The past year may be one that most of us would just as soon forget.
When we weren’t losing our lives to a pandemic, we either languished in its grip or were shut in to the brink of cabin fever. Livelihoods were lost in droves. Families were torn asunder over political ideology and the behavior of those who govern. Our electoral process was bent (but not broken) on the rack.
Even with this bilge churning in our bellies, there’s still room to sample a few heaping helpings of gratitude on behalf of people and companion animals this Thanksgiving.
Barely more than a year ago, the U.S. Congress passed sweeping anti-cruelty legislation after a formidable bi-partisan effort. Under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT), it is a federal crime for a person to subject an animal to serious bodily harm and systemic abuse including, yes, sexual abuse. Previously, it was a felony to produce and distribute videos of such heinous acts but not a crime to commit the acts themselves.
Last February, The U.S. Department of Transportation struck down several airlines’ breed-specific restrictions on both service and emotional support animals. While airlines can require passengers traveling with service/support animals to undergo a screening to determine whether an individual animal poses a threat, there are no limits to the number of companion animals allowed on an individual flight. However, airlines may restrict snakes, lizards and other exotics from boarding.
Few people in The Mile-High City are disputing the results of our presidential election. Even fewer can dispute the major legal victory dealt to probably the most excoriated dog breed of all time. On November 3, voters overturned the city’s pit-bull ban by an overwhelming majority. Measure 2N was a long time coming for Denver residents who lived in trepidation of parenting any thick, muscular dog with a chiseled head. Before the measure became law, many chose to live in the burbs for fear their dogs would be confiscated.
On a smaller but no less effective scale, animal advocacy groups and organizations nationwide are putting a dent in human and companion animal despair. In my new home state of Oregon, youth at MacLaren Correctional Facility are learning to train and care for hopeful dog adoptees through Project Pooch. Since 2009, The Pongo Fund has provided nourishing food and veterinary care to the community’s most vulnerable and marginalized populations. In my old home state of California, frosty-faced fur-kids and pets in poor health are finding new life and forever homes thanks to Muttville. Operation Blankets of Love continues to live up to its reputation as “Rescue to the Rescues” by providing donated pet supplies to shelters and disaster-ridden areas throughout the state. From the destitute corners of Detroit to Baltimores’s back alleys to The Gulf’s historically flood-ravaged coasts, heroic acts of animal advocacy continue unabated.
From a modest home in Redlands, California, my dear friend and colleague, Jana Lovell, somehow balances her roles as Chief of Speech Pathology for the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital and founder of Code Red K9 Crew. At any one time, Jana hosts about a dozen or so mistreated and/or medically fragile dogs, many of whom once had a date with lethal injection. Jana tirelessly networks for their best healthcare and behavioral interventions as needed — a ‘round the clock endeavor.
Like thousands of others, Jana understands that there are never enough ways to express gratitude to our animal companions.
Because when the chips are down, it’s not some politician or civic leader who will hold you close. It will be that furry, feathered, scaled or shelled being who speaks no words — but says everything you need to hear.