.......................Keith Sanderson
Wags 4 Hope and CAPS
Annie Blumenfeld..........................Deborah Howard........
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An adoption of a dog from a shelter in Texas has led Annie Blumenfeld a HS student from Fairfield Ct on a remarkable journey in helping animals and forming an organization to raise awareness of heart-worm disease.
Learn why that doggy in the window costs much more than most of the public realize. Meet Deborah Howard, Companion Animal Protection Society founder and president. Learn about why Howard was horrified when she learned what was behind the doggy in the window, and why she organized CAPS.
Questions or Comments? Email Max A Pooch: maxapooch@petliferadio.com
Annie Blumenfeld
Annie Blumenfeld, High School Student from Fairfield Connecticut is not one to sit around when there is a problem. She discovered the Teddy, the dog her family adopted had heartworm disease. As she watched the long and recuperation process Annie decided to raise awareness of heart-worm disease and formed Wags 4 Hope. Her goal is to help educate pet owners about heart-worm. She has appeared on TV, in print and also paints pictures to sell in order to raise money for Wags 4 Hope.
Deborah Howard
More than 22 years ago, public relations professional Deborah Howard walked into a pet shop in Atlanta, Georgia, not knowing that that she was about to undergo an epiphany that would forever change her life. A tiny yellow Labrador puppy pressed an open cut against the wire bars of a dirty small cage. As she held this puppy, she wondered about his origins. After some research, Howard discovered, to her horror, that most pet shop puppies come from “puppy mills,” commercial breeding facilities that mass-produce dogs for resale. She knew she had no choice but to take action.
In 1990, Howard, who has a law degree and had been a radio news reporter, formed the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping the abuse and suffering of companion animals in pet shops and puppy mills. CAPS has been a 501(c)(3) since 1992.
Howard was born and raised in Los Angeles California by parents who were both accomplished. Her parents met in New York while her mother was studying opera and her father was an actor on Broadway. They decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting careers. Howard’s parents adored animals; she grew up with dogs, cats, rabbits and fish. Sharing a special bond with animals since she was a baby, Deborah learned to stand and walk with Blitz, her German Shepherd.
Encouraged by her mother, a lifelong political activist who grew up in Boston, Howard started as an activist at age 8 when she participated in Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. Howard’s childhood political experience led her to volunteer with the United Farm Workers. She helped coordinate protests and worked on Proposition 14 (the right for farm workers to vote in elections and to guarantee the right for the Agriculture Labor Relations Board (ALRB) to be funded).
