Celebrity Heroes

Ellen DeGeneres wears a little “Halo”.  It’s true. In fact, she co-owns the company by that name which serves up more than just a pinch of philanthropy alongside its high quality pet foods.  Halo has donated its premium Spot’s Stew and other varieties to animal shelters and rescue leagues across the United States. And on her top-rated hit talk show Ellen frequently features guests who are contributing to animal welfare in amazing ways. Not least among those who have a special relationship with Ellen, is Mimi Ausland, the young teen creator of Freekibble.com which engineers massive deliveries of food to animal shelters in crisis. Ellen’s reputation as an animal lover is well-earned and we are deeply impressed by the way she maximizes her television show and her pet food company for the betterment of animals in need. Two paws up for Ellen!

Hayden Panettiere  Turns out, this popular star of the hit TV series Heroes has some rather superhuman qualities off-screen. Hayden is an ambassador for the World Conservation Union's (ICUN) Wildlife Foundation which raises funds to save endangered species and she joined forces with Pierce Brosnan to save the whales through the Whaleman Foundation. In fact, Hayden attempted to intercede in the annual “drive fisheries” dolphin slaughter off the coast of Japan which is documented in the film The Cove. She’ll carry that experience with her for a lifetime and we’re wiling to bet that Hayden’s animal rescue days will be long and distinguished. Hayden, thank you for your courage and devotion to animals in crisis. 

Ashley Judd took on a starring role in a video for the Washington-based Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which opposes the aerial hunting program. Judd condemned then Governor Sarah Palin for promoting the aerial killing of wolves and highlighted her suggestion of a $150 bounties for the severed forelegs of killed wolves who are chased by gunmen on helicopters and shot from the air.  The hunt is both terrifying and cruel for the wolves who are sometimes shot multiple times and may escape to a covered area where they slowly succumb from their injuries. Thank you Ashley for being a powerful voice against cruelty.

Charlize Theron readily volunteers her time to support initiatives to protect animals from cruelty.  I had the pleasure of working with Charlize in Vancouver a few years ago to create some public service announcements that raised funds for international animal welfare. Charlize was incredibly gracious during the shoot and didn’t ask for a thing.  More recently she has helped PETA create an anti-fur billboard debuting on Sunset Strip The Oscar-winning actress poses with her dog, Tucker, beneath the slogan "If you wouldn't wear your dog, please don't wear any fur." Some fur wearers are unaware that trappers kill fur bearing animals by breaking their necks, drowning or electrocuting them. Charlize is one A-list celebrity who has earned a special place in our hearts not just for her extraordinary work on-screen, but for her genuine compassion and generous spirit. Thank you Charlize.

Jackie Chan is fighting one of his greatest adversaries, animal cruelty. Jackie has teamed up with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to create awareness about bear farming in Asia. Bile from the gall bladders of bears is used in Tradition Asian Medicine and, as a result, bears are raised in captivity and forced to suffer painful procedures to extract their bile.  The conditions the bears live in are dire – most live in tiny crush cages that don’t allow the bears to stand or easily turn around. They can live this awful existence for decades. The cruelty involved in this industry is far worse than that any movie maker might imagine, and to Jackie, we are incredibly grateful. To learn more about how you can help the bears through our Harmony Fund, click here.

Kevin Nealon did his fair share of ducking down low in his seat at St. Joseph’s High School in Trumble, Connecticut. But at 6’ 4, the wise guy from Bridgeport was bound to knock heads with Roman Catholic tradition on occasion. Yet is seems that Kevin was listening more than he let on and he may have taken the school’s motto “"Privilege and Responsibility” straight to heart. For more than 20 years, Kevin has been making TV and movie audiences laugh through his performances on Saturday Night Live, Happy Gilmore, Anger Management, Daddy Day Care and Weeds.  But Kevin has a serious side and knows all too well that animal cruelty is no laughing matter. Over the years Kevin has lent his support to many animal welfare charities devoted to raising the standards of animal welfare and finding homes for shelter dogs and cats.  Kevin’s vegetarian lifestyle and advocacy for suffering animals have been instrumental in bringing significant attention and financial support to animals in need. Thank you Kevin for being a genuine ‘stand-up’ guy.

Bob Barker, legendary host of The Price is Right, has earned himself a place in our Hall of Fame for extraordinary contributions to animal welfare.  Bob donated several million dollar endowments to establish animal law programs at some of the finest law schools in America including Harvard, Duke, UCLA, Northwestern, Stanford and the University of Virginia.  The very nature of these gifts demonstrates Bob’s deep insight into the state of animal welfare and the rather scarce lack of legal protection for animals. By funding animal law programs, Bob is creating a new generation of lawyers who will have the skills and confidence to move forward in pursuing both large scale animal welfare reform and the prosecution of animal cruelty.  Meanwhile, Bob’s DJ&T Foundation underwrites the costs of spay/neuter programs for dogs across the United States. I suppose it should come as little surprise that Bob would spend his fortune this way. For 35 years Bob signed off from his daily game show with the reminder to his audience, “Please, spay and neuter your pets.” We may never know the cumulative impact of Bob’s compassion, but even by conservative estimates, we know that he prevented a fate of homelessness or euthanasia for tens of thousands of animals. And one can only imagine what the ultimate power of his animal law programs will be.  God bless you Bob. You are an inspiration.