"I was over 40 when I became guardian to a tiny ball of shaggy canine just six weeks old. Naming her Sofie after her mother, I began to wonder what I'd let myself in for, never having looked after pets before (apart from the school guinea pig during the hols and Hammy the hamster, who broke my heart when he died). I
needn't have worried.

Sofie's almost 8 years old now and through her, and
in recent years her 'sidekick' Ben, our jack-the-lad rescue dog from Battersea, I've developed an immense love and respect for all animals.

But you don't need to have a love of animals to know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.

Nearly three years ago a good friend at work had a free ticket to the Living Without Cruelty Exhibition so she took me along. It was there that I saw part of the undercover video of shocking abuse at HLS - terrified
puppies being punched in the face and shouted at.

Their screams tore through me. I shook so much I had to find a seat and sit down. I thought of Sofie and of those monsters doing that to her.

I cried and cried for those poor animals, but then I got angry. Very angry. My God how could they do that to those innocent, defenceless animals!?

I read all the leaflets on HLS and vivisection. How could I have not known about this before? I had so many questions and with every answer I was more and more horrified.

I started to write letters, lots of letters, to the press, the Home Office, Tony Blair in the naive belief that my words would have an effect. Negative.

I started to go on demos and do stalls. My biggest regret is not being made aware of the horrors of the vivisection industry sooner and of not being part of the fight to close down hell holes like Hillgrove and Consort.

I now firmly believe that an 'in yer face' approach is the only way to educate the public about the atrocities
happening every single day in this country (and around the world). I wish someone had forced me to listen - pushed it in my face, for God's sake.

It wasn't until I saw those poor puppies being punched and heard their pitiful cries that I took action. It's beyond me how anyone can know about this abuse and turn the other way.

This evil must be fought. You can't pretend it's not happening. That's why, even though I hold down a full time job, have two dogs and my fair share of life's problems (hasn't everyone) I have pledged the rest of my life to doing all I possibly can to help in the fight
to expose animal abuse and especially to help put HLS into the abyss where it belongs."

Eileen Kinghorn. Receptionist for a busy publishing company in the West End.