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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]