Is there anything more heartwarming than seeing children getting passionate about changing the world for animals? Here at Our Hen House, we’re pretty hard-pressed to find anything that makes us as verklempt as this does (except for maybe Rose the Dog snuggling with a baby bunny…but that has yet to happen). That’s why we’re overjoyed to share the words and artwork of a visionary third-grader named Sage. We’re sure that you’ll be just as enthusiastic about her as we are.

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A Third-Grade Vegan

by Sage, 8 years old

Kids are always looking forward to chicken nuggets, pizza, ice cream and chocolate milk. My friends say I miss out on ‘’real food.’’ At first I thought I was missing out too.

My name is Sage. I am eight years old and in the third grade. I’ve been vegetarian since birth and a vegan for a year.

A vegan is a person who doesn’t eat or wear animal products. In my house we don’t even buy products that have been tested on animals. I decided to go vegan last year because I love our dog Ginger and I imagined her being eaten and I cried thinking about it. I realized that other animals like cows, chicken and pigs are no different from a dog. I also chose to go vegan because my Mom is vegan and I wanted to be like her. Also, when people test on animals to find out if their product is safe, it might not be safe because animals have different bodies than humans.

One time at school, one of my friends saw me eating vegan popcorn. They asked me if they could try it and I said yes. They tasted it and found out it was really good. The next day I saw her eating that same vegan popcorn! She had asked her Mom to buy it for her!

I am also an animal activist. Earlier this year my class was learning about how John J. Hargrove wants to save the orcas and how he did a documentary on why people need to save them. I wrote an extra paper to my Assembly Member talking about how I love animals and want to save them like John J. Hargrove. My Mom printed it out and sent it to my teacher who showed all the third grade teachers. Then the third grade teachers showed it to the principal and the principal loved it. I found out that John J. Hargrove even tweeted about it!

I also participated in Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals and held up signs that said, “ANIMALS ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD” and “COMPASSION STARTS ON YOUR PLATE.”

Recently I got the idea for me to post a few blog entries on my Mom’s vegan recipe blog. I call it The Sage Vegan and if it helps more kids and their families to eat vegan then that is a kind of activism too.

Sometimes being a vegan can feel like missing out… like in class parties or birthday parties. But the important thing is saving an animal’s life. And when you remember that, it doesn’t feel like missing out at all.

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