Gina, you said it as no one else has yet: Change has to come from caring about the pet owners as much as their pets. We all could stand for some improvement there. Unfortunately it’s not something you can buy, although wouldn’t it be fun to go shopping for that attitude shift?

I hate to see veterinarian resistance used as an excuse to avoid bringing free and low-cost services to pet owners. This is america, the land of free enterprise… Let the vets find a way to one-up your program. Or better yet, win them over. If we can’t get buy-in from the vets, then how can we ever expect to get it from the pet owners?

On the same hand, we have to care about the types of pets other people have, even the ones that don’t look or act like dogs we’d want to own. Me — I’ve got a lot of work to do on the chihuahua angle. They smell my fear - LOL

This kind of thing is unprecedented. It’s NOT like the Gate foundation.. that’s Gates’ money and the Gates’ personal involvement. Their money, their committment, their priorities (which have changed quite a bit, as is their right of course)

THIS case is the money of a dead person who left vague instructions. Without her living presence to compel compliance, the “world” will not allow billions of dollars to go to animal charities. Her will left wiggle room.

YOU and other animal bloggers and the small innovative groups will have no say in what happens to the money. The courts will decide.

Get real.

Ill be very very happy if ANY small percentage goes to real animal groups. That would not mean PETA or HSUS or ASPCA, who of course would love to build new facilities with all the $$$$$$$

Honestly, how self-indulgent could one be, to leave such a great looming lump of *thing* in one’s wake, without a carefully thought-out plan for implementing it?

Of course, a real philanthropist (or philcynopist?) would have been developing those programs and putting forward the lucre in her lifetime.

Bill Gates comes to mind. He knows *exactly* where he wants his money to go, how it’s to be spent, and he sees to it that it happens.

I do think they may revive the Human charities part to an extent, but hey, ya never know (as we say in NY!)! Maybe she ends up becoming the big benefactor from the sky the dogs need :)

You have absolutely no idea what the chance of any money going to innovative programs will be … nor do I.

But I will guarantee you that the minute everyone decides nothing will ever change is the minute it’s a certainty that nothing ever will.

I have seen a lot of things change in my 50 years, some of them for the better. So anything is possible. If I didn’t believe it, well, I sure wouldn’t be doing the work I do. Why bother?

The chances of so much money going to small innovative programs is just zero. And any such small program be definition would no longer be small… and no longer innovative.

Such a huge sum of money is beyond comprehension.

For instance, our city shelter has a youth program and I would bet some could use more scholarship opportunities to be avaiable:

“Those TLC participants interested in working with animals in a medical capacity assist our veterinary technicians and veterinarians, preparing materials and instruments for surgery and monitoring the health of recovering animals.”

http://www.nycacc.org/tlc.htm

Anyway, it was just a thought :)

Thanks for reposting the Hector video. I need to pass it on to my baseball/football league. The guys will be happy to see the positive news :)