Dog Days of Winter

Do you ever just feel happy, content & fulfilled? Life is good, right?! Maybe not as good as this newborn puppy's life is! But we all need to remind ourselves of that more often, don't you think? Well, lately the place I spend 12 hours of my day - is also the place I'm finding I'm making a real difference in this huge world of ours! 

(And perhaps the reason I have been neglecting this lovely little blog of mine!)

Most of you are aware that I am a champion for ALL things ANIMAL! I wear the "Animal Advocate" badge proudly - at work & in my everyday life. Now that I have been focused on my AA causes, personally & professionally, I have found that I have entered a not-so-secret society of amazing people fighting for the rights of helpless creatures whose only crime has been providing humans with undeserved unconditional love.

Whether I am helping to save dogs from hoarding houses...

Investigating the legitimacy of the bad reputation given to pit bulls...

Working to adopt out special needs foster animals from rescue shelters...

Finding new homes for former K-9 police dogs...

Saving dogs that have been dumped in the street, at construction sites & in the Everglades...

Or finding out if my 6 pound chihuahua has what it takes to be a service dog...

I'm really tapping into the best & worst our world has to offer. 

And by that I really mean, humanity.

I am constantly shocked by the dichotomy that exists in animal lovers & animal haters. In my description of those "animals," I would rather say they are the people that have their special spots in hell already labeled & eagerly awaiting them.

But I digress... 

Take someone like Jay Borden, who spends every cent he has, saving death row pit bulls, taking them into his overcrowded home, rehabilitating these abused dogs, patiently socializing them & then tirelessly working to find someone willing to welcome this "bully breed" dog into their home & give them the love they never knew existed.

And then take someone like Franklin Davis who repeatedly shot a beautiful pit bull named Diesel, with his pistol & then dumped him to die in pain & agony next to a dumpster in Hollywood. 

I love my job & I know deep in my heart, that my passion & commitment to animals is saving them one-at-a-time, every single day. But I still can't wrap my head around people that have bigger hearts than I can even fathom & the people that seem to have no heart at all. The amount of animal cruelty I report on is at an all-time high.

These puppies would have died at a cement construction site if it wasn't for the amazing Lisette Alvarez & her rescue group Fur Angels. As much as I report on monsters who are more animal than the creatures they hurt, torture or abuse... It's the angels like Lisette that give their time, money & compassion to dogs & cats that  many of us would never even think twice about during our busy day.

Cherie Wachter works at the Humane Society of Broward County & she's one of my best friends. What she may not know is that she is also my hero... 

As well as a hero for all things furry with four legs. I met Cherie 10 years ago & she is the number one reason I am the animal supporter I am today.

Cherie got me involved with saving animals through my reports & stories as well as emceeing humane society events.

And because of her heart, creativity & dedication, she has saved more souls than I can count, not to mention all the humans she has had a hand in converting to the sensitive side. And because of all the drops in Cherie's bucket, that have added up over the years...

We were able to make a real difference this past week. After months of preparation, hard work, fundraising, community awareness and flat-out begging for $$$... The HSBC raised well over half a million dollars!! 

That's $500,000!!!

My furbabies Simba & Jagger were there for the festivities as the unofficial mascots representing rescue dogs (since they were both adopted from shelters) as thousands of pet parents came out to support the adoption of homeless animals throughout South Florida.

We have a long way to go as a society but I have hope & I'm more than willing to carry the torch for change, that so many animal lovers & soul saver have inspired me to do. When I see the wildfire they have started, I know that I am just beginning to scratch the surface. But a pretty wise & famous vegan once said, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it's animals are treated."

Ghandi

Those words still ring true today... We have a long way to go... I hope you join me in the journey.