Giving Back

2020 was hard on everyone. I said farewell to my BFF Cheddar on May 1, and I honestly can't remember the months that followed (not that there was much to remember anyway!). It was his time to transition – he was 17 – and I have no regrets. Still, I miss him very much. It seems like just yesterday that I met him at the Red Door Animal Shelter, and we bonded right away. He had a very playful personality which never diminished even in his senior years. We've made several donations since his passing to Red Door, in honor of him. If you have an animal/rescue...

I didn't have to think too hard about our November donation... it was (literally) staring me in the face this morning! As I flipped my calendar to the new month, this sweet guy appeared: This is the December image from the Jane Goodall Institute's 2020 calendar. It celebrates the 60th anniversary of her groundbreaking research on the wild chimpanzees at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. I'm not sad to see this strange year move on, but I will miss seeing these wonderful images each month. Hats off to Ms. Goodall and her team.  

In the first blog post (in 2017) I published a list of animal-welfare organizations that I wanted everyone to know about. Now that it's 2020, it's time to update the list with organizations mentioned in the last three years, as well as some new additions:Alley Cat Allies​Animal Law & Statutes of LimitationsAnimal Legal Defense FundAmerican HumaneBeagle Freedom ProjectChicago Bird Collision MonitorsThe Elephant SanctuaryGiraffe Conservation FoundationGreyhounds OnlyGuardians of RescueThe Honeybee ConservancyMontana Grizzly EncounterNational Anti-Vivisection SocietyA big thanks to friends and readers who contributed to this second list, and an even bigger thanks to anyone dedicated to helping this world to be a better place.

I'm returning from a long blog hiatus with a gentle plea to please give whatever you can to help the wildlife that has been deeply affected by the natural disasters in Australia. First the draught, then the raging fires, and now extreme rains are causing floods. ​Here are a few amazing organizations dedicated to that cause:• WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc.) has been rescuing and caring for wildlife for over 30 years and is the largest wildlife rescue organization in Australia. They currently have 3,000 volunteers in 28 branches, and have a dedicated Rescue Office that operates 365 days a year...

Many children around the world are living with untreated clefts. Most have difficulties eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Smile Train is an international children’s charity that supports 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care for children globally. Their sustainable model empowers local medical professionals to provide cleft care in their own communities.Every child with a cleft needs more than just surgery — they may also need dental care, orthodontics, and speech therapy. Where these services are available, they do everything they can to provide them to their patients. Smile Train has supported more than one million cleft surgeries since 1999. Every 5 minutes,...