Betty White, America’s sweetheart and lifelong animal lover and advocate, would have turned 100 this Monday. In honor of her birthday, the Athens Area Humane Society is hosting a celebration event that will feature no-cost, sponsored adoptions for all shelter animals aged eight months and older.
Chris Shupe spoke with the CEO of the Athens Area Humane Society, Cheryl McCormick, about the event.
This transcript was edited for clarity
Chris:
Can you talk a little bit about Betty White's work as an advocate for animals?
McCormick:
Animals have been such a formative part of her life, well before her acting career. As a child, she was constantly surrounded by animals, and it really shaped the person and the character that she was.
Chris:
Tell us a little bit more details about the actual event that's coming up. What kind of animals will be up for adoption? And what's the process for adopting like?
McCormick:
We intend to have a full house of adoptable pets. So that would include kittens, cats, puppies, and dogs. You will find every sort of personality, every sort of body type, every sort of lifestyle; busy dogs, working dogs, lap dogs, cats of all stripes, so to speak.
And the adoption process is very simple. We are yes people. We don't believe in creating a lot of barriers to the very special bond that has been celebrated between domesticated animals and human beings for hundreds of thousands of years.
Chris:
Well, I think I know the answer to this, but why animals aged eight months and older?
McCormick:
Some of our older dogs and cats have a hard time competing for attention. You have to admit, it's hard to resist those puppies and kittens. They're just so adorable.
But what we often forget, Chris, is that our older dogs and cats are past those formative years where maybe they're a little more work, require a little more attention, until their personalities are fairly set. And I love that because what you see is what you get.
If you're looking for a very calm dog, and you happen to be meeting with our boxer mix, Mirabel, she's three years old. She's going to be, you know, she is who she is.
Chris:
The event features no cost, sponsored adoptions. Who's covering the adoption cost?
McCormick:
Well, we have a generous donor who would like to be anonymous and who really believes rather than having the focus on Betty, per se—although we just can't help ourselves, she's American sweetheart—we honestly believe that the best way to honor her life and her adoration of animals is to find as many adoptable companion animals forever homes as possible.
Chris:
Before we go, tell our listeners when and where this event is taking place and how they can participate.
McCormick:
The event is from 12pm to 6pm at our new location at 1030 Mitchell Bridge Road. We're easy to find online.
