The ASPCA is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a fresh campaign called 150 Days of Rescue. The initiative encourages pet-loving humans to spend at least 15 minutes on animal rescue and welfare issues between April 10 and Sept. 7. Celebrities such as Jason Schwartzman, Edie Falco, and Jennifer Coolidge are taking part in the campaign by posing for slick photos and starring in an adorable video with their own pooches and kitties.
Coolidge shared with us how her two dogs, Dilly and Monkey, came into her life. Read on, then enjoy the photos and video and learn more about how you can get involved.
I was walking through the intersection at Fairfax and Melrose in Hollywood and bent down to pet this sweet and innocent little dog that was tied to a tree without a collar. A man standing nearby mentioned the dog was without a home and I instinctually felt this moment was supposed to happen and she was supposed to come home with me. I named her Dilly. Along with being a greyhound, terrier, and retriever mix, she is the smartest dog that I have ever met.
I also have a little black border collie and black lab mix named Monkey! Five years ago, when I was living in New York City doing a job, I got a request to go on the Nate Berkus show and do the dog segment. All I had to do was bring a dog on stage and try to get someone in the audience to adopt it. Even though the little black dog was incredibly charming, she didn’t get any takers. I called the show the next day and asked if anyone had showed interest in her. When they responded, “No, and she also has a cold now,” I knew I wanted to be that little girl’s mom.
Dilly is 16 years old now, and Monkey is 7. I have to admit, there aren’t a lot of boundaries for my dogs. We sleep in my bed together every night and I serve them whatever they want. There’s something very simple with adopting a dog: they improve your life tenfold and people with dogs definitely live a lot longer. I can’t imagine my life without having these two to share it with!
150 Days of Rescue
To mark the ASPCA’s milestone year, the 150 Days of Rescue initiative will be a “nationwide action campaign” that’s designed to “unite the country in making a difference in the lives of homeless and abused animals.” Your first step to getting involved is to hit up the special website.
Spend just 15 minutes
The aim of 150 Days of Rescue is to persuade individuals to pledge 15 minutes of their time, with the grand goal being to log 150,000 individual actions for animals over the 150 days. That’s a significant amount of time.
What you can do
The 150 Days of Rescue website includes boxes to check for activities, such as speaking to your friends about animal welfare issues, volunteering at your local shelter, fostering or adopting a new pet, making a donation to an animal-friendly organization, and contacting a local government representative about an animal rights issue.
There’s also an “Other actions I took” box that you can fill in, so get creative with it!
Share your own dog pics
Yes, you can get involved by sharing your best pet pics, too, with the website running a weekly photo contest for rescues. You’ll also need to tell the world your favorite thing about your dog to snag a prize from sponsors like Vans and Animal Planet.
Start your own fundraiser!
One of the ways the 150 Days of Rescue website suggests people get involved is by starting their own fundraising effort. Any individual who raises more than $150 this way will receive a limited-edition Pride Pack, which includes items such as slap bracelets, luggage tags, and zipper pouches. (Check out this page for help in setting up your fundraiser.)
Don’t forget to show your shelter some love!
Best of all, the 150 Days of Rescue campaign will finish by donating a whopping $150,000 to one lucky animal shelter. So make sure to pop over to the official website and nominate your favorite local rescue center!