This is Einstein. His head looked kind of heart shaped in this picture. I thought it was fitting.

One of my biggest pet peeves (pun intended) is when people claim to be “the world’s biggest animal lover” but maintain a meat-centric diet. Screaming about the cruelty of puppy mills while chomping on a cheeseburger is both illogical and hypocritical. With that said, I think that we veg-folk can be guilty of the opposite at times. It’s not that we’ve forgotten the sad truths that motivated good ol’ Bob Barker’s daily plea for us to spay and neuter our pets, it’s just that the unbelievable disregard for life inside of modern factory farms makes the issue seem insignificant in comparison.

So, in case Valentine’s Day has you feeling all lonely and wanting something fluffy to cuddle, allow me to issue a simple reminder: don’t shop, adopt! Don’t be the good animal activist who screws up and impulsively buys a puppy or kitten from a “responsible pet store.” There are literally thousands of animals in need of a good home in the Denver metro area.

Check out this list of Denver area shelters. Also, just an fyi, if you are thinking about getting a pet right now, the Dumb Friends League is currently offering an adoption special (all cats and dogs 1 year or older have a $14 adoption fee in honor of Valentine’s Day) through the 18^th.