You may know Tara Harper from the Bravo show ‘Most Eligible Dallas‘, but did you know she is also a vegetarian and animal activist?
Harper told the Huffington Post, about the animal rescue organization she started in Dallas eight years ago, Paws in the City. She says, “I started it up with no idea about what I was doing, then a week later Katrina hit and we took in a bunch of dogs from Louisiana and Mississippi…I had people contact me from all over the country to say they didn’t know they could just go and adopt a cat or dog out of a shelter rather than buying one at a pet store.” She added that she is currently fostering two dogs, but that one of them would likely be staying to live with the eight other dogs she has adopted.
Along with rescuing cats and dogs, Harper is also a vegetarian of 20 years. She admits not knowing how to begin when she first gave up eating meat during Lent, saying “I had no idea what I was doing and gained 20 pounds because I was just eating bread and pasta.” Now, she credits her work with Farm Sanctuary for helping her work toward becoming vegan. The reality TV star said after attending one of the organization’s 25th anniversary celebration events, “When I learned about how they started — selling veggie hotdogs out the back of their VW van at Grateful Dead concerts, I could totally relate to that. Starting off having no idea what you’re doing but being so passionate about it, and saving lives at the same time.”
As for her home city of Dallas, Harper says “Vegetarian and vegan restaurants aren’t very common here, but they are beginning to pop up.”
About Jennifer Mishler
Jennifer is an animal advocate and activist. She is a volunteer coordinator with The Girls Gone Green, a nonprofit organization advocating for animals rights, veganism, and environmentalism. She is also an Onshore Volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and a volunteer with CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates farm animals. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she writes about veganism and animal rights on her blog, A Dog's Eye View. She lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their three animal friends. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygoneveganView all posts by Jennifer Mishler →
