May 2-8 is national Be Kind to Animals Week. It is a good time for all of us to reflect on what we can do to make life better for animals.

Being kind to animals begins with how we treat the animals with whom we share our daily lives. In addition to providing the basics of food, shelter and medical care, we show kindness to our animal companions by spending quality time with them every day - playing with them, grooming them and showing them affection.

To me being kind to animals does not end with caring for my own pets. It means considering all of the ways my life affects animals and making choices that are kind, not harmful, to them.

The way animals are raised for food has many negative impacts - on the animals who suffer and die, on the environment and on our health - and so I choose to be vegetarian. The way many cosmetics, drugs and household products are tested causes horrendous animal suffering, and so I choose to purchase products that are "not tested on animals." I have seen, first hand, the suffering of dogs and cats kept in abominable conditions by disreputable breeders whose only motive is profit. They churn out animals by the thousands when millions are already dying in shelters for lack of homes. I choose to adopt my own pets from animal shelters and make sure they are spayed or neutered so they don't contribute to the problem of pet overpopulation.

Being kind to animals also means making sure that my own animals don't cause harm to other animals or people. Keeping my dog on leash in sensitive environmental areas is necessary in order to protect other kinds of animals from harm. Putting bells on my cat's collar is similarly important. Training dogs to be canine good-citizens is a kindness that keeps everyone safer.

Once we start thinking about what it means to be truly kind, the circle of compassion becomes wider and wider. Ultimately, it encompasses all beings and benefits everyone.

Please join me in celebrating Be Kind to Animals Week by taking the Sequoia Humane Society's Kind Deed Club Member Pledge today.

"I _______ pledge to be kind to every living creature and cultivate a spirit of protection to all who are weaker than myself and to treat animals as I would wish to be treated if I were in their place."