Several months back, Lou discovered that our story and GIMME SHELTER had been featured on a website called 'Dog Bless You'. We thought it odd but, ever since the book debuted, things like that have been happening on a regular basis. Recently, we learned the story of the man behind the site and how one amazing dog transformed his life. Sound familiar? Here's their tale (tail?) courtesy of the LA Times.
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.
As many of you know, mom and I are California born and bred but dad hails from the East Coast, specifically the New York-New Jersey metro area where he spent the first 40 years. During that time, he had the good fortune to attend Iona College (New Rochelle, NY) where he received a first rate education in liberal arts. This past week, we learned that the Iona College Magazine featured GIMME SHELTER in the 'Shelf Life' section of the Winter Edition. Thanks to Lizzie Faia and the staff for showing a grateful Gael alum some love.
In the 'How Great Is This' department, the holidays saw a canine miracle in Susanville, CA, where 7 newborn pups were left to die in a dumpster. According to a story in the L.A. Times , when a good samaritan notified the authorities, the Lassen County animal control office and some bog-hearted rescue volunteers from Pet Network Humane Society in Incline Village, Nevada, stepped up to nurse the throwaway babies. Thanks to their know-how and round-the-clock efforts, they all survived and were promptly adopted.
