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When I came across this delightful drawing by the talented Amy Luwis of Red and Howling it reminded me of the very first conversation I had with Gene Baur, President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary.  It was back in June of 2012 and I was in Los Angeles attending a fundraiser for the organization – aptly named, A Celebration of Expanding Compassion.

I had just finished reading Gene’s book, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food in preparation for the event.  It wasn’t required reading, but being relatively new to the world of animal advocacy at the time, I was eager to broaden my understanding of potential issues and challenges facing someone who had recently – and wholeheartedly – committed herself to the pursuit of living a more compassionate life.

It was a hard read, and I found myself sobbing through the chapters that revealed details of atrocities that were commonplace – or otherwise known as “industry standards and practises” in the world of industrial agriculture.  The more I read, the more I became aware that I was rapidly heading in to unfamiliar and overwhelming territory.

There was no turning back – and while I wasn’t looking for a way out, I knew I needed some guidance from those who had successfully navigated this particular leg of the journey.  I had to know how they learned to forge ahead with meaning and purpose and hope amidst the heartache.  And how their desire to make a difference continued to override their feelings of despair because frankly, the two were neck in neck for me, and despair was inching its way forward at an uncomfortable pace.

The evening was picture perfect.  Designer Michael S. Smith and his partner, HBO Executive (at the time), James Costos, graciously opened their beautiful Beverly Hills home to Farm Sanctuary devotees, and the evening had an air of excitement with the arrival of celebrity supporters and well-known leaders in the animal welfare movement.  Aspiring actors moonlighting as servers made the rounds with shiny silver trays of delectable vegan hors d’oeuvres while photographers roamed the lush green gardens capturing memories for new friends and familiar faces alike.

During the formal part of the evening, Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s National Shelter Director, spoke to the evening’s theme of “expanding compassion” by announcing the opening of a third sanctuary in southern California.

She then shared the stories of two animals – Sonny and Fanny – both beautiful Holsteins, both deemed disposable by the dairy industry.

As a male calf, Sonny was useless to the milk-producing business and was left to die in a “filthy stockyard pen” shortly after being born.  Susie went on to explain, “His umbilical cord had been torn off, leaving an open wound, and he was dehydrated, exhausted and sick from infection.  Without intervention, he would have died after a few more hours of misery.”

Fanny was a ‘spent’ dairy cow, and having reached the end of her milk-producing years, was being sent to auction for slaughter for ground beef or pet food.  However, as a result of “egregious neglect” she was unable to walk to her fate.  As Susie described, “Her horribly overgrown hooves made every step excruciating and her legs buckled under the weight of her enormous udders.  Instead of trying to help her, stockyard workers hit Fanny with wooden poles to force her to move.”

Susie’s eloquent recounting of the lives Sonny and Fanny lived before their rescue was honest and raw and jarring, and reminded us all of the reasons we were there on that beautiful southern California evening in June.

Gene then took the podium to thank the evening’s hosts, and recognize various individuals for their outstanding contribution to the animal welfare movement.  After he brought the formal part of the evening to a close, I made my way over to express my gratitude for their relentless and inspiring pursuit of a more compassionate world.

                                                                                                   PHOTO:  Farm Sanctuary

Shortly after introducing myself to Gene, and mentioning that I’d just finished reading his book, I felt my voice catch and my eyes well up.  I then found myself blurting out how much his book had impacted me and how I was new to the world of animal advocacy and was struggling with the knowledge of the sheer numbers in terms of animals that were suffering every single day in the name of food production and how did he reconcile that in his mind.  I then took a much-needed breath.  Definitely not the way I envisioned the conversation going.  But it was clearly what needed to be conveyed.

Gene smiled, and the look of genuine empathy that washed over his kind face instantly put me at ease.  This was obviously not the first time he had heard an impassioned entreaty like mine – well, not in the form of a run-on sentence without punctuation or a single breath in between thoughts – but the sentiment was definitely familiar to him.

“I had to come to terms with the fact that I can’t save them all.  And once I did, I realized that focusing on the ones I can save will make a difference, especially by sharing their story.”

His words were a salve for the soul.

I could let all of the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the animal welfare movement stop me in my tracks – at a loss for where to even begin – or I could start exactly where I was, with the skills and knowledge and expertise I had, and make a difference to a least some of them.  And Gene’s wise words reminded me that the ones I could save were waiting for me.

                                                                                                                                       PHOTO:  Farm Sanctuary

See Susie Coston’s blog for her thoughts on rescue, advocacy and leading a more compassionate life.  Also, see how the wonderful Sonny is doing today!