MAN, DOG, CREATE A NEW BREED OF PHILANTHROPY (Associated Press)
When Charlie Annenberg adopted an
abandoned golden retriever named Lucky, a new breed of philanthropy was born. Lucky was
4 in 2001 when he teamed up with Annenberg, scion to a wealthy family known for
giving money away. Annenberg incorporated Lucky into all his projects. They
were on the road more than they were home as they traveled around making
documentaries about people who were making a difference.
Lucky became Annenberg’s sidekick and
soul mate, and would eventually inspire donations to dog-focused causes from
the $8 million or so that the philanthropist controls annually. Whether it
was a chef at the White House or coal miners 100 feet underground in West
Virginia, Lucky made documentary interviews easy because he made everyone
comfortable. The workload for both man and dog grew with the
website explore.org. Using
state-of-the-art cameras, Annenberg brought wildlife to stunning life for
millions of Web watchers. He and Lucky traveled to every installation in North
America, and everywhere they went, Annenberg filmed Lucky interacting with
people and places.
In 2010, Annenberg decided to use his Lucky
photos and films for a travel journal on Facebook, telling the story of their
trips. Annenberg called the journal Dog Bless You, he said,
because several years earlier Lucky had befriended a homeless man in San
Francisco. They shared time and a sandwich with the man. As they were leaving,
the man said, “Dog bless you.” The Facebook page was all
about Lucky, but it captured the fervor for pets that was growing around the
country. “Today we have an audience of 505,000 fans,” said Courtney
Johnson, explore.org’s
community relations manager.
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| Annenberg & 'Lucky' |
When an earthquake and tsunami struck
Japan in 2011, killing more than 18,000 people, Annenberg used Dog Bless You to
send six search dogs. Then war veterans started returning home in large numbers,
with wounds including brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many
of them needed service dogs. Passion for the cause on Dog Bless You soared. Service
dogs cost between $2,000 and $50,000 each, depending on how much training they
need, Johnson said.
Annenberg, grandson of the late publisher, ambassador and
philanthropist Walter H. Annenberg, is a vice president and director of the
grant-making Annenberg Foundation. In just three years, he has
donated 170 guide dogs, search-and-rescue dogs or service dogs for veterans. Most of
the dogs funded by Annenberg have been for veterans. Because there are waiting
lists at almost every training school and experts say thousands of veterans
would benefit from a dog, Annenberg plans to accelerate the dog grant program.
Warrior Canine Connection in
Brookeville, Md., is just one of the dog training schools Annenberg uses,
but it’s also unique because dogs are raised for, by and with veterans. The latest
group of nine puppies is even named after veterans, Warrior Canine Executive
Director Rick Yount said.
“It’s a good way to say, ‘We are not
forgetting about your sacrifices.’ And [the namesakes] get to spend time with the
puppies and get therapy themselves,” Yount said. Trained
veterans teach the puppies for the first eight to12 weeks. Then the dogs go
live with volunteers from military or veterans’ organizations.
“By the time a dog is fully trained, over 500 vets and
servicemembers have been involved in getting it ready,” Yount said.
As Lucky aged and slowed down, the
format of Dog Bless You changed, becoming a tribute to every dog. And Lucky had
to retire from traveling. Annenberg misses Lucky at work. “He was my
partner on all these trips,” he said. “It’s not the same. He would open the
door and make me look good. People always stopped and petted him. Everyone
wanted to keep Lucky, especially the coal miners. Isn’t it interesting that
every day was a new day for Lucky? And he just wanted to be petted? It’s been a
great ride.”
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