Tag: oprah

The Dog Bailout Gift Card as Seen on Oprah
Oprah and her Lange Foundation gift card via Oprah.com

Day 7 of my 12 Days of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule, and Hanukkah Gift Guide (for those still counting). Today, I give you the gift that caused a sensation when Oprah featured it on her Investigation of Puppy Mills show last year…

The Doggie Bailout from the Lange Foundation.

$75 will save dog (or cat) from the L.A. City Animal Shelters. The gift's recipient will receive a photo of the dog you rescued and a story about the pet from founder, Gillian Lange. The donation goes towards the shelter "bail-out fee", medical care, and other kennel related expenses. You are also invited to stop by the kennel and inquire about specific dogs who are in need.

Here is an excerpt of the letter Oprah received from Salina, a blind Cocker Spaniel chosen in her honor:

"One morning last week there was great excitement. … One of the dogs
had heard an officer say that someone from Lange Foundation was coming
to choose a dog in your honor. I shared in the excitement, even though
I knew the dog chosen would not be me. I was old and I was blind. I'd
lived for many years in the yard of my owner's home. They never paid
much attention to me. I did have my own doghouse, and that is where I
spent most of my life, especially when I could no longer see.

"When the foundation arrived, I tried to look my best as I knew it was
my fifth day at the pound—my final day. The lady slowly walked up and
down the aisles. I could sense that she was sad, and I heard her say to
the kennel man, 'I wish I could take all of them.' She passed by my
crowded dog run for the third time, and then she stopped and said, 'I
think I'll take that one … I'll take the blind one.'"

Oprah was so moved, she immediately wrote the Lange Foundation a check for $10,000.

With this card, you truly are giving the gift of life. And after all we have seen, don't dogs deserve a bailout too this year?

The Lange Foundation also reminds dog lovers to think of them when your are out shopping this season. They are always in need of the following items:
- Any kind of canned dog or cat food
- Hills Science Diet A/D (special formula available at vets offices)
- Hills Science Diet I/D (special formula available at vets offices)
- Light Food
- Leashes and collars
- Dog and cat beds
- Cat trees
- Indestructible chew
- Toys (Nylabone)
- Cow Hooves
- Advantage
- Frontline
- Kitty Litter (preferably the clay formula)
- Veterinary Supplies (call us for more details on what we use)
- Towels, sheets, and blankets
- Office supplies
For more information call: (310) 472-7727
December 9, 2008
Puppy Mill Action Alert
Fertilizer Contains Puppy Ingredients by Jillian Kesselman

For anyone who is still haunted by Oprah's show about puppy mills, here is a way to take action.

The Pennsylvania legislature is considering House Bill 2525 which would impose stringent new rules for kennels that keep more than 26 dogs a year. New procedures would include:
- increased minimum cage sizes
- limits on the stacking of cages
- the removal of dogs while cages are cleaned
- set standards for temperature, lighting, ventilation and veterinary care
It would also impose the strictest rules for the care of adult breeder dogs, those that can spend their entire lives in kennels, including access to the outdoors.

Pennsylvanians, the Humane Society has made it easy to contact your representative to let him or her know you passionately support the passage of this bill. Click here to take action.

And, if you're not from Pennsylvania, send a letter too. It certainly can't hurt, and may just make a difference in putting an end to the widespread torture of dogs throughout idyllic PA.

Read more in Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette.
May 22, 2008
Grace Chon’s Beautiful Black Dogs

Zoey

Yesterday, dog blog friends, Ann B. at the The Daily Dachshund and Linda O’Neill of Abby Creek Art both mentioned the AP’s article about Black Dog Syndrome – the sad fact that black dogs make up the highest percentage of dogs put to sleep in animal shelters because people have the perception that they are unfriendly. The article cites several reasons for this phenomenon including the misperception that all black dogs are aggressive, that white hairs in their muzzles can make them look elderly, that they are hard to see against the shadows of their cages, and that they are difficult to photograph, especially their dark eyes.

Maya

This reminded me of an amazing L.A. pet photographer I recently discovered named Grace Chon. I love Grace’s clean, modern style and her playful approach to photo shoots. She actually comes bearing treats and toys. But what I truly admire about Grace is her dedication to shelter dogs and the way she uses her talent to help them, especially black dogs, find forever homes.

Gorgeous black shelter dog

Grace spends her spare time volunteering for an animal rescue group called The Paw’d Squad. She takes beautiful photographs of the shelter dogs for their website in order help capture the essence of the dogs and help draw in people looking to adopt. Through what she affectionately calls her Extreme Dog Makeovers, she can make a big difference in whether or not a dog finds a home. For example, here is a snapshot of a Rottweiler named Fannie Mae taken by The Paw’d Squad:

Fannie Mae "Before"

And here is Grace’s photo:

Fannie Mae "After" really captures her happy, playful, silly nature. And by the way she’s still in need of a home if you know anyone.

And she doesn’t give up. Sometimes she will go back month after month taking photos of the same dog to try to get the exact right image that will attract a prospective doggie parent. Her results have been remarkable and have had a profound impact on helping The Paw’d Squad find homes for dogs that seemed completely unwanted, before Grace did her magic. For example can you believe this little guy had trouble finding a home?

Paw’d Squad snapshot of Brass a Rottweiler puppy mix.

Not after Grace gave him a photography makeover:

Who could resist seeing this little face on a website?

Also, as an owner of two black rescue dogs, Maeby, a former Mexican street dog, and Zoey, a pup born in the gutter of Taiwan whom she rescued through an international organization called ART, she is an advocate of adopting and promoting the joy of owning black dogs.

Maeby

Zoey after her bath

It’s been a tough week looking at the brutality of puppy mills on Oprah, searching for ways to raise money for the ASPCA, but when you see the impact that one person can make on the lives of so many dogs, it’s truly inspiring. It’s an honor, Grace, to feature you and your beautiful black dogs on Dog Art Today. Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of these sweet creatures just looking for a place to call home.

To commission a portrait of your pet visit Grace’s shinepetphotos website. To see more of her work along with more Dog Extreme Makeovers visit her blog.

April 11, 2008
Puppy Mills: What To Do?

Disposable by Jacqalyn Binder

I can’t stop thinking about Oprah’s show about puppy mills. It was like watching Schindler’s List for dogs. I still feel sick when I think about the gruesome factory-like conditions and the suffering dogs they showed. One of the worst segments, was watching a day in the life of Forth Worth’s Animal Control Department, seeing the man responsible for marking a red "E" on the cages of the dogs to be euthanized that day. And then watching him do it, bag them, and pile them into the dumpster to take to a landfill. It was horrific.

Tip by Jay McClellen

Today, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do to advocate against puppy mills and help promote spaying and neutering programs. Here are some starters:

AnnB over at The Daily Dachshund has started a campaign to ban puppy ads from her site. Since, puppy mill owners now sell thousands of puppies via the Internet, this is a great step all bloggers can take to help prevent these mill owners from thriving. Here is a list of advertisers to filter out on your sites:

nextdaypets.com
Kijiji.ca
shopzilla.com
dachshundsavvy.com

Ann also asks her readers to contact her if they see disreputable puppy ads on here blog. I’m asking Dog Art Today readers to do the same. Please drop me a note at moira@dreamdogsart.com.

Great idea Ann. Thanks for getting this going!

No Photos Please by Alyssa Grenning

Also, the ASPCA is asking supporters to send Oprah a thank you note for shedding the light on puppy mills to her millions of viewers.
They also have an Advocacy Brigade where you can sign up to get animal legislation alerts.

The Mail Line Animal Rescue, the organization behind getting Oprah to do the show, is asking Pennsylvania residents to contact their representatives to support Governor Ed Rendell’s legislation to improve conditions of dogs kept and sold in PA. Learn more about it here.

Bob Barker’s DJ & T Foundation funds low cost spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs as a way to help relieve animal over population. A donation to it would be a terrific way to help.

I Am Fiercely Loyal by Sydney Brown Tarman

Please feel free to drop me a note with more ideas. I have yet to find legislation and a contact person on a federal level to address this issue. And it seems like that would be the best approach since establishing strict laws in one state only pushes breeders over the border to the next.

I will keep you posted as I learn more.

Moira

(All artwork is from F.U.E.L.’s Puppies Are Biodegradable show. 50% of sales go to organizations devoted to puppy mill rescue.

April 7, 2008
Oprah Dedicates Show to Sophie

Oprah and her Cocker Spaniels, Sophie and Solomon

Oprah Winfrey will dedicate her show tomorrow, Friday, April 4th, to investigating puppy mills in honor of her Cocker Spaniel, Sophie (bought from a breeder), who died last month from kidney failure. She says the show, featuring investigative reporter Lisa Ling, is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has
ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane
treatment."

Puppy Math by Daniel McCartney

The airing is timely, considering the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation is mounting their own Puppies Are Biodegradable Art Show from April 1st to April 8th in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City. Inspired by the F.U.E.L. Collection’s highly publicized show of the same name last year, the artists and organizers aim to bring awareness to the atrocities of puppy mills and raise money to help prevent their proliferation across the heartland. New artworks will be featured this year along with some from the F.U.E.L. show. 50% of all sales will be donated to organizations devoted to puppy mill rescue. Here are some picks from last year’s exhibition.

Confucius by Noelle Nardone

Pile ’em Up by Alyssa Grenning

Good Will by Lauren E. Todd (Many puppy mills are in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where this charming Pennsylvania-Dutch style artwork is ubiquitous.)

Quickly! by Austin Lee

One Wish by Carlos Fernandez-Dieppa

I am going to try to watch this show, but I am sure it will be horrifying. Oprah commits herself to adopting only shelter dogs in the future, saying, "I am a changed woman after seeing this show." I am sure her viewers will feel the same way.

April 3, 2008
Bev Hollis: Purpose Driven Photography

Have you ever heard the saying that style is the art of being yourself on purpose? I think it’s true, but then you look at Oprah on the cover of Vogue, or Jamie Lee Curtis without her Spanx, you realize that style, especially when it comes to photography, is also the art of putting together a team of experts that includes a great photographer, a make up artist, a hair stylist, a trainer, and a wardrobe consultant. Now, if you’re interested in the dog equivalent of the perfect photo, you’re in luck, there is a person who can pull it off by herself, Leesburg, Virginia-based pet photographer, Bev Hollis.

To understand how Hollis manages to make your dogs be themselves on purpose, first explore her process. She knows that so much is serendipity when it comes to dogs and photography that she makes a concerted effort to be prepared well before the first shot is taken. Meeting your pet prior to the session allows her to understand her subject and conceptualize the final presentation for you. Then, she works either on location to make your dogs comfortable or in her studio to help contain the variables. Either way she creates gorgeous photographs that not only capture the silly charm of your pet, but also give them the status they deserve as honored members of the family – or to put it in magazine terms, the cover shot.

Visit Bev Hollis Photography to see more beautiful dogs and arrange a session for your pup.

March 24, 2008
1 Second Film: Your Dog Can Be a Movie Producer

I love when Oprah shares the next great novel or the best comfy t-shirt. But I also love being in the know before Oprah is. Last year I was working at a charity event and I saw Nirvan Mullick standing behind a wooden lemonade-stand-like structure with “Be a Film Producer” painted atop it. Curious, I asked him what it was about. He said, for $1 I could become a producer on the world’s longest short film. The price was right, so I reached in my pocket and pulled out $1 and added my name to the credits of The 1 Second Film.

Back home, when I logged onto the website to fill out my producer profile, I noticed the option for dog producers, so of course I gave my credit to Darby. He loves creative endeavors that bring the world together for a good cause — all profits from the film will be donated to the Global Fund for Women. Hopefully Oprah and her dogs will too. Right now, Nirvan and his co-producers are on a “Road to Oprah” cross country trip to raise awareness and ultimately to ask Oprah to donate a $1. (See the video clip above to get the full story.) Good luck guys. See you on Oprah!

(Oprah with her Cocker Spaniels Sophie and Solomon)

(Oprah’s White Haired Golden Retrievers: Luke, Layla and Gracie. Sadly, Gracie passed away this summer by choking on a toy ball. Oprah was shocked and devastated, but tried to see the lesson in Gracie’s life and death.)

Click here to make you or your dog a producer of the 1 Second Film. Read more about the genesis of this global project here. What perfect moment would you chose to be made into a 1 second film? Submit yours here.

October 23, 2007
Breaking News: Free Katie Mastermind is also Talented Painter

Two years ago, Sheila Cameron became an international sensation when, after watching Tom Cruise jump on Oprah’s couch, she made a simple t-shirt to plea for Katie Holmes’s liberation. The Free Katie movement exploded around the world and Sheila became the go-to source for TomKat watchers. (Visit her lively message boards to share your opinions.) But aside from tracking the publicity-crazed couple and raising her daughter, she is also a talented painter and sometime dog artist. (Full disclosure, she is also my sister. She painted that picture of me up there in the corner of my blog.) Visit her portfolio so see more of her spectacular paintings and stop by SheilaCameron.com for all your logo and t-shirt needs.

May 1, 2007