d say this is it. Stephanie is persistent at reminding you not only CAN you make a difference, but why you should want to. For those who need reminders how just how much is at stake for the animals and to feel like there is someone cheering them on, this book delivers on that motivation and encouragement over and over again. The downside is that, for someone like me who was already convinced that this is super important and that I want to do it? That motivation and encouragement did feel a little like “preaching to the choir.” I’m really good at motivating myself to start projects; it’s sticking with them that can need support.

In a world where more is more and doing what you can never feels like enough, how do you remind yourself that your efforts matter?

One thing that I loved about the book was Stephanie’s recommendation to TRACK your efforts. It’s so much easier to see what you’ve accomplished when you keep a record of it. You guys know by now that I’m a huge planner nerd and I absolutely love tracking things in my planner. When I commit my intentions to paper, I’m so much more likely to follow them through. Planning makes me a better blogger. It makes me a better adult and a better friend. It makes me a better pet owner, but I truly hadn’t considered that planning and tracking could make me a better animal lover. I’m really excited to try to implement some of the changes Stephanie suggests in her book and so, I made myself some custom planner pages: a product swap tracker, some meatless recipe card pages, and some really cute dog & cat shaped coloring trackers. And I like you guys, so I am sharing these free printable planner pages for animal lovers with you too! Download any of the pages, plus a custom cover, so you can fold them all into what I’m calling “My Little Book of Small Changes to make a BIG Difference for Animals”

 

1. Click on any of the 4 images below to download the free planner pages.
2. Print them on regular copy paper.
3. Flip the paper over and print the same pages on the reverse.
4. Fold your pages in half
5. Staple down the center to hold the book together.That’s it folks! It’s SO EASY.

 

But wait! There’s more…

Thanks to Stephanie and her publisher, we have a copy of the book for one of you as well.

Enter to win a copy of The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling us one product swap you’ve made to a cruelty-free option, one meatless meal that you love, or any one thing you do – or plan to start doing – to make a difference for animals in any way you can. 

*The fine print: Open to US Residents over the age of 18 except where prohibited by law. Content runs May 25 to June 4, 2018. Winner will be notified by email.

 

 

Plus, check out all the blogs on this week’s virtual book tour. I’m lucky to call so many of these lovely ladies friends. Not only are they some of the best animal advocates I know, they’re also full of great ideas, big insight and I’m sure have so many thoughts on how you can help animals – and they’ve all got more chances to win a copy of The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World. You don’t want to miss it. 

So tell us, how do YOU make a difference for animals?