Washington, U.S.A. – During this year’s “Be Kind to Animals Week” (May 6-12, 2012), the organization that helped found America’s original “Compassion Movement” in the 1870s is putting out an urgent plea and opening its membership for the first time to the general public, imploring them to protect more of the nation’s 10 billion+ farm animals, 3-4 million shelter animals who are euthanized yearly, and thousands of animals who are being hurt in natural disasters and cruelty cases.

“The need has never been greater,” says Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane Association. “We have made gigantic strides in the past century, pioneering many of the key advances in protecting our nation’s children and animals, but there are still huge numbers in critical need of lifesaving care.

We are putting out a call to the American public during Be Kind to Animals Week to get involved and become part of a new 21st century Compassion Movement that will help millions more of our most vulnerable to be kept safe, protected, and loved. So many animals are still suffering and can’t wait any longer.”

Some major names are heeding that call, including celebrities such as beloved actress and animal lover Betty White, who has a long history with American Humane Association and has agreed to be the chair of this year’s “Be Kind to Animals Week,” which the charity launched back in 1915.  In an email message to half a million supporters, Ms. White is asking fans and animal lovers to help by joining as supporting members now.

“As far as I am concerned, every week should be ‘Be Kind to Animals Week,’” said Ms. White. “To make that possible for more animals, please join American Humane Association’s new membership program.  In fact, as a challenge for my 90th birthday – I would like 9,000 new members to join this very week!”

In addition to the good feeling of helping helpless animals, those who visit behumane website and join at the Compassion Club level of $50 a month will be entered to win two tickets to the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards in Hollywood and a VIP visit with Hero Dog headliner Betty White!

Other major celebrities, charities, and companies are posting, tweeting, and otherwise spreading the word, encouraging Americans to get off the sidelines and actively become a voice for the voiceless, joining an effort that pioneered virtually every major advance in child and animal welfare.

“American Humane Association helped found our nation’s Compassion Movement 135 years ago and we made a huge difference,” said Dr. Ganzert. “Today, we need every American to join in an ambitious new effort to bring hope, help and comfort to millions in need.  What better time to consider joining American Humane Association as a supporting member of the most compassionate club than during Be Kind to Animals Week?”

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As nominations for the prestigious American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards are underway at www.herodogawards.org, Clark G, the world famous multilingual talking dog, has been named as the official spokesdog for the 2012 national campaign.

The Hero Dog Awards were created by the American Humane Association to celebrate the powerful relationship between dogs and people. Presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and broadcast nationwide on Hallmark Channel, the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards are produced by Emmy award winning MRB Productions.

The annual national competition searches out and recognize America’s Hero Dogs – often ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether it’s saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or just welcoming you home at the end of a hard day.

“Probably the most famous rescued shelter dog in the world, Clark G, who has over 95 million views on YouTube of the “Ultimate Dog Tease Video” is the perfect national ambassador for this year’s Hero Dog Awards,” says Robin Ganzert, PhD, President and CEO for the 135-year-old American Humane Association.

“We work to elevate the status of animals in society, in our homes, and in our families by recognizing the important role they play in our lives every day. Clark G’s devotion to his family – who he loves even more than bacon – demonstrates that powerful bond between people and animals that we embrace and recognize through the Hero Dog Awards.”

According to Clark G, “We’ve been very busy around my house lately! A whole bunch of people came to visit me, then we went to visit some other people. To top it all off we went to visit a bunch of critters who are looking for homes! People keep talking about the Hero Dog Awards.  I don’t know what that is yet but they say I will soon.” Clark G fans can “Like” and follow him at www.facebook.com/clarkgthedog .

Dogs may be nominated in eight categories for the Hero Dog Awards: Law Enforcement & Arson Dogs; Service Dogs; Therapy Dogs ; Military Dogs; Guide Dogs; Search and Rescue Dogs; Hearing Dogs; and Emerging Hero Dogs (the category for ordinary dogs).  Finalists in each of the eight categories will be selected by the public from the pool of contestants, and flown to Hollywood with two of their human friends to the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California on October 6, 2012.

There they will walk the red carpet, attend the show which will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel, and will be recognized in a video tribute at the black-tie gala where the winning American Hero Dog will be announced.  Nominations close on March 26, 2012, and voting by the general public will begin on April 1, 2012.

Finalists in each category will be judged by a blue-ribbon panel consisting of both celebrities and animal experts, to determine the winning American Hero Dog. This year’s judges include Whoopi Goldberg, Candy Spelling, CBS’ Debbye Turner Bell, “America’s Veterinarian” Dr. Marty Becker, actresses Kristin Bauer Van Straten, Megyn Price, Edie McClurg, and Christie Brooke, Prince Lorenzo Borghese and many other notable names.

Complete rules and entry information can be obtained by visiting www.herodogawards.org.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/clarkgthedog

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DreamWorks Pictures’ “War Horse”, directed by Steven Spielberg, has earned American Humane Association’s highest certification rating: Monitored: Outstanding, No Animals Were Harmed. The production complied with American Humane Association’s ‘Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media’ to ensure the safety of the horses and fully cooperated with American Humane Association’s Film and TV Unit,  which logged 1,100 hours on ‘War Horse’ sets in England and California and safeguarded more than 100 horses.

Since 1940, American Humane Association has been safeguarding animals in film. On the ‘War Horse’ production sets, American Humane Association representative Barbara Carr was present to make sure that the many horses used in the making of the film were both safe and treated humanely. Says Director Spielberg, “I gave Barbara [Carr] the complete, final cut so to speak, to pull the plug if she felt any of the horses were not up to the challenge or any of the horses were in any way in harm’s way.”

Spielberg gave Carr input on set in the planning of the stunt or the action the horse had to perform and also gave her opportunities to watch rehearsals in slow motion, done one step at a time, so she could determine whether it would be safe for the horse.

The film, which opens in theatres in the U.S. on December 25th, is an epic tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. Based on the best-selling book by Michael Morpurgo and the Tony Award-winning stage play by Nick Stafford, ‘War Horse’ is one of the great stories of bravery and friendship, brought to the screen by one of the greatest directors in film history.

‘War Horse’ begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Pictures’ ‘War Horse’ stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell. It is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, and executive producers are Frank Marshall and Revel Guest. The screenplay was written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis and is based on the book by Michael Morpurgo and the international hit stage play by Nick Stafford, originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain and directed by Tom Morris and Marianne Elliot.

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There are always concerns when animals are involved in movie productions; making sure that both humans and wildlife are unharmed should be a top priority on any set. In the new movie The Rum Diary, adapted from legendary Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s novel, there were two scenes of particular concern to the production — the cockfights.

“The roosters are an essential element to Sala’s character,” says production designer Chris Seagers. Sala, played by Michael Rispoli, is a news photographer at the San Juan Star who strikes a friendship with the main character Kemp in the movie. “Bruce was always very concerned about how this would be shot. It was never about seeing a fight.

It was about showing the ballet of their movements, the artistry of it all. The birds we used were exquisite, and beautifully kept. We did a lot of research about what we wanted to photograph. We needed to see the birds leaping into the air, and spreading their wings.”

A lot of work went into making sure that the filmmakers could achieve the shots they wanted without any harm coming to the birds in any way. In order to achieve that goal, the production invited the American Humane Association to supervise all the animal action including the cockfighting.

Officer Laura Sweet worked on the initial training period, and the first sequence, and they also brought in Officer Gina Johnson to assist her in the first scene because of the number of animals involved. Avian Veterinarian Antonio Riveras was brought in to monitor the birds for stress and heat exhaustion.

“It was very important for us to adhere to the American Humane Association’s guidelines,” says executive producer Patrick McCormick. “We wanted to make sure that no animals were harmed in any way. We had to start figuring out ways to stage these cockfighting events so that we were totally sure the birds were safe.

We wanted everyone involved to be assured that their health and welfare were never endangered.” “In a cockfight, the bird’s natural spurs are clipped before the fight,” explains McCormick. “They are replaced with artificial metal ones, so that every bird has the same size spurs, and the spurs are what cause the injuries. We created soft rubber spurs to replace them.

The other thing we talked about was their beaks. We figured out we could tape them without impairing their breathing, as long as it was for a very short period of time. Initially, we thought this would be sufficient. However, we learnt from the A.H.A., that it was an issue if the birds touched in any way because this constituted fighting,” says McCormick.

“So, in addition to the rubber spurs and taping of their beaks, we had to figure out how to restrain the birds.” Laura Sweet from the A.H.A. worked with trainer Eric Colon for several weeks to devise a method of creating the shots without the birds ever touching.

With the aid of the costume department and prop-master Drew Petrotta, and costume designer Colleen Atwood, they devised an ingenious harness which fitted under the feathers. The harnesses were then attached to monofilaments, which allowed the animal wranglers to control the birds so they never got close to each other.

The scenes were closely monitored by the A.H.A reps and by first assistant director Peter Kohn. They only allowed seconds for each take, and only one or two takes for each shot. The hard work paid off and the filmmakers were thrilled with the footage. All the roosters used in the movie have been relocated to a life of ease on a ranch in Canyon Country, near Los Angeles.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/RumDiaryMovie

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