At 87 years young, Betty White has achieved success in her two favorite passions: a love for acting and a love for animals. This six-time Emmy winner just returned form shooting the upcoming movie, “The Proposal” with Sandra Bullock in Boston. She took the time to chat with me on my “Oh Behave!” radio show on Pet Life Radio.
Let me share with you some of the “golden lessons in life” from Betty and discover why she is truly a pal and a confidant to pets and people.
On pets and acting: I feel lucky that I am able to be active in the two loves of my life: animals and show business. I’ve been involved with the Los Angeles Zoo and the Morris Animal Foundation for more than 40 years and I’ve been in show business for more than 60 years. I guess you have to either sell your TV set or blow it up to get rid of me. Ha! I feel blessed.
On her role as president emeritus of the Morris Animal Foundation: The premise of the Morris Animal Foundation is to fund humane studies for dogs, cats, horses, zoo animals and wildlife. We are conducting two major efforts: the Canine Cancer Crusade and the Happy, Healthy Cat Campaign. Sadly, 1 in 4 dogs die from cancer and I lost one of my beloved golden retrievers to cancer. Dogs are vulnerable to the same carcinogens as people are and we are hoping to find out why and find a cure for cancer as well. Cats outnumber dogs in this country, but the problem is that fewer cats go to veterinary hospitals for care than dogs. We’re trying to educate the public and fund more feline studies.
On her favorite breed, the golden retriever: My golden retriever passion began when I took my blind friend Tom Sullivan’s retired guide dog named Dinah. She retired at age 11 when she came to me. She made it to age 15 by three days. Tom told me that Dinah taught him to grow up and I say that Dinah taught me to grow old. When she was a working dog, she traveled with Tom all over the country. Then she came to me with her upbeat attitude as if to convey, “Okay, what can I do to help you? She taught me that it is okay to go through life’s changes.
On her special bond with her dog, Pontiac: Pontiac is my golden boy, my constant companion. I cannot go more than two steps in my home without him being right by my side. If I must go out of town, I do my best to only be gone a maximum of three days. When I’m away, my good friend, Jerry Martin comes over every single day to play with Pontiac and so does my housekeeper. My housekeeper tells me that Pontiac spends a lot of time watching out the window that overlooks my driveway looking for me. That kind of support is very special. I appreciate him with all my heart.
For more info: Please visit the Morris Animal Foundation website at www.morrisanimalfoundation.com. Tune in to OH BEHAVE! on Pet Life Radio (www.petliferadio.com).
Labels: Arden Moore, Betty White, Confused by Cats, Dogs, Oh Behave, Pet Life Radio
