Check out my pics at thesportscritics.com! I am thrilled with the vegan Vixens upcoming clothing line! see us at the eco Station in Culver City May 25th at noon!VOTE FOR ME AT LETTUCELADIES.COM ...CHECK OUT VEGANVIXENS.COM AND STMARTINSRESCUE.ORG FOR UPDATES ON WHATS HAPPENING WITH ME!Since I was a child I've always had a special bond with animals. For many years I didn't make the connection between all the different kinds of abuse and how it was linked together until I joined PETA and Last Chance for Animals. The fur and factory farms as well as medical research facililties and puppy mills were never a thought in my mind. I never realized how much child and animal abuse was going on. I started rescuing dogs and cats in 1987 soon after my beloved dogs Smoky and Roxy were poisoned. I was angry at the media and the department of animal regulations for giving pit bulls such a bad reputation, with no protection against dog fighters and over-breeders. The other issue that bothered me was that there wasn't a single organization reaching out to the Hispanic community about animal abuse issues.
I founded the St. Martin's Animal Foundation in the summer of 1998 and began a bilingual educational outreach and adoption program for animals. I was still working part time doing modeling for Frederick's of Hollywood and other catalogs to make rent. One day I was reading about the horrors of fur farms and the abusive ways these animals were killed and decided not to model fur or leather....I booked a job with a designer who paid very well and had just booked it through a brand spanking new agent ( it made me look really good). I noticed a few of the designs were winter wear and some wool (lamb) and angora (goat) sweaters so I figured I would get one of the other models to wear them for the shoot. My plan was working great and we were just about to finish the catalog shoot when the designer wheeled in a rack of fur coats. Torn on what to do and not wanting to lose my new modeling agent I went to change into the new garment. With each change I was crying my eyes out...I felt like a hypocrite...how could I rescue canines and then wear them? After the shoot was over I had a short talk with my agent about my feelings and they let me go. In 1999 I began going full force, educating the public about veganism and the importance of a plant based diet. No longer are animal products found on my clothing or in my tummy!
