It has been a week of celebration for The HSUS and HSLF,
with a pair of events that honor individuals making a difference. On Saturday, I
attended the 23rd
Annual Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills, which recognizes members of the
media and the entertainment industry for their coverage of animal protection
issues. “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bolt,” “The Simpsons,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and
ABC’s “20/20” and “World News with Charles Gibson” were among the top winners.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were honored
with the prestigious Wyler Award for their work to raise awareness of
animal issues and to help pass California’s Proposition 2, which phases out the
extreme confinement of veal calves, breeding pigs, and laying hens on
industrial factory farms. California State Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa
Barbara) was recognized for passing a bill
to ban the use of lead ammo in the habitat of endangered California
condors, and for introducing
new legislation to crack down on dogfighting, puppy mills, and animal
cruelty.
Just a few days earlier, in Washington, D.C., we held a
special reception in the U.S. Capitol to honor
members of Congress who were leaders on animal protection legislation in
2008. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was recognized as 2008 Humane
Senator of the Year for his work to ensure the safety of pet food, ban the imports
of dogs from foreign puppy mills, and toughen the regulations for puppy mills
in the U.S., while House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) was named
2008 Humane Representative of the Year, for his work to strengthen the federal
laws against animal fighting, track animal cruelty crimes, and ban the export
of horses for slaughter.
A bipartisan group of four senators—Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tom Carper
(D-Del.), and David Vitter (R-La.), in addition to Durbin—and 32
representatives joined us for the reception, and dozens of congressional staff
members stopped by to spend time with HSUS and HSLF staff. There were even a
couple congressional dogs in attendance, as Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) brought
his dog Kaylee, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) brought Maya, who comes
to the office every day with staff member Josh Salpeter. You can watch
a slideshow here and see photos from the event.
All the award winners are top dogs in our view. We see cruelty and abuse every day in our work, and it’s important to take a step back and celebrate the dedicated and compassionate lawmakers, reporters, producers, and advocates who represent the best of the human spirit and are making a meaningful difference in the lives of these creatures.
