New Year, New Focus, New Platform

Your values are expressed through the choices you make.

This is the tagline I chose for my website almost 20 years ago when I decided to shift the focus of my animal welfare advocacy from creating videos to help nonprofit groups to creating a platform to try to help other people like me - people who care about companion animals but may not be well versed in issues that affect them. That tagline guides my decisions to this day as I ask myself what I value.

It is in the spirit of this self-reflection that I have chosen to leave Facebook despite the following I developed there over many years. Social media can be a great thing. Social media can be a terrible thing. I originally created a presence on Facebook as a way to reach a larger audience and lead people to my website. Some of my posts reached hundreds of thousands of people and I would like to believe I at least caused them to think and at best encouraged them to become advocates themselves related to what is happening regarding companion animals where the live, work and play. Facebook was It was a great tool for many years. Until it wasn't. With the passage of time and changes to algorithms and advertising by Meta, I no longer reached the same audience I once did. Like most people, my news feed was full of reels, ads and recommendations. I was tagged dozens of times a day about animals in need and was often called upon to defend my support of the No Kill movement which has changed our society to save the lives of millions of shelter animals each year, but which is painted in a negative light by those who have not taken the time to educate themselves about history.  There were times I could reach people and help them learn something new. There were more times I could not. I ultimately was on the receiving end of profanity-filled rants, name calling and veiled threats. Which meant it was time to go. I have left Facebook completely. If you find yourself with mixed feelings about that platform, I encourage you to consider what value it brings to your life compared to how much it affects you negatively. If you find yourself checking Facebook not only daily but multiple times a day, the addictive nature of the platform is likely not good for your mental health and that can ultimately affect your physical health over time. When I made my decision, I was reminded of the iconic line spoken by Morgan Freeman in the movie The Shawshank Redemption: "it's time to get busy livin' or get busy dying." I choose to get busy livin'.

You are welcome to subscribe to my Paws4Change blog if you don't already. I blog not to make myself relevant, but when I feel I have something valuable to share. I do not use AI when I write like some do to create "clickbait" or create controversy. I make no money off of my advocacy and my focus is on awareness and education. If I learn something I think may be of value to others, or I feel the need to reinforce information I have shared before, I blog.

I can also be found on Instagram as Paws4Change Official (since I hold a trademark on the name). I realize Instagram is also a Meta product. Most of my family is active there so it allows me to keep up with their lives and adventures. It also allows me to continue my Paws4Change outreach beyond my website but using a platform I find easier to control and navigate. If you have a topic about which you would like me to blog, reach out so we can chat. I am also open to creating short videos to promote organizations that function consistent with my values. That was how my advocacy began and I still have access to copyright cleared music that comes in handy.

As we head into the holiday season, I wish all of you the best and thank you for your years of support. The hardest lesson we learn from losing those we love is that what we value most - or regret most - at the end of our lives is time. Time spent. Time not spent. Time wasted. I hope as you look to the new year you will focus on being more present in your life with your family, with your friends and with your animal companions as you focus on your choices reflecting your values. Let go of things that bring you down and get busy livin'.

"Surrender" courtesy of Fisher from their album "The Lovely Years"