Doris
Day
Animal
Magnetism
by Bill Strubbe
Though her illustrious career spanned TV shows, 18 albums,
and 39 film roles starring opposite the likes of Jimmy
Stewart, Cary Grant, and Clark Gable, the freckle-face
blonde is perhaps most remembered—in addition to
“Que Sera Sera”— for her romantic comedies
with Rock Hudson. Who couldn’t fall for Doris Day,
the beguiling, funny, and terminally prudent girl next
door?
As an outdoorsy girl in Cincinnati the
former Doris Mary Ann Kappelhof loved animals. “I’ve
always had four-legged companions. The story of ‘Tiny,’
my dog, is a great inspiration,” Ms. Day said,
recalling the accident that curtailed her budding dance
career, shifting her into singing and acting. “His
companionship was invaluable when I was a teenager and
was in a car accident with a train that resulted in
a compound leg fracture. I was on crutches for more
than a year. He never left my side, understood my moods,
and gave me the kind of companionship that only a dog
can bestow.”
Throughout her Hollywood career and
her retirement she has continued to be accompanied by
pets. So great is Ms. Day’s love and compassion
for animals that three non-profits have been founded
in her name. “We placed individual animals in good
homes and raised money for spaying, neutering, or even
feeding the animals in need. It was limited to California
— first Los Angeles and then Carmel when I moved
there, and it was, frankly, overwhelming,” Ms.
Day said of the initial Doris Day Pet Foundation. “Later,
I realized that we could help so many more animals with
a national organization with a professional staff in
Washington, D.C. First came the Doris Day Animal League
(in 1987), and the Doris Day Animal Foundation followed
later.”
The Doris Day Animal League works with
members of the House and Senate to lobby for legislation
that enforces the humane treatment of animals. Many
states and cities have also benefited from the Washington
staff’s help in drafting legislation, organizing
support, and actual lobbying for or against legislation.
Only about 17 percent of donations goes to administration
and fund raising.
The more hands/paws-on sister organization,
The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF), is involved
in a number of projects. It promotes reading animal-friendly
books aloud to students in kindergarten through grade
3 and improving children’s reading skills while
instilling respect for animals. Comics for Compassion
employs comic books to teach children the heroism in
standing up for an ethic of empathy and compassion.
Beyond Violence: The Human-Animal Connection, a joint
project of DDAF and Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals, educates judges, prosecutors, mental health
providers, social workers, and advocates for domestic
violence victims about the connection between animal
abuse and violence toward humans.
“We are great advocates of spaying
and neutering,” Ms. Day explains. “Our national
program, Spay Day USA, has been responsible for saving
millions of lives and millions of taxpayer dollars by
spaying and neutering more than one million cats and
dogs since 1994.”
Currently Ms. Day resides on the outskirts
of Carmel, California, on her 11-acre wooded estate.
Redwood cottages dotting the lawns and rose gardens
under the huge oak are home to numerous pampered cats,
dogs, and birds that she has taken in. Several housekeepers
prepare homemade meals—turkey loaf, chicken soup,
and liver cookies (no canned food here!)—for her
feline and canine companions.
In town, the Cypress Inn, co-owned by
Ms. Day, welcomes people and their pets. The rooms (book
The Tower Room) are spacious and charming with fireplaces,
marble bathrooms, complimentary fruit baskets, and special
pet blankets. If you go out for the evening and don’t
want to leave Fido alone, pet sitters are available.
The inn can recommend a number of local restaurants
that welcome pets, some even offering special dog menus.
When asked about travel tips for animal
companions, Ms. Day replied, “I still have some
four-legged best friends. We don’t travel much,
but I always make sure there’s water and fresh
air.”
Doris Day Animal League, Doris Day Animal
Foundation
227 Massachusetts Ave NE. Washington, DC, 20002,
Tel: 202-546-1761. www.DDAL.org,
www.DDAF.org
[Updated:
April, 2008]
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