Tomorrow we gather for our Thanksgiving meal, stuff ourselves and then spend a tryptophan-induced restful afternoon with the people we love.
Back in 1620, a group of about 100 religious dissidents from England found themselves in Plymouth, Massachusetts after a short stop in the Netherlands.  They were the first settlers in this new world, and things were rough.
During the first winter here 50 out of a hundred settlers died of starvation and sickness.  Tradition has it that in the spring they planted their first harvest and the abundance of some of the crops was amazing.  They were able to pay off their financiers in England quicker than they expected, and there was still plenty left over.
They were thankful for their very lives – thankful to be part of the surviving Pilgrims.  They were thankful for their harvest – thankful that they were reaping in abundance the seeds they had sown.
A little over a week ago we were all shocked at the senseless killing of Oreo, the dog who had survived being thrown from a six story rooftop, landing on air conditioning units which broke her fall.
As we know she died not from her injuries but as a result of the decision to take her life rather than respond to our request to take her to Pets Alive for rehabilitation.

Since then we’ve seen the announcement of Oreo’s Law, a bill introduced by Assembly Member Kellner and Senator Duane of New York.  The language is practically identical to the language found in the Hayden Law in California, and is simple…if another legitimate rescue organization offers to accept responsibility for an animal that will otherwise be killed, the organization that has the animal must, by law, release it to the requesting organization.
Since Oreo’s death I’ve watched the ASPCA and its supporters try to divert the discussion away from the central issue, but let’s all remember that the issue is simply this:  Is it morally right for a so-called humane organization to kill an animal when there is another option?  In this case that option was Pets Alive.
The answer is equally simple:  No, it is morally wrong.
Euthanasia must be understood for what it is: a last-step, end-of-the-road option to spare animals further hardship and suffering.
Do you think the ASPCA agrees with that statement?  They should.  It’s their Euthanasia Policy.  With Oreo, they violated it, even though they’ve recently amended it to take it farther from the concept of “no-kill.”
I’ve also watched Pets Alive get smeared here and there on the Net.  Whatever.  Our supporters know who and what we are.  I invite the naysayers to get some testicular fortitude and come visit us.  See if you’re still talking out the same side of your face when you leave here.
When Kerry and her large, extended family get together around the Thanksgiving table each year, the first thing they do is go around the table one by one and talk about what they’re thankful for.
At Pets Alive we’re thankful for you – the people who believe in what we do.  The people who give us their hard-earned dollars five and ten at a time, who expect that we won’t spend it on large salaries and million dollar advertising budgets.
People who trust us to do the right thing no matter how much we get slammed for it.  I promise you we always will.
I’ve read the lies.  About how we’re doing this for the publicity or the money.  Those of you who know us know we did this because this is simply what we do.  What you underpay us for.
We’re thankful that the Oreos of the world have places like Pets Alive to go to, along with thousands of smaller organizations that do what we do.  Thankful that we have Best Friends to lead the way, and thankful that they work so closely with us and pick up the phone every time we call.
We’re thankful for the employees in organizations like the ASPCA who truly care about the animals, and advocate regularly for dogs like Oreo, risking being “written up” for “caring too much about the animals.”  The employee who told me that said “What am I supposed to do?  Stop caring?”  No, you’re not.  Another employee spoke of killing animals for reasons other than sickness, saying that “each one took a piece of her soul.”  These people may seem exceptional but we are thankful that there is a blanket of these people protecting the animals who can’t protect themselves.
Even if they couldn’t protect Oreo.
At Pets Alive we’re thankful that our employees have never stopped caring.  They buy animals chicken and rice with their own money when they won’t eat.  They come in on their days off to check on an animal.  They do so much for so little, and they touch us beyond words.  Our volunteers are equally amazing, except they do it for nothing (I suspect our employees would too.  And do.  Regularly.)
Like Thanksgiving, the Oreo debate is about life.  It’s about doing the right thing, which makes it about right and wrong.  Don’t let anyone use sleight of hand to make this something else.
So this Thanksgiving realize that your dog or cat is thankful for YOU, especially if you rescued him or her.  Acknowledge that special bond by sneaking them all something from the dinner table.  At the DeAngelis house we have to protect all food items from the long reach of Roscoe, the Plott Hound from Pets Alive that had surgery on both hind legs and now can rear up and snag anything on any surface at any time.
Now let’s talk about a harvest of a different sort.  Let’s use the opportunity created in having the family together to sow the seeds of Oreo’s Law.  Tell your family members about Oreo.  Tell them about Oreo’s Law.  Tell them they can help by supporting the law, telling other people and writing to the lawmakers in New York.
Refer them to the page that will help them do all that:
http://petsalive.com/oreo
With your help next year we can reap the results of those seeds:  more animals saved from death.
By the way…thank you.  From all of us at Pets Alive, human and furry (and both).
Enjoy Thanksgiving.