“Hey! Look at the cool fur jacket!” Sabrina Johnson cried and pointed to a grey fur jacket hanging up near-by. She picked it up and put it on.
     “It‘s soo warm and perfect for this freezing Michigan weather! It says a 100% lynx fur,” Sabrina continued.
     “Fur isn’t cool – in fact it’s cruel,” Lydia Neosho, Sabrina’s best friend, spoke up. “The steel-jaw leghold trap is the most common trap used in the U.S. When the trap’s metal jaws snap close, and the animal tries to escape, they may chew or twist away their limbs. To kill the animals without damaging their fur, trappers may strangle, beat or stomp on them. Traps don't always capture the animal the trapper wants; dogs, cats, raptors, deer and raccoons are accidental trapped. The good thing is that this trap is banned in quite a few states and more than 80 countries.”
     Sabrina’s eyes dilated as she hung up the fur jacket. “Really? That’s horrid!” Lydia shook her head sadly.
     “Still though, traps aren’t the only issue. Animals living in fur factories show behavior problems including ongoing pacing and weaving in the diminutive cages. Eventually at the fur factory, many animals are gassed, poisoned with strychnine, electrocuted or snapped by their necks. Horribly, some strong animals don't even die right away and have to suffer through it. ”
     Sabrina frowned. “That’s just not right. If you hadn’t told me that, I would have probably bought that jacket!!” Sabrina exclaimed as they walked out the store. Lydia couldn’t help but continue.
     “Many innocent people buy fur that come from innocent animals because they don’t know about the inhumane fur industry. When advertisements in magazines show models and celebrities promoting fur, the results are the wrong image- people thinking it is ok and fashionable to wear fur. ” Sabrina grinned as they entered another store.
     “Hmmm…maybe we can change that.” “What do you mean?” Lydia asked. “We can start a campaign by sending letters and emails to our friends and family asking them to get rid of real fur clothing and show people-” Sabrina started. “-how cool fake fur can be!” Lydia finished with a wide smile and tried on a jacket that read “made out of 100% faux fur.” Laughing, Sabrina grabbed the same reddish-brown jacket as Lydia and they ran to the check-out.