November 25, 2009

EXCITING NEWS FOR SPECIEES…And it is about time!

Danielle Thompson with a friend

SPECIEES has hired an Executive Director! Yippee! I have been holding down the fort but admittedly not doing a very good job. Oh yeah, I was rescuing dogs and cats but not much more than that. I could not get the office part of it off the ground. Fundraising and grant writing, events and adoptions were nil. SPECIEES has really been in a holding pattern…until now. May I introduce to you Danielle Thompson. This photo was taken on our campaign this year in the Galapagos…Danielle is holding up one of Animal Balance’s spay and neuter clients.

Danielle is no stranger to the animal rights, environmental and conservation scene. She has been a long time activist. I have had the pleasure of working with Danielle on a couple of different campaigns. Danielle and I set out to make Tokyo aware of the killing of dolphins in Taiji. We saturated Tokyo with graphic photos of the massacre the massacre and stood our ground in Shinjuku and Shibuya. We went from one end of Tokyo to the other and hit all neighboring cities. We brought not only the slaughter of dolphins to the attention of the Japanese people but also the poisoning of children by feeding the toxic flesh to the children in their school lunch program.

Danielle also worked with me in San Cristobel, Galapagos this past June/July. Her energy is endless and her vision is clear. She witnessed first hand the homeless, hungry, abused dogs and cats. She helped me bring back a couple of street dogs to the United States. I pride myself on how driven I am during a campaign and Danielle rivals that same work ethic.

I would like Danielle to say a few words on her thoughts for SPECIEES; I believe our missions parallel each other’s.

Take it away Danielle….

Thank you. I am honored to be working with Allison, who is such a tireless and dedicated activist for animals. Working with her and Animal Balance in the Galapagos Islands last summer was an eye-opening experience for me. We were able to sterilize nearly 200 animals in two short weeks and SPECIEES was able to rescue two dogs. However, the dogs and cats that remain and there and roam the Islands are often suffering from disease or injury and wreak havoc on the indigenous wildlife. Spaying and neutering dogs and cats in these fragile island eco-systems is crucial but it doesn’t go far enough. For their welfare and the protection of the native wildlife, stray dogs and cats must be removed from these places and re-homed. That is SPECIEES’ mission and by partnering with other non-profits and local government, it is an achievable goal. I am thrilled to join SPECIEES and work to protect both companion and wild animals.