Is your pet extraordinary?
From the ASPCA:
“The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is inviting the public to nominate extraordinary pets and people for its 2009 Humane Awards.
“If you know a fabulous feline or precocious pooch with a knack for saving lives, or a heroic human being who has improved the lives of animals, the ASPCA wants to hear from you. Nominations are being accepted until July l5 at www.aspca.org/nominate.
“Last year’s winners included a guide cat to a blind pooch; a black Labrador mix who helped a 10-year-old boy battling cerebral palsy through his road to recovery; a 12-year-old girl who launched a web site to help provide food to dogs and cats at shelters across the country; a law enforcement officer who works tirelessly to prosecute animal abusers; and a firefighter who saved an injured bear cub from a wildfire.
“‘The ASPCA Humane Awards is our way of recognizing those who have gone above and beyond for animal welfare and animal heroes who have dedicated their lives to help others,’ said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. ‘It’s a wonderful way to acknowledge the important role companion animals play in our lives.’
“Those who may be considered for this distinguished honor include humans who have worked on behalf of animal welfare and animals who have engaged in acts of heroism in the United States during the past year. Winners will be invited to attend the Humane Awards Luncheon on Thursday, October 29, at the newly-renovated Pierre Hotel in New York City, where the awards will be presented.
“Categories open for nomination include:
- ASPCA Dog of the Year: for a dog who has performed a heroic act in the past year;
- ASPCA Cat of the Year: for a cat who has performed a heroic act in the past year;
- ASPCA “Tommy P. Monahan” Kid of the Year: for a child under 14 who has helped make the world a kinder place for animals;
- ASPCA Public Service Award: for a member of the municipal police force, a firefighter, or other public service officer who has made a heroic effort to save an animal in the past year; and
- Other Nominations: any other nomination that does not fit into any of the above categories.”
“The ASPCA is accepting nominations via its web site at www.aspca.org/nominate. All submissions must include the following: the nominee’s name, street address, email address; telephone number; the category for which he/she is being nominated; and a short statement (400 words or less) of why this person or pet deserves the award.
“The deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 15, at 12 PM (EST). Winners will be chosen by a committee selected by the ASPCA and announced to the public in mid-October. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org/nominate.”
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
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I am actually planning out a photojournalist project called Animals and Humans:Saving Each Other.
If you have an amazing story of a human saving an animal or an animal saving a human or know someone that has a story I would love to document it in words and photographs.
Email me at info@gasparphotography.com
Here is my idea.
My dream project would be to create a photojournalistic document of animals that have saved human lives, as well as humans that have risked their own lives to save animals.
We have all heard stories of a dog waking their owner during a fire, but I want to show you the rare and unique ways in which we and other animals save each other – for instance the pig that saved her owner. The Daily Telegraph reported, “A pet piglet called Pru was praised by her owner after dragging her free from a muddy bog ” The owner said, “I was panicking when I was stuck in the bog. I did not know what to do and I think Pru sensed that. I had a rope with me that I use as a dog lead and I put it around her. I was shouting ‘Go home, go home’ and she walked forward, slowly pulling me out of the mud.”
Animals have also been known to sense disease in humans. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and are believed to be able to smell cancer and even sense seizures before they occur in epileptic patients.
In capturing this relationship, I also would like to document humans that put their lives at risk to save animals. Even people that have no special bond with these creatures sometimes risk their lives to save them – like when the NY Times reported a story many years ago of a bridge engineer that one night saw a brown bag thrown from a car into dark waters, only to have a cat emerge from it. The cat fought her way up bridge cables but became exhausted partway up, and that is when the engineer risked his own life scaling down the steel and cables, until he was able to reach her. Then, exhausted himself, he made the torturous climb back up. He kept and named her Neptune.
This would be a dream project for me.
I care about animals so much so that I have been a vegetarian for many years. I would love to find and bring these stories to life, to educate and enlighten so that we can see how amazing animals really are and that they deserve the respect of humans for all that they do.
My goal would be to turn these stories and many more into a book to share with all.