We should consider the well-being of animals throughout the year but spring is a time to be especially conscientious. Many animals are coming out of hibernation or returning from warmer regions to begin breeding and building homes. As you begin to enjoy time outdoors and start any spring cleaning or repair, there are a few things you can do to help the animals that share your neighbourhood and home.

Recipes for a Tasty Vegan Spring

Ensuring Wild Animal Safety

As wild animals start to reappear in your neighbourhood and you begin to venture outdoors more and more often, spring is a good time to remember how your life affects the animals who share your home.

• When you let your companion cats and dogs out for some fresh spring air, prevent them from attacking or "playing with" wild animals. Many animals are brought to clinics each year with terrible wounds from dog and cat attacks so don’t allow your companions to run without supervision.
• If you have children, make sure they know to respect all wild animals and their habitats. Children need to learn that wild animals are not playthings and should be allowed to go about their lives undisturbed. Tell children not to go near or touch nests, burrows, and other animal homes.
• Pick up all litter that could harm wildlife, including food, six-pack connectors, fishing line, and batteries.
• Be an alert driver and avoid hitting or running over animals. Animals do not usually recognize the danger from an oncoming vehicle. If you ever notice turtles on the road or shoulder stop and move them away from the road.
• As a general rule, leave infant animals alone. You may think an animal is orphaned but a parent is usually nearby. If the animal appears to be injured or ill, the best thing to do is contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
• Place caps over all chimneys, vents, or holes on your roof to prevent birds, squirrels, and raccoons from taking up residence and encourage your neighbours to do the same. There is really no kind way to evict animals who have moved in and become a nuisance, and many people choose to trap or kill them.
• Don’t try to raise or keep wild animals yourself. Not only is it illegal, but wild animals do not tend to make good companions and captivity poses a constant stress to them. Young animals raised without contact with their own species don’t develop survival skills and fear of humans, making them unlikely to survive in the wild if released.

Wild Animals and Human Food Don’t Mix

Animal lovers are sometimes reluctant to believe that the best thing they can do for a wild animal is leave it alone. Many television shows, books, magazines, and advertisements feature people getting close to or feeding wild animals as if it were appropriate behavior. Don't be misled; feeding wild animals can put you and the animals you feed in danger. Whether you’re at home or traveling through a rural or wildlife protection area, keep these points in mind:

• Never feed wild animals or allow them to obtain unattended food or garbage. Wild animals that find “food rewards” just once may become aggressive toward humans. Animals that come looking for food or garbage are often killed to protect people and their property.
• It is especially dangerous to stop and feed animals on the side of a road. Animals that have been fed along roads tend to stay near the road, increasing their chances of being hit by a vehicle. 
• Properly dispose of any food wrapping in animal resistant garbage containers. Animals will eat anything with an odor, including aluminum foil and plastic, which can severely damage their digestive systems and even lead to death.
• Some human foods and garbage may cause tooth decay, ulcers, malformation of horns, arthritis, or allow the spread of diseases such as rabies and distemper in wild animals.

Welcoming Birds in Spring

It’s said that spring has arrived once the first robin is spotted back in town. Most birds found in Canada migrate to find better weather to the south in winter but they return in spring when the weather is once again warm enough for their liking. Birds usually breed and build their nests in April and May. Some species will breed a second time if they lose their first clutch of eggs. Others breed twice in a row every year or even three times when circumstances favour them so many bird species can still be found looking after chicks late in summer.

Don’t make things harder for the birds that return to your neighbourhood in spring. Use these tips to help those that live in your area:

• If you notice a bird nest, stay away from it. Birds are made very uneasy by humans near their nests and sometimes a bird that is frightened away from its nest will not come back, leaving the eggs or chicks behind. If you uncover a nest, chicks may be easily noticed by predators.
• If you find young birds on the ground, look around for the nest and attempt to return them to it with as little disturbance as possible.
• Be sure not to bother or frighten birds away. This can disturb their breeding season. If you want to observe birds do so quietly from a distance without interfering.
• Follow paths and trails. You may disturb birds, as well as other animals, if you go walking through woods, bushes, river banks and lake shores overgrown with bushes and rushes, and areas that are rarely visited by people in general.
• Before mowing your lawn or rototilling your garden, walk through the area to make sure no ground-nesting birds are in harms way. It only takes a couple of weeks for these babies to grow and leave the nest so be tolerant and give them the time they need.
• Use only non-toxic products on your garden or lawn. Besides killing insects and larvae, pesticides also kill young birds that are fed the poisoned insects. Furthermore, if there aren’t enough insects left to eat in an area, birds cannot survive there. 
• Never leave pans of motor oil unattended. Birds often fall into these pans and few survive.
• Alert birds to large panes of glass in your home, like patio doors and picture windows. Birds will frequently collide with windows and doors they aren’t aware of, causing injury or death. You can hang streamers, stick bird silhouettes or other cut-outs on the glass surface, or allow the glass to stay a bit dirty.
• If you would like to put a nest box or bird house on your property, remember to consider the safety of its future inhabitants. The box should be put well out of reach of cats and curious people.
• Before buying or building a nest box find out what dimensions are best suited for the species of bird that will likely live in it. Some of the boxes sold in supermarkets and gardening stores are too flat, with big entry holes that leave inhabitants vulnerable to predators.
• Avoid cutting down dead trees if they pose no safety hazard because they provide homes for birds and a variety of other wildlife. If you are going to cut down a tree, make sure there are no active nests or animals living in its cavities.
• Help provide places for birds to settle by planting thick shrubs or hedges around your house. The more varied the bushes and shrubs in your garden, the more bird species will be able nest in it.

Who Let the Dog Out?

With the cold weather over, it will be okay to start letting your dog into the yard to play. While it’s fun to be outdoors, remember that she won’t want to be left alone in the yard every day. Try to imagine how you would feel if you were forced to stay in your yard alone day after day. Also imagine how you would feel if you could hear the voices and activity of your family and friends but were isolated from everything that was happening. It’s likely that you would feel lonely, sad, and frustrated, as many “backyard dogs” do.

The many varieties of dog we know as our companions originated from wild dogs or wolves, both of which are social animals that live in packs. It is no surprise then that a dog forced to live alone in your yard, garage, or basement howls, barks and whines. Most people will need to leave their companions alone sometimes but don’t make it the norm. Make sure your dog feels like a member of your family.

Recipes for a Tasty Vegan Spring

This spring, take pleasure in eating with these tasty veggie dishes, salads, and succulent snacks.

Creamy Potato Salad

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 medium white potatoes
• 1/2 cup Nayonaise or Vegenaise
• 4 Tbsp. yellow prepared mustard
• 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Paprika (optional)

Preparation

• Cut the potatoes into cubes and cook in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and let cool completely.
• Put the potatoes in a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients.

Excellent Eggless Egg Salad

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 lb. firm tofu, mashed
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. prepared mustard

Preparation

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Spread on sandwiches or crackers.

Artichoke Puffs

Makes 6 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 10 oz. packages puff pasty shells (12 shells)
• 1 tsp. margarine
• 2 tsp. water
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion or green onion
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups soy milk
• 1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts
• Paprika, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Bake the pasty shells until golden, according to the directions on the package.
• While the shells are baking, heat the margarine and water in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, or until transparent.
• Stir in the cornstarch and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the soy milk and stir until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Drain the artichoke hearts and chop coarsely.
• Add to the creamed mixture and season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Remove the tops from the pastry shells.
• Spoon the artichoke mixture into each pasty shell and reheat the puffs at 350ºF for 5 minutes. Replace the tops and serve immediately.

Asparagus with Asian Vinaigrette

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients 

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives
• 12 stalks asparagus
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mustard, sesame oil, vinegar, and chives to form vinaigrette.
• Steam the asparagus until tender (3 to 5 minutes), drain, then toss to coat in the vinaigrette.
• Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

A-B-C Muffins

Makes 10-12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup cashews, chopped

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Lightly oil the muffin pan.
• Combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add the apple juice, apple, banana and cashews and stir well.
• Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until slightly raised and lightly browned.

Fresh Apricot Crisp

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups pitted apricots, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sugar or other sweetener
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 Tbsp. water

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Toss the chopped apricots with the lemon juice and set aside.
• Combine the rolled oats, sugar, and Spectrum Naturals Spread (see note below) and mix thoroughly.
• Remove 1 cup and set aside. Add the water to the remainder and mix until crumbly.
• Spray a 9-inch square baking pan lightly with a nonstick spray.
• Pat the oat mixture into the pan. Spread the apricots evenly over this and top with the reserved crumb mixture.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top crust is lightly browned.