By Bernard Unti, Ph.D.
"There is no more sure tie between friends than when they are united in their objects and wishes." —Cicero
In a certain sense, the corporate combination that took place on Aug. 26, 2006 between the Doris Day Animal League, founded in 1987, and The Humane Society of the United States, founded in 1954, has its roots in an event that took place in the late 1930s—a tragic incident in the life of a young Cincinnati girl and her dog Tiny.
Confident as always in his good training, and fearing that a leash would have upended the crutches on which she relied for more than a year following a serious injury, a young girl took her best friend,Tiny, out one day—the little black and tan walking close beside her off leash, as he did every day.
This day, however, their shared life took a tragic turn when Tiny uncharacteristically bolted, dashing out into the street, where he was hit by a car and died before the young girl's eyes.
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The Winning Team |
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On Aug. 26, 2006, in a strategic decision with broad implications for humane work in the nation's capital, the Doris Day Animal League and The Humane Society of the United States agreed to a corporate merger. The combination, which took effect immediately, is the second such union involving The HSUS in as many years; in early 2005, the organization forged a similar union with The Fund for Animals.
As part of the agreement, DDAL Executive Director Holly Hazard and eight other DDAL employees will become staff members of The HSUS and/or its 501(c)(4) affiliate, the Humane Society Legislative Fund. DDAL will continue to operate as an affiliate of The HSUS, and its operations will be integrated within those of The HSUS.
The decision to combine operations is based on an established tradition of broad agreement and collegial association in pursuing animal welfare gains at the federal level. The DDAL and The HSUS have worked together on many issues, including greyhound racing, the testing of household products and cosmetics on animals, the addition of bittering agents to anti-freeze to protect children and animals, and providing relief for the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"The purposes of our union," HSUS CEO and President Wayne Pacelle wrote in an Aug. 28 memorandum to HSUS employees, "are to use dollars and resources more wisely, foster greater cooperation within the animal movement, build greater depth of program activity in areas of overlapping concern, and increase our effectiveness." |
The terrible incident left the girl with a searing guilt, and a strong determination to do something to help the animals during her lifetime.
Such sad occurrences have played out in many lives, of course, but this was not to be an ordinary life, and she was no ordinary girl. In later years, as Doris Day, she would establish herself as a star in five distinct mediums—big band, live radio, recording, film and television—and become the one of the most-celebrated and popular musical/comedic actresses and singers of the 20th century, with 29 original record albums, 39 films, two TV series and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to her credit.
In a 20-year film career, her leading men included James Cagney, Jack Carson, Clark Gable, James Garner, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, Rock Hudson, Howard Keel, Jack Lemmon, Gordon MacRae, David Niven, John Raitt, Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Stewart. There was just something about Doris Day, Cagney once observed, "that caught the mood and fancy" of postwar America.
Not to mention its heart.
As it turned out, the girl who grieved over the death of Tiny would also become a lifelong "animal person," lending her name, time, and energies to humane work, from her days as a rising star in the 1950s, to her participation in anti-fur and spay/neuter campaigns in the 1970s, to her post-Hollywood career as the founder of a national animal protection organization and the proprietor of a hotel that pioneered policies friendly to pets.
Read more about Doris Day and her love for animals in the full-length article >>
Bernard Unti, senior policy advisor and special assistant to the president at The HSUS, received his doctorate in U.S. history in 2002 from American University. His book, Protecting All Animals: A Fifty-Year History of The Humane Society of the United States, is available from Humane Society Press.
