When the media carry stories about Best Friends, untold numbers of viewers, readers and listeners are introduced to our message of kindness toward animals and our goal of No More Homeless Pets. Our hope is that they adopt our philosophy in their daily lives and take action to support animal welfare in their hometowns across America.
This occasional feature will review the good news about Best Friends.
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Experience Life Magazine article |
Cover models
Georgia, a previous Vick dog and now a media diva living with us at Best Friends, graces the cover of the October issue of Experience Life magazine along with Dogtown co-manager and “DogTown” star John Garcia. The magazine profiles Garcia, who explains why (in spite of having his pick of numerous college scholarships out of high school) he decided to go to work for Best Friends. “Pretty much my entire life I knew I wanted to work with the animals,” Garcia tells Experience Life. “I always felt I had a debt to repay them for what they’d done for me growing up.” Pick up an issue at your local newsstand or read it here.
Georgia isn’t the only Best Friends’ animal gracing the cover of a magazine. …
A few months ago we reported that Golden Globe-winner Mickey Rourke had adopted a cockatoo named Sunny from Best Friends. Rourke, who last year made a monumental comeback after years of being shunned by the film industry, found a bond with Sunny, who himself knows a thing or two about being shunned, having had six different homes before landing permanently with Rourke.
The two now appear to be inseparable, as illustrated on the cover and in the inside spread of this months’ British edition of GQ magazine. The magazine has named Rourke “man of the year” (we’d like to believe it was because he adopted a parrot instead of buying one). See the cover photo (warning: it’s a bit risqué).
Vick’s return to the NFL renews focus on his victims
With quarterback Michael Vick back in the NFL, scores of media outlets are catching up with the dogs who suffered his cruelty.
The “Dr. Phil” show did exactly that in an episode that aired lived on September 16. The show presented a 90-second vignette about the rehabilitation of the Vick dogs who came to live with us at Best Friends. You can download that clip here.
Of course, Vick’s return to the NFL has also triggered debate over whether or not the quarterback is genuinely remorseful of his actions and whether or not he should have been welcome back to the NFL so quickly after being released from prison. Best Friends’ co-founder Francis Battista weighs in with an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, reposted here.
On the heels of his op-ed, Battista was invited to air his opinions on WURD in Philadelphia. You can hear that interview here.
In other Vick-dog related news, Examiner.com reports the tragic death of Jasmine, one of the Vick dogs rehabilitated and adopted by the Maryland shelter, Recycled Love. Jasmine was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for a feature about the recovery of the dogs. Read the Examiner story, with Best Friends’ early assessment of the Vick dogs.
Calculating the cost
As so many of the Vick dogs have demonstrated, even pit bulls trained to fight pose no threat at all to people and can otherwise be rehabilitated and trained to be sweet, loving pets. Nonetheless, cities continue to paint all pit bull-type dogs with the same violent brush, proposing to ban the type from their communities. Elgin, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, is the latest city to consider such a ban, as the Courier-News reports here. The article refers to the Best Friends-sponsored Fiscal Impact Calculator, which helps cities calculate the financial hit taxpayers would take if they passed such an ineffective law.
The best way to see the southwest
Time magazine gives Best Friends Animal Sanctuary a vigorous nod in the travel section of its September 11 Asia edition, touting the sanctuary as a great destination, made all the better while volunteering at Dogtown, the sanctuary’s dog care area. “Of all the miles I’ve walked in the spectacular landscape of the American Southwest,” writes Phil Zabriskie, “one of the most memorable was a stroll over a stretch of desert scrub with a scruffy, playful, sweet-as-can-be black-and-white dog named Harley. We met at Dogtown. …”
Time magazine isn’t the only media outlet to have recently touted Best Friends as a supreme travel destination. The Official Best Of, a company that produces television programs showcasing the best attractions in a particular state, named Best Friends Animal Sanctuary “Utah’s Best Inspirational Destination” for 2009. The company produced a segment giving the lowdown on all there is to see and do at the sanctuary. You can download the segment here.
Puppy mill dog rescue
The Empire State News reports on the rescue and transport of 150 puppy mills dogs from the Midwest to New York, orchestrated and conducted by Best Friends’ Pup My Ride program. See the story here.
Hurricane Katrina: Four years later
The animal welfare community learned many lessons from rescuing some 15,000 animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of which was that Katrina had its bright side — in that an untold number of animals found homes after being rescued, animals who otherwise may not have. As the Florida Sun-Sentinel points out in an article that ran on the anniversary of Katrina, the hurricane turned out to be a good thing for many animals.
But it also served to enforce the idea that those who live in areas vulnerable to natural disasters need to have an evacuation plan that includes their pets, as Barbara Williamson, Best Friends’ media relations manager, reminds us in the story, which mentions Best Friends as saving 6,000 animals. You can read the story here.
Unfortunately, many people have yet to learn that they need to take their pets with them when evacuating, as Rick Crook, Best Friends’ rapid response manager, relates to USA Today columnist Sharon L. Peters. Peters reflects back on Hurricane Katrina and the heartache that comes with the memories of volunteering at an animal shelter in the aftermath. You can read the heartrending piece here.
Written by Ted Brewer
Photos by Best Friends staff
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
