I’d like to share with you my letter to Governor Jerry Brown to urge him to reconsider his position on the changes to the Hayden Law.  I hope you’ll join me in pointing out the benefits of a law that saves the lives of the most innocent victims of our state’s economy, our companion pets.  This law is important for any pet owner, not just those in rescue.  The changes to this law are life threatening to anyone who may lose their pet.  Please read my previous blog post to get an idea of the proposed changes.

These proposed changes are a death sentence to tens of thousands of animals almost immediately.

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol #1173
Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor Brown,

It has come to my attention that you may be considering rescinding one of the most progressive and important laws for animals- The Hayden Law, a unique bill that gives hope to the most hopeless of animals, those living in our municipal shelters.

I understand that no good act comes without cost, but California, as a state of compassionate people who care for their pets and the lives of all animals would be strongly disappointed in a man who could instantly, with the single stroke of his pen, cause the death of thousands of innocent lives.  The pen is mightier than the sword, and I urge you to consider this before you sign.  This move on your behalf could leave your term in office tainted by the lives of innocent pets (in the hundreds of thousands) and the humans that care for them.  Your position and decision is a powerful one, and I encourage you to choose compassion for our states’ pets, that like your pal Sutter need us to speak for them.  It truly is not just about shelter pets, but also about all pets that are protected by this bill.

There can be no greater act of compassion than the one we do for a creature, be it human or animal, that cannot repay us for that act.  Yes, we do face rather tough economic times in our state and the world as a whole, but this is not the time, nor is California the state, to cast aside the most hopeless of our inhabitants for fiscal measures.  Almost every pet living in our shelters today once lived in a home and was loved by someone.  For reasons beyond their control, they have been cast aside and entrusted into the care of our shelter system.  What would it say of us if our answer were simply – NO, we don’t care?  They may have no voice, but we do and we must consider that and stand up for them.

Bound Angels is a unique non-profit organization that works with municipal and private shelters throughout the US developing progressive training and adoption programs that save the lives of countless shelter pets.  We have reached thousands of followers through our training as well as facebook, twitter, blogs, and email campaigns.  I can assure you that everyone I know shares the view that I am expressing to you in this letter.

I would be happy to discuss the dismal situation of many of our shelters and the steps that we, as a compassionate society can take to make great change.  Rescinding the Hayden Law is a bad idea, no matter how great the financial offset may be, what would be saved in dollars would be lost in compassion.

Respectfully,

Robert Cabral

Bound Angels – Founder / Executive Director

click here to see my previous blog highlighting the proposed changes.

thank you for taking the time to help those who have no voice.

Robert Cabral

Since this event there has been much discussion about who is right and who is wrong.  The only real facts that are clear are that Kyle Dyer was bitten on the face.  Denver authorities have placed the dog under a 10 day mandatory quarantine and cited the owner (standard procedure).  They say that the dog will be returned to the owner if there are no signs of rabies.

I’ve remained intentionally silent, but  feel the need to speak out because of the ripple effect that this event is causing.  There was an interview with a behaviorist afterwards where he claimed the dog was giving off signals such as moving away and panting.  I’ve watched the video several times and none of these signals are that clear.  Furthermore, he stated that the dog was suffering from some “residual trauma”  from the incident (he was pulled out of the ice a day or so earlier). Residual trauma is often blamed for many behaviors that dogs exhibit whether they are as a result of the trauma or not.  The facts should only consider the current events and mistakes that led to the bite.  And I use the term bite loosely, because it was a snap.  He bared his teeth very quickly and snapped.  Yes, he was restrained, but that doesn’t play as much into the incident as the proximity of Kyle’s face.

To be fair to Kyle the newscaster and to the dog there are a couple of things that are not addressed here.  First and foremost, putting your face that close to a dogs face is a recipe for disaster.  However, people do it ALL of the time.  I can go through facebook as well as many  rescue sites and see people with their faces right in the face of a dog that they don’t even know.  Some people even allow their children to do it.  It is downright stupid to do this, it is also selfish, because the dog will suffer after he bites.  If you’ve ever seen two dogs playing, grabbing a  hold of one another’s faces is one of the most common types of play between dogs.  Watching this attack, nothing indicates that he was being aggressive, he just “snapped.” He did give a short snarl as I mentioned above, but by the time he did, it was too late.  The person holding the leash never saw that and couldn’t control the subsequent bite.

Take into account the fact that he was not with his owner, he didn’t know the person who was in his face and he was obviously sensitive to the environmental stimuli of the TV studio.  Let go of the “past history” for a moment, and any of these, let alone all of them probably put him in a very defensive or uncomfortable position.  The person(s)  that should be reprimanded here are only the one holding the leash for not telling Kyle not to get that close, and Kyle herself for getting that close in the first place.

I don’t want to go on about her mistake because she is obviously a dog-lover and cared deeply about this dog – mistakes happen.  People should learn from the incident and understand that putting your face that close to a dog’s mouth is a bad idea.  It is also a bad idea to let your children “play” with your dog unsupervised or in a manner that can cause injury.  Dogs play rough, that’s because they are dogs.  They know little control, and even if taught still tend to play rough.

Before anyone analyses the dog’s behavior, we need to understand that putting our face in ANY dog’s face is not fair to the dog.  The need for humans to over coddle animals leads to mistakes that often cause the animal their lives.  I’ve written countless times on the need to allow dogs to be dogs and to understand their need for play.  Dog’s don’t like to be confined, coddled, hugged or handled unless it is on their terms.  Otherwise, they may tolerate it until they’ve had enough.

Let’s all learn from this, play with a dog the way a dog likes to be played with and save the coddling for children and stuffed animals.

The utter dismantling of The Hayden Law is a death sentence to countless thousands of animals at risk in the California shelter system.  The modifications of this law will remove the most important and primary rights that animals need to stand a chance at rescue and adoption.

I have seen the benefits of this law first hand and am enraged that the topic to dismantle this law is even a discussion by our Governor and elected officials.

In order to give you a better idea of the dangers of this law, please see the text of the law below and my explanations that follow…  Please note the crossed out text is what is currently law, it will be removed if Governor Brown gets his way.  The underlined words are the additions.   My comments ***follow each section in bold italics:

__________________________________________________________________________________

1834. A depositary of living animals shall provide the animals with necessary

and prompt veterinary care, nutrition, and shelter, and treat them kindly. Any depositary that fails to perform these duties may be liable for civil damages as provided by law.

1846.  (a) A gratuitous depositary must use, at least, slight care for the preservation of the thing deposited.

(b) A gratuitous depositary of a living animal shall provide the animal with

necessary and prompt veterinary care, adequate nutrition and, water, and shelter, and

*** Basically and clearly stated: necessary and prompt veterinary care is no longer required
_________________________________________________________________________________
SEC. 4. Section 31108 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

31108. (a) The required holding period for a stray dog impounded pursuant to this division shall be six business days, not including the day of impoundment, except as follows: 72 hours from the time of capture.

*** Reducing the state mandated hold time from 6 days to 3 days is a death sentence for ANY and ALL animals 72 hours after arriving at the shelter.  This means, people will have less time to find their pets in the shelter and the law will allow these animals to be destroyed / killed.  Animals awaiting adoption or rescue will no longer be safe past the 72 hours after they arrive.  Remember, shelters are not open 24 hours a day – that means even the hours the shelter is closed is a ticking clock.
__________________________________________________________________________________

(1) If the public or private shelter has made the dog available for owner

redemption on one weekday evening until at least 7 p.m. or one weekend day, the holding period shall be four business days, not including the day of impoundment.

(2) If the public or private shelter has fewer than three full-time employees or

is not open during all regular weekday business hours, and if it has established a procedure to enable owners to reclaim their dogs by appointment at a mutually agreeable time when the public or private shelter would otherwise be closed, the holding period shall be four business days, not including the day of impoundment.

*** Item 1 and 2 continues in the abolition of more time available for owner pickup. __________________________________________________________________________________

31752. (a) The required holding period for a stray cat impounded pursuant to this division shall be six business days, not including the day of impoundment, except as follows: 72 hours from the time of capture.

*** This section spells out the same fate for cats.
__________________________________________________________________________________

(c) Notwithstanding Section 31752, if an apparently feral cat has not been

reclaimed by its owner or caretaker within the first three days of the required holding period, shelter personnel qualified to verify the temperament of the animal shall verify whether it is feral or tame by using a standardized protocol. If the a cat is determined to be docile or a frightened or difficult tame cat, the cat shall be held for the entire required holding period specified in Section 31752.

***  This section tears into the rights of cats that may be frightened.  These cats can be killed because shelter personnel will be able to label them feral and destroy them.
__________________________________________________________________________________

…and for the best part –

32003. All public pounds and private shelters shall keep accurate records on

each animal taken up, medically treated, or impounded. The records shall include all of the following information and any other information required by the California Veterinary Medical Board:

(a) The date the animal was taken up, medically treated, euthanized, or

impounded.

(b) The circumstances under which the animal was taken up, medically treated,

euthanized, or impounded.

(c) The names of the personnel who took up, medically treated, euthanized, or

impounded the animal.

(d) A description of any medical treatment provided to the animal and the name

of the veterinarian of record.

(e) The final disposition of the animal, including the name of the person who

euthanized the animal or the name and address of the adopting party. These records

shall be maintained for three years after the date the animal’s impoundment ends.

*** Striking this section virtually removes all accountability from shelter for record keeping.  Which means, the animals destroyed never really existed.  NONE…  no record keeping which, by the way is REQUIRED BY THE CALIFORNIA MEDICAL BOARD!
__________________________________________________________________________________

Remember, striking this law is not just about saving shelter dogs, cats and other pets, it is about the basic rights of any pet living in California.  If your pet gets lost or impounded, it can be killed under this law.  Furthermore, allowing the partial dismantling of this law opens the floodgates to continue to abolish the rights of pets under the flawed guise of cutting state spending.  There are countless places spending can be cut without putting our pets at risk.

On a closing note, the proposed “monetary” savings would amount to $23 million, which is less than 2/10ths of 1% of our $13 BILLION deficit.

What is a pet’s life worth???

Urge Governor Brown and your local representatives to think twice.

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841 Fax: (916) 558-3160

Senator Mark Leno,
Chair, Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee:
916-651-4003

Assembly member Bob Blumenfield,
Chair, Assembly Budget Committee:
916-319-2040

Please act now and help us help all pets in California.

join the revolution,

Robert Cabral

Many of you who read this post may not life in California where this law is in effect, but I urge you to read on anyway.

The Hayden Law SB 1785, written in 1998 by Tom Hayden is one of the most progressive laws for shelter pets anywhere.  It came into effect in July 1999.  It requires shelters to hold pets for a specified period of time (4-6 days), it gives rights to these pets as well as rescue organizations and makes saving lives a little less daunting.  The law has undoubtedly saved hundreds of thousands of lives and is as (if not more) important today than it was when it was first put into place.  The initial goal of the bill was to end euthanasia as a way of population control by 2010.  Well, 2010 has passed and we may have reduced killings, but we are nowhere near no-kill.  Repealing this bill will be a stifling blow to pets in California.

California Governor Jerry Brown is considering repealing the law (or modifying it as they are saying).  He is not the first person who has considered less than favorable decisions for shelter pets, but he is the one doing it now – therefore the reason for this post.  As a person who works with shelters, rescue organizations and the pets that are condemned in our shelters I can tell you that this is one (if not THE) most important law when it comes to saving shelter pets in California.  I have used the code in this law to save many dogs that I could not have saved were it not for this law.

It’s important to consider when looking at this, it’s not just shelter pets that are at risk, but all pets.  In the event any pet ends up in the shelter, they will be at risk.  If your dog or cat ends up lost or impounded – even at no fault of your own, their lives will be at imminent risk.  So I encourage you to take the time to watch this video by clicking here.

Then, please contact  Governor Jerry Brown, by clicking here.  You can call, email or send a letter.  It doesn’t matter what you do, but do something.  Also, there is a petition set up that you may consider signing as well.  Here is the link to the petition.

I thank you for your time and the animals that we save thank you.

Robert Cabral
www.boundangels.org

Over the years I’ve seen so many people approach rescue with their hearts bleeding and only hoping to do the right thing.  In fact, one thing I see over and over again is people starting their own non-profit rescue organization in an attempt to do it better than the others.  It is always their goal to do more than the next guy, but this often times comes back to bite them in the ass.

I don’t think there’s a person who starts a rescue that doesn’t have the purest of  intentions, but the separating between rescues is very disturbing.  Everyone in rescue is scrambling to get the small amount of money that is out there, and it’s getting more and more scarce.  I hear it from friends that they get completely bombarded from every angle asking for donations.  The issue remains, “It’s us against them.”  Municipal shelters could save more and more lives with the help of everyone who wants to do more; but by aligning themselves outside of the shelter these rescues choose to divide (and not conquer).  In an overwhelming attempt to keep afloat, many of these rescues end up not being able to take the animals that are in the most dire need of rescue: the sick, the old and the behaviorally challenged.  I get calls and emails asking for temperament tests on dogs to see if they are dog friendly and handleable.  If they’re not, they are often cast over by people who really want to, and should, help.  It is THESE dogs that need rescue.  Shelters should not have that tough of a time adopting out manageable, healthy pets.  But, and this is where we will ruffle some feathers, so many rescues take only adoptable pets in hopes of placing them in families that “they” see fit.

This is where the “funnel theory” comes into action.  With the amount of pets coming into our nations shelters everyday (they go in the top of the funnel), the pets going out the front door of the shelters (that would be the bottom of the funnel) don’t even out.  The hole on the top is too big for the hole on the bottom.

What our nation’s homeless pets need is advocacy and education.  We need people to understand that pets are a lifetime commitment, dogs (in particular) need training and people need to be held accountable for their actions.  It’s not ok to dump a pet, it’s not ok not to train a dog.  If people have to obey traffic laws when driving, why shouldn’t people have to obey pet laws when owning pets.  These people ruin it for everyone and cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of shelter pets.

If we can get together and educate the public, work with shelters on adoption programs that work, training shelter dogs, fair assessment tests, marketing dogs for adoption, public education on training and spay and neuter as well as proper pet custodianship, we will be closer to solving he problem than imaginable.

When I founded Bound Angels it was my goal to provide a service that no one else did, and to this day we still provide that service: education and awareness for our nations shelter pets.  We’ve provided hundreds of temperament tests, thousands of educational handouts, humane education campaigns as well as marketing campaigns all free of charge to rescues and shelters.  I hope that more and more people will join us and take advantage of the lifesaving tools we make available to save those that need us most.

If you’d like more information on how Bound Angels can help your shelter, please take a look at our resources available and contact us.

Robert Cabral
founder / executive director
Bound Angels

Some just hit you harder than others…

It was over two years ago that a case came to my attention that would change my life.  A case in which a dog had been isolated for 14 months in an LA County Shelter after being condemned by the court and sentenced to death.  It took us a 14 month court battle, thousands in fees and a fight for Puppy that no one thought we could win.  Well, we did win.  Puppy was freed after over a year living in a 5′x7′ cell.

Once freed we were able to transport him to a sanctuary in Texas called Smiling Dog Farms, there Puppy enjoyed his last years of life and freedom.  If not for the kindness and compassion of Jay and Ricky, Puppy would have had no place to go.  Puppy was accused of aggression and was labeled a vicious dog by animal control.  In most cases he would have been destroyed and met his fate at the end of a needle while laying on a cold table.  Instead Puppy lived with Jay and Ricky, in their home, and that is where he died – of natural causes – just last night.  His last days he spent in a bed and being loved.

If you’d like to see Puppy’s Video from the fight to the rescue, please click here. Get your tissues ready, but know that we won this fight and Puppy got what so many dogs never get; a chance at life.  He was neglected, dumped at the shelter, then adopted by someone who didn’t give him the fight that Puppy deserved, but with the help of our friends and donors we saved him.  We saved him: You and I, Jay and Ricky, Bound Angels and Smiling Dog Farms… and all of you who donated, prayed, cared and helped.  Thank you to everyone from the Agoura Shelter, thank you to Shannon Keith, thank you to Yaz, Stacy, Robin and so many others…  But most of all – thank you Puppy for touching my life and making my mission even stronger and giving me the strength and courage to continue this sometimes tireless fight.  Knowing you lived and that we saved you refuels my soul.

Godspeed Puppy, see you on the other side!

One of the primary concerns all shelters, humane societies and rescues face is the quality of home that a pet ends up in.  If it’s a great home we can almost be assured that the pet will live out his or her life in a great environment.  All too often this is not the case.  Be it for lack of education or lack of communication, dogs often end up returned to shelters and rescues, and some fare even worse.

Bound Angels has created a free handout that can be co-branded with your organization; there is a space on the back of each handout where you can stamp your logo or place a sticker with your organization’s info.

This handout, which is available in both English and Spanish contains simple training tips including: housebreaking, training, crate training as well as some of the basics of responsible pet ownership.

If your rescue or shelter would like some of these beautiful handouts, please contact us by clicking here and we’ll get a batch right out to you.

With so much political correctness surrounding the decision about your new pet, I thought I’d talk very openly about the decision.  It’s not whether you should adopt or buy a dog, but some other things that surround your decision.

To begin with, before you ever decide to get a pet you should ask yourself if you are ready for a long term commitment, one that can last over 10 years.  No matter where you get your pet from, you must understand that it is your responsibility to keep this animals for it’s entire life.  If you’re making your decision on a whim, it’s the wrong decision.  Ask yourself what you will do with the pet if you lose your job, if you have to move, if it gets sick… then ask yourself where you see yourself in 10 years.  Once you’ve answered these questions in a manner consistent with keeping a pet for its entire life, you may be at the right place to consider getting a new best friend.

Now, ask yourself if you will dedicate the time to train, care for and bond with the pet.  Dogs are a bit more work as they need exercise, training and bonding time with their humans.  If you work 10-12 hours a day and think it’s a good idea to have a dog at home waiting for you when you get there, you might consider a big screen TV instead.  A dog needs more attention, and it’s better that you don’t get a dog in the first place than to get one that you won’t care for eventually.  It’s a commitment that you should think about.

When you’ve talked to some friends, trainers and family about your decision, which you should do – you can take the next step.  People who just run out and get a dog are like people who meet someone at a bar and get married the next day.  Believe me it’s true.  It may be easier to get rid of a dog or a cat, but remember, given the work you invest, a pet will last longer than most marriages and give you a lot less aggravation as well.

Your next decision will be where to get your pet: rescue, breeder, friend, petshop, street corner, swap meet, and the list goes on.  I can assure you that the majority of these decisions will come back to bite you in the ass.  Getting a dog from a pet shop or over the internet supports puppy mills which breed poor quality dogs that have no guarantee of health and they promote the suffering of the breeder dogs that live in the cages on the farms where they come from.  It’s the dumbest decision you’ll make.  Dogs that come from street corner sales, swap meets, craigslist and friends are generally the result of accidental or backyard breeders.  Both of these are totally irresponsible breeders who have no clue on what they are doing and supporting them is putting yourself and your new puppy at risk.  People who breed dogs as a hobby or just for fun should be identified as what they are; backyard breeders.  These are the same people that will dump the dogs that they can’t get rid of at the shelter or dump them in a plastic bag in a field when they have no other option.  Which leaves you only 2 choices: breeders and rescue.

If you decide to get your dog from a breeder, you need to be sure that it is a breeder and not just someone who considers themselves a breeder.  Just considering yourself a breeder doesn’t make it so.  I know people who consider themselves singers, but can’t sing for a damn.  True breeders are those that have one sole intention and that is the betterment of the breed.  They understand what is needed to keep the breed strong, healthy and do everything to assure this happens.  They don’t sell to people they don’t know, they ask for references, require applications to be filed and they will be there every step of the way.  A good breeder will fight tooth and nail to get a dog back if they feel that you are not fulfilling your obligation as a parent.  Good breeders work with rescue and good breeders generally don’t have puppies for sale.  Why?  Because good breeders generally have a waiting list, and oftentimes don’t breed until they know what is going on.  If you want to know if someone is a good breeder, do your research.  Ask questions, and I don’t mean only to the breeder, but to people who have gotten puppies from them.  And once you’ve done this, sit back and wait, cause it’s gonna be a little while before they have a litter that you can choose from.  Sometimes 6-12 months is standard.

Once you get that puppy, your work is cut out for you.  Training, housebreaking, sleepless nights and more awaits you for the first 4-6 months, and that doesn’t include what the dog may destroy while he’s learning to teethe and play.  But it is all worth it in the end.

Now, lastly, most importantly and most beneficially is rescue.  Rescue is not for everyone, but it is for the strong majority of people.  Rescuing is easy and very heartwarming.  Every person I’ve ever talked to that has rescued a dog tells me that their rescue dog is different from any dog they’ve ever bought.  They are more appreciative and form a much better bond, because they REALLY DO KNOW that they were rescued.  Their dedication is different than other dogs and the bond that humans form with them is stronger.  Just walk the aisles of your local shelter or humane society and you’ll see hundreds of pets that are ready to just jump into your family today.  Especially the ones that are a little older, they oftentimes make the very best pets.

So, for 90% of people looking for a pet, rescue is the single best option.  And remember, I’m saying a pet.  People want a low-key dog that likes to play, loves taking a walk and is easy around the house.   They want  a dog with fewer health issues and a solid temperament and one that bonds well into their family.  For this, a rescue mutt is about the single best option available.  Pure bred dogs account for a small percentage of shelter dogs, but they are available there as well.  It’s important to note that most inherent health problems become minimized through cross-breeding as well as selective breeding.  But since all but a very few breeders are selective, many breeders breed genetic defects into dogs (I would hope only through ignorance).

It is the rarest of exceptions which would require a person looking for a pet to get a dog from a breeder, but if it does, it’s a very tough decision to make.  I equate it to looking for a surrogate parent for a child.  If you can put that much work into searching for your new pet, happy hunting, and please remember that millions of dogs enter the shelter system every year and are killed there for a lack of responsible people.  PEOPLE, not breeders.  People who dump their dogs in shelters are the blame for the millions of dogs that are killed there.  NO RESPONSIBLE breeder would ever let their dog end up in a shelter, and if it did, they would be the very first ones to get them out.

For those that doubt my words, I challenge you to doubt those that call themselves breeders instead.  If they let this happen, they aren’t.  Let’s focus on a solution to the crisis.  Get your pet from a rescue or a breeder, but learn what you are getting yourself into BEFORE you get the pet.  Education is the key in solving the problem.  If from tomorrow on NO ONE ever dumped another dog, we would stop killing dogs immediately.  See the warning signs of irresponsible pet ownership and strive to fix it.  Enforce leash laws, require pets to be spayed / neutered, teach responsible pet ownership including training of dogs… these are the road to the solution.

If given the option, I sincerely hope that you will choose to adopt and support rescue until there are no more dogs in our shelters.  Furthermore, and most importantly, I hope you will stand up for animals’ rights and be their voice when they don’t have one.

One of the most common problems facing dogs is  lack of understanding from people bringing them home, either for the first time or even seasoned dog owners.  People may have the best intentions, but often fall short and place way too much pressure on the dog, this is a recipe for disaster.  This disaster usually ends with the dog back at the shelter.

After much thought and work, we are proud to introduce our first “adoption handout” that covers so many topics, I can hardly beleive we were able to fit it all into one pamphlet.

The guide starts with 10 Tips for Bringing Home Your New Dog, then moves on to Crate Training, Some simple YES and NO tips for dogs and concludes with a quick glimpse on basic obedience training.  We are making this handout available for shelters, humane organizations and rescues.  There is even a space on the back where you can add your organizations sticker and logo.  This pamphlet is printed on heavy card stock and will be used for many years by adopters.

If you are interested in the handout, check out the link to get more information and contact us for more details.

Some more great news, this guide is also available in Spanish!!!

Please spread the word and join the revolution!

I’m not sure if any of you have seen the two segments that are online from the KTLA Cup O DiCarlo show that featured Bound Angels, but if you missed it, here are the links:
8AM

http://www.ktla.com/videogallery/65779444/News/KTLA-Cup-O-Di-Carlo-Ventura-County-Animal-Shelter-8am

9AM

http://www.ktla.com/videogallery/65779548/News/KTLA–Cup-O¿¿¿-Di-Carlo:-Ventura-County-Animal-Shelter-(9am)

I gotta say Henry DiCarlo is a class act and did a great job featuring our mission on his show. We broadcast from the Ventura County Animal Shelter and featured tips for dog owners, advice to rescues as well as showcasing some really great dogs that needed homes. I do say “needed” because all of the dogs we featured on this mornings broadcasts where adopted or rescued… EVERY ONE!!! Thank you to Henry (and his lovely wife Lisa who helped make this happen) as well as Monica and Donna from VCAS, Sarah, the producer and everyone else who helped – and many thank to all of you who watched and continue to support our life-saving work!