pet connection

The American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation – which I would love to see split from the AKC and establish itself as a health foundation that truly is for all dogs — is one of my favorite animal-related charities (tied with its pioneering counterpart, the Winn Feline Foundation). Along with the Morris Animal Foundation, these organizations fund research that improves the health of our pets (and often ourselves as well). They should all three be on every pet-lover’s browser bookmark list.

Donations to these foundations in the name of friends and family make wonderful gifts, by the way. After all, do you really need to buy more cheap crap from China when you could be supporting health research with gifts that really show how much you care?

When it comes to the CHF, there’s a gift your dog may be able to make, too: A sample for research.

When my darling old boy Ben was dying of malignant histiocytosis, I made arrangements (through my tears, of course) to contribute tissue samples taken in the moments after he died. I was with him at the end, holding him in my arms, and then my wonderful veterinarian (probably through his tears, as well) and a researcher from the University of California, Davis, (whose deathbed manners have, I hope, improved over time … don’t rush me, lady, I’m saying goodbye to my dog here!) stayed behind to take samples from the tumor, which went to be part of three studies in hopes of a cure.

I like to think that in this way, a part of Ben always lives on.

The CHF is always calling out for participants in its studies, and most samples need not be taken post-mortem, thank heavens. (In fact, my 11-year-old Heather is part of a cancer study, and all she needed to provide was a blood sample.) The latest call:

[A]n international team of researchers let by the Dog Disease Research Group at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and supported in part by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, [...] are now turning their attention to complex diseases that often involve multiple genetic and environmental causes, such as cancers and autoimmune disease. Their goal is to understand – and ultimately treat – these diseases in dogs as well as their human companions.

To be successful, the scientists at the Broad Institute urgently need the help of purebred dog breeders and owners. For each disease studied, blood samples from hundreds of affected dogs and older, healthy controls are required.

Read more, and help if you can. By the way, the reason purebred dogs are needed is that there’s a record — pedigrees — of which dog is related to others, so diseases can be tracked.

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Looking back, looking forward: Today is the 130th anniversary of the founding of the American Humane Association. The AHA has done a lot of good work over the decades, but I hope its Board of Directors spends some time celebrating by reading “Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America,” Nathan Winograd’s ground-breaking work on creating a no-kill nation.

What’s past is past. The future belongs to those who embrace the hard work of change for the sake of the animals who need our help. The sheltering status quo isn’t working, and it isn’t going to work any better by raising more money for it or making more laws that punish those who aren’t causing the problems.

As an anniversary gift, I wish for bold, courageous action from the AHA and other national animal-advocacy groups. You’ve done it before, and you can do it again.

And until you do, well, don’t look for a check in your card from me, any of you.

Update: I just got a notice from Amazon that the extra copies I ordered — I’m planning to hand-deliver them to my elected representatives — will be delayed. Wow, does that mean they’re having to print more? Hurrah!

I’ll check with the publisher when I get a free moment.

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Indulge me in my horsey fandom: The great racehorse John Henry died yesterday, euthanized at the age of 32 after his family at the Kentucky Horse Park sadly decided they could not maintain a good quality of life for the old boy. Read more about the accomplishments of the Iron Horse, who (among his many accomplishments) was named Horse of the Year at age nine — unheard of today, when top throughbreds either break down or are retired at age three. Lots of pictures here.

OK, yes, I never stopped being a 12-year-old girl: The Breyer model of John Henry has for years held an honored spot in my office (right next to Secretariat).

Godspeed, John.

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