–by Rosanne Dunkelberger, Editor, Tallahassee Magazine
Photography by Lydia Rojas
A Night to Celebrate Tallahassee’s Animal Supporters.
For a second year, the Leon County Humane Society in Tallahassee, Florida gave a great big “thank you” to its most loyal supporters in October with a Celebration of Compassion. More than 200 people enjoyed shrimp creole and grit cakes
and sipped “Barkaritas” and “Purricanes” at the Louisiana- coastal-themed event, held under the stars at The Old Willis Dairy. Originally a working dairy, the venue includes the home of Frank and Peper Willis, hosts for the evening, as well as a party barn and outdoor stage, where “The Porch Dogs” played authentic Cajun music.
Leon County Humane Society 413 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee
www.LCHS.info
WCTV television personality Gina Pitisci served as the
night’s emcee and new LCHS Executive Director Abby Ouimet talked about the group’s 53-year history in the local area. A spe- cial recognition went to longtime volunteer and former presi- dent Audrey Bevan. Tracey Van Hook, chair of the event, announced Proctor Subaru’s generous donation of a new Outback leased vehicle for LCHS’s daily rescue operations. “Bringing our top supporters together was very powerful,”
said Van Hook. “It fortifies our drive to positively impact our community in an even more powerful way in 2014.”
Kory Thomas (right), District Sales Manager for Subaru of America, presents a new Subaru Outback to Abby Ouimet, Executive Director of the Leon County Humane Society, accompanied by Honey, an English Bulldog.
Special guest for the evening was Barbara Boswell Brunner,
author of Dog-ma: The Zen of Slobber. She was accompanied by her husband, Ray Brunner, and the latest addition to their fam- ily, a Parson Russell Terrier named Isabella Barkelina. Brunner sat under the venue’s massive oak tree signing books that were gifted to those attending the event. Her book chronicles the nine dogs that shared their lives
since 1980. The reminisces and anecdotes are by turns funny (let’s just say their collection of abused, neglected and oftentimes seriously ill pups could be very, very naughty), poignant (sadly, all but two have gone on to the Great Dog Park in the Sky) and, in one case, downright amazing. That would be a story she told about Cooper: In 2007, the big red Doberman began jumping on Brunner’s chest — hard. So hard, she developed a cyst and scheduled minor surgery to have it removed. During the sur- gery, they discovered advanced breast cancer. She is convinced the dog was warning her about the cancer — and that “Super Cooper” saved her life.
58 THE NEW BARKER
Emma Kate with Summer, a Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie mix).
The program concluded with a “dog’s-eye-view” video
about Honey, one of the 800 or so animals rescued by the LCHS this year. The eight-year-old English Bulldog came to the Leon County Humane Society as an owner surrender. She had a temperament to match her sweet name, but also had seri- ously infected ears that required long-term treatment, including surgery, that left her deaf. Honey, one of several adoptable dogs and cats attending the
festivities, seemed unperturbed by her star status, slobbering away as Bulldogs are wont to do and taking a lie down while all eyes were on her after the video was shown. While the story told a happy ending, there was an even happier coda in the days fol- lowing the celebration. Turns out supporter Sonya DeMarco saw Honey at the
event, was moved by her story and told her daughter — who just so happened to be considering adding a Bulldog to her life. You can guess the rest; two weeks later, Honey joined the young family and found her forever home. U
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112