Doris Day: Celebrity Dog Lover Hall of Fame
June 20, 2009 by Grace Sydney
Filed under Celebrity Canines, Hall of Fame
Although for years her name was synonymous with box office success, for movie icon Doris Day accomplishment has been measured not so much by rounds of applause, but rather by the joyful wag of a tail or playful bark of a rescued dog, protected in part by the memory of a family pet.
While still a teenager convalescing on crutches from injuries received from a car accident, Doris Day’s life forever changed when her beloved dog Tiny darted out in front of a vehicle as they took a short stroll. Channeling the grief of her loss and the guilt felt from failing to walk her pawed pal on a leash, the future star found herself at the start of a path which would ultimately lead her to become one of the world’s leading animal activists.
The Doris Day Animal League and The Doris Day Animal Foundation
“Que sera, sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” may be her signature song, but Doris Day has been anything but nonchalant in her devotion to our four-legged friends. In the early 1970’s, a time when wearing fur was still fashionable, the star of That Touch of Mink, along with a team of thespians active with the organization Actors and Others for Animals, appeared in ads in an effort to abolish the fur trade.
In 1987, the Academy Award-nominated actress established the Doris Day Animal League, a nonprofit organization whose efforts helped to pass into law in 2000 the Dog and Cat Protection Act, prohibiting in the US the importation and distribution of products containing fur from our domesticated friends. Merging with the Humane Society of the United States in 2006, today the organization actively campaigns against puppy mills and helps to control the pet population through Spay Day USA, which takes place annually on the last Tuesday in February.
Established in 1998, the Doris Day Animal Foundation betters the lives of man’s best friend as well as other furry companions through community outreach programs and grant donations to other non-profit animal organizations.
For more information:
Doris Day Animal League
2100 L Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
Doris Day Animal Foundation
www.ddaf.org
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