Rallying for Pigeons

Posted on by Joan OBrien in In the News

On July 20, 2024, we hit the streets of Portsmouth for the first ever World Day for the Defense of Liminal Animals, doing our part to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and “liminal animals.”

Liminal animals, such as pigeons, rats, and squirrels, are integral to our urban lives, yet their rights are often disregarded. This year’s focus was pigeons.

We held signs, shared information, gave out pigeon stickers, and had conversations with passersby.

A Song About Pigeons!

An animal activist from the band No Planet B wrote a beautiful song about pigeons — The Animals Among Us (or Les Animaux Parmi Nous, since World Day for the Defense of Liminal Animals was created in France).

Poison, gassing, or other lethal methods should never be used to control pigeon populations.

There are ethical and effective ways to coexist, such as using birth control for pigeons!

Pigeon Quiz

We shared a quiz about pigeons.

Along with some “fun facts.”

Thank you!

Thank you to our volunteers, supporters, and everyone who stopped by to learn about peaceful coexistence with pigeons.

Sat, Jun 7, 2025 – Monthly Puppy Store Protest

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Events

Ever since The Puppy Palace in Manchester, NH opened its doors in May 2023, NHARL has been peacefully protesting the store to warn the public and would-be shoppers about puppy mills and promote “Adopt Don’t Shop.” 

With the colder weather, our once weekly protests are now monthly — the first Saturday of the month from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. Signs will be provided.

The larger the crowd, the more attention we can bring to the issue, so join us for whatever portion you can and bring your friends.

Park in the TJ Maxx Plaza on South Willow in Manchester (14 March Ave.) and meet us on the public sidewalk along on South Willow.

After the protest, join us for refreshments at Panera.

What happened to Gus?

Photo Gallery

Ever since The Puppy Palace in Manchester opened its doors, we have been out in force protesting this business and making sure that Gus — a puppy who died at the store — is not forgotten. What happened to Gus?

July 29, 2023 Protest

July 22, 2023 Protest

Photos from July 22 by Michelle Heath Photography.

Earlier Protests

Revealing the Dark Side of Dairy at the Farm and Forest Expo

Posted on by Joan OBrien in In the News

NH Animal Rights League is pleased to share the news of our successful outreach efforts at the Farm, Forest, and Gardening Expo held at the Deerfield Fairgrounds. 

During this 2-day event (May 3- 4), we revealed the dark side of dairy in a welcoming, non-theatening way (or, at least, that was the intent) and made sure everyone who stopped left knowing that despite the idyllic scenes on milk cartons, dairy cows suffer on even the best of farms.

Visitors to our booth were invited to take a quiz in exchange for a plant-based milk or milk chocolate treat!

Quiz for Adults

Answers are at the end of this post.

Quiz for Kids

Answers are at the end of this post.

Reactions and Results

Very few adults or kids got 100% on the quizzes. As we helped people correct their tests, we indirectly revealed the suffering and exploitation that takes place on dairy farms.

The folks who did do well on the quizzes were the dairy farmers and their families. And since the Farm and Forest Expo is a trade show for people who grow crops, trees, and, of course, animals, we met a lot of dairy farmers.

Surprisingly, many dairy farmers happily took the quiz. Some are so steeped in the industry, that they matter-of-factly answered the questions correctly without even recognizing that we were making the point that dairy is cruel.

Others were defensive and wanted to argue. They told us that they take good care of their animals, not like factory farms. We had long conversations with some of these folks, acknowledging that they care but also maintaining that dairy and animal agriculture are fundamentally cruel.

The NH Dept. of Agriculture was at the event, and based on our observations and interactions, there was clearly a contingent who were unhappy with our presence. 

On the bright side, we met a handful of vegans and vegetarians, and just about everyone who sampled the Not Milk chocolate milk, Silk vanilla milk, Ripple original milk, plant-based Reeses, or Lindt oat milk chocolate bar, declared it to be delicious. (Of course, some stubbornly refused to even try what we were offering.)

Free Pins!

Kids enjoyed selecting from an assortment of free pins.  It was a hoot watching kids from meat-eating families joyfully pinning on “Friends Not Food” buttons.

Lighthearted Posters

We purchased four fun and colorful posters online to make the case for ditching dairy in a lighthearted way.

Quiz Answers!

Answers to the Kids’ quiz:

Answers to the Adult quiz:

We are working on tabulating the answers for the completed quizzes so we can see what percentage of people got each question right or wrong. We’ll post the result here once we have them 

Unhappy Sights

Naturally, we saw beasts of burden and other exploited animals at the event.

There was also a distressing exhibit put on by New Hampshire State Parks inviting visitors to match the skulls of dead animals with their pelts and trying to pass itself off as “conservation.” Some of us expressed our dismay and were told that the animals had died of natural causes.  

Someone in the parking lot had this poster on their windshield. 

Wonder who? 🙂 

Let Go and Let Nature Be

Posted on by Joan OBrien in Programs, Wild Animals

The world is losing nature at a remarkable pace, and New Hampshire is no exception. The crisis spares no creature — mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and even the tiniest invertebrates are disappearing.

The culprits? Rampant development, widespread pesticide use, and climate change. Safeguarding habitats is no longer enough — we must enable nature to expand.

The good news is that simply by letting land be, allowing nature to reclaim its space, we can help imperiled species rebound.

83% of land in the U.S. is privately owned. If we planted native on 50% of private land we would restore biodiversity… and we can do it starting NOW.

Doug Tallamy
© Caelin Graber

9 ways to promote wildlife

  • Don’t mow
  • Leave leaves
  • Keep your trees!
  • Plant for pollinators
  • Landscape for wildlife
  • Use non-lethal methods to deter unwelcome wildlife
  • Lights off at night
  • Retire your bug zapper
  • Build homes for animals

Pledge A Plot

How much of your land are you prepared to dedicate to the wild?

Resources

Delicious Time at Build-A-Cookie

Posted on by Joan OBrien in In the News

We had a great time visiting with old and new friends at Build-A-Cookie, located in the Fox Run Mall in Newington, Saturday, March 16.

The NHARL-inspired “Lucky Dog” cookie was featured along with many other cruelty-free, allergen-friendly, and gluten-free treats.

Huge thanks to cookie queen Alex and her Build-A-Cookie team for their delicious baked goods and support.

Yes, the cookies and brownies are as big as they look!

If you missed the meetup, be sure to visit Build-A-Cookie another time — they are open Thu, Fri, and Sat from 10:00 – 5:00 — and tell Alex NHARL sent you!

Joining the fun were lucky dogs “Sunny” (left) and “Kowalski” (right) who enjoyed the dog-friendliness of the mall (but not really each other).