The Public: Empowering Positive Change for a Better Future
"Small actions by many together can lead to significant change for all."
The Pink Shirt Day movement began in Nova Scotia when students David Shepherd and Travis Price bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to support their fellow Grade 9 student who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.
Now their care and concern is a movement celebrated across the globe.
What kind of world do you choose?
As a member of the public, we each play a powerful role in shaping the future of animal welfare. Each of us, through small, intentional actions, contributes to a movement of lasting change that benefits not only animals but our communities, our health, and our shared planet.
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We know there’s an inseparable connection between people and animals, and that how we treat them affects how we treat each other.
So, the Sentient Animal Law Foundation invites you to imagine a world where kindness is the norm and join a community committed to creating a world where positive animal welfare is the standard—a world where animals experience a life enjoyed, not just endured.
Why Positive Animal Welfare Matters to You, Your Family, and Our Shared Planet
You may wonder, “How does positive animal welfare affect my life?” The answer lies in the deeply connected systems that link our health, our environment, and our values.
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Positive animal welfare (PAW) evolved in response to the recognition that older concepts of “animal welfare” disproportionately focused on and measured the negative states of animals. The Five Domains model has provided scientific evidence for what most people already knew—that, like us, animals experience positive states like comfort, interest, and pleasure, not just pain, distress, and suffering.
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SAL describes this difference by saying that “less pain is not the same as more pleasure.”
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Positive animal welfare involves being kind but is much more than a sentimental notion about kindness to animals. There are many serious and pragmatic aspects to positive animal welfare that affect the economy, our shared environment, and our future. Due to the inseparable nature of the human-animal relationship, positive animal welfare is a key factor in public health, sustainable practices, and responsible resource management. Issues like food safety, biodiversity, and climate resilience are directly influenced by the standards governing our use and treatment of animals.
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The COVID-19 pandemic taught us valuable lessons on the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change have revealed the urgent need to rethink how we care for and interact with animals.
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By supporting positive welfare law, you’re contributing to a framework that addresses these critical issues at their roots. Your actions are one important part of what is a vital larger collective change.
Add Your Voice to Thousands of Others for Meaningful Change
Much like movements that changed society for the better—civil rights, environmental justice, and public health— today’s animal welfare movement needs your voice as part of the collective unified voice to achieve genuinely meaningful progress.
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Imagine if we all ‘walked the walk’ and standards of humane treatment were more than optional guidelines - if they were legally reinforced so that we lived by an agreed code that said ‘be kind in addition to just avoiding harm’.
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Positive animal welfare law does not replace existing anti-cruelty laws; it evolves them. So, by supporting SAL’s work, you’re part of an effort that expands protections for animals, and sets a new standard of care that impacts every part of society, from food safety to environmental conservation.
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Imagine the ripple effects when thousands of people just like you, advocate for laws that prioritise not just the prevention of harm but also giving others the opportunity to enjoy comfort, interest and pleasure as well.
How You Can Be Part of the Solution
Our actions—consumer choices, conversations, and donations—all add up to create a collective momentum for change. Here are some practical ways you can make a meaningful difference today:
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1. Support Humane Brands:
Studies show that 83% of Millennials prefer to buy from brands that align with their values. You can do the same. By choosing products from companies committed to transparency and positive welfare standards, you’re effectively casting your vote and your dollar for positive change. Our individual choices then become a collective voice, encouraging other companies, political parties, and providers to adopt positive welfare practices in their own policies and standards.
2. Become an Informed Advocate:
Knowledge empowers, connects and grows us. You’re invited to explore SAL's materials to learn about the science of the Five Domains, understand why law is a unique change management tool that you can shape, and see why simply 'recognising' sentience predictably fails to deliver meaningful change. Discover how with just three words—'and positive states'—you can transform our rulebook. By sharing what you learn with family, friends, and community members, you’re helping to build a culture that values well-being for all of us.
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3. Get Involved:
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​​Come and have a look at SAL's Get Involved page for a list of financial and non-financial ways you, your family and friends can, together, join others in helping to support laws that ensure positive welfare standards. Law reform creates enforceable, lasting change that amplifies the efforts of each of us who are involved. Your donation to the vision of SAL, supports one change that is foundational to multiple other related animal causes.
Imagine standing back, seeing animals enjoying comfort, interest, or pleasure in years to come, seeing the change in the world for the better through our better treatment of animals, and saying to your children or your grandchildren, 'we helped make that happen”.
Making a Difference for Future Generations with SAL
Positive animal welfare laws, already enacted in places like Australia with the input of SAL, validate that this vision is not only possible but also achieved and replicable.
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It’s said that in terms of effective change, 'for every thousand working on the leaves, there’s one working on the roots.' The Sentient Animal Law Foundation invites you to Contact Us and add your voice to the one collective voice working on the roots of this critical change.
Together we’re rewriting and updating the rulebook to effectively build a legacy of positive welfare into our inseparable human-animal-environmental relationship—not just for today, but for generations to come.