Me on the Ed Sullivan Show?

Posted by Joyce Tischler, ALDF's Founder and General Counsel on May 19th, 2009

“Me on the Ed Sullivan show?
Me, Henry McAfee appearing with
Ed Sullivan
Ed-Ed Sullivan
Ed-Ed-Sul-Sul
We're gonna be on Ed Sullivan
I've got a wonderful wife,
Two swell kids,
A good job and now this!
Someday we'll recall
The greatest day of all
Ed, I love you!
Ed Sullivan”
-- From the musical Bye Bye Birdie

I just returned from my local bookstore, where the June issue of O (The Oprah) Magazine is available for sale. I was so excited—I bought three copies and I can’t get the “Ed Sullivan” song out of my head, because, right there, starting on page 186 is an article titled: “Operation Rescue.” It’s about ALDF v. Woodley, the case in which we successfully sued an animal hoarder in North Carolina:

• where we rescued over 300 sick and unsocialized dogs and established exciting new case law in North Carolina,
  

• where a community of kind and dedicated people came together to support the rehabilitation of these dogs,
  

• where the local veterinarians donated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their time and heart to nurse these dogs back to health,
  

• where a local businessman donated the use of an old building so that we had somewhere to house and care for 300+ dogs,
  

• where we gave of ourselves, not only as lawyers, but, once the dogs had been rescued, as hands-on activists who cleaned and washed kennels, fed, played with, and came to know and love hundreds of dogs who were being handled by humans for the first time in their lives,
  

• where two very different cultures intersected: a bunch of animal rights vegans from fruits-and-nuts California and a large group of good ole’ Southern folk with hearts of gold from North Carolina—and we brought out the best in each other, and
  

• as ever, where one homely, old, Boston terrier came into my life and changed it in wonderful ways and forever.
  

And there is so much more. The story of the Woodley case is beautifully told by journalist, Barry Yeoman and for the first time, millions of people will get an introduction to the gut wrenching, long term suffering that the victims of animal hoarding undergo. With this article, we will be reaching out to people who have never ever, heard about the horror of animal hoarding, who know nothing of the untreated wounds, sores and broken bones, the starvation and overcrowding, the rotting teeth and ammonia burned eyes, the slow and painful death that is the only way out for too many of these dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

As my beloved friend, Gretchen Wyler used to say: “Cruelty can’t stand the spotlight” and O Magazine will help us to shine the spotlight on animal hoarding, a horrific problem that is happening in every community in America, yet is so little known and even less understood.

Thank you, O Magazine! Thank you, Oprah.

Oh, and by the way, on page 189 of O Magazine is a photo of that old Boston, Edgar and me 3 ½ years later, inseparable soul mates.

Unfortunately, now Edgar wants his own publicist… Ed Sullivan!