Recently I visited with actor Teri Austin (from “Knot’s Landing”), who heads up The Amanda Foundation. This L.A. group rescues pets from pounds and finds them loving homes, and it is where I found my best friend, the marvelous Russell Black. Teri and I chatted in a pretty garden area outside Amanda’s shelter, while a steady stream of volunteer dog-walkers passed by with their happy companions. Russell joined us. Susan Black: How did you become involved with Amanda? Teri Austin: When I was working on “Knot’s Landing” I had an ancient Yorkshire Terrier, so I spent a lot of time at the veterinarian, who happen to have an Amanda bulletin board. I would send them checks, but I didn’t really become involved until my Yorkie died. I was devastated, and my vet suggested that I start volunteering; so I did and eventually got involved with running it. I also found a very old Yorkie mix there; she had cataracts, green teeth and walked on three legs. I thought, I’ll take her home, she probably only has a year or two left. I had her for nine years—she just got younger every year. SB: How is the Amanda Foundation different from other rescue organizations? TA: We are the guerrilla group of pet rescue. We go to the worst pounds in the worst parts of town and take pets from death row. I have personally taken animals off the euthanasia table. Recently I was at a South Central pound, walking by the euthanasia room—and this little dog who was on the table literally jumped, came through the door and leaped into my arms. We call her Joy, because she jumped for it. She’s a sweet little Lab-Shepherd cross, and now she’ll have a lovely home. SB: I know you can’t take every dog … so how do you make the decision of who gets to come back with you? TA: I wish I could say we save a majority of the animals, but the fact is we are only able to save a small percentage. The overpopulation of pets in Los Angeles is just about the worst in the country, and the euthanasia rate is nearly the highest. People get a pet, and when the novelty wears off and the commitment isn’t there, they throw it away like a used toy. We take the pets we feel we can place, though we pride ourselves in not just taking the easy ones. Once we get them out of the pound and into a secure environment, their personalities change dramatically. So, along with the sweet ones, we’ll also take those who have been abused or neglected and seem to have a social issue that needs to be dealt with. And we bail out a lot of older dogs too. Interestingly, though, 80 percent of impounded dogs are under two years old. SB: You’re pretty high profile, but how do you survive financially? TA: We are a nonprofit charity. We beg and borrow. But we’re in Los Angeles, and I’m in the entertainment business, so we do try to use the media to our advantage. The problem with overpopulation and pet-owner irresponsibility all stems from lack of education, so the more we can get our message out, the better the future will be for the animals. Some of our media events are fundraisers. Our next one is September 23rd at Paramount Studios, our sixth annual Comedy Night and auction. I think it’s the most fun event thrown in this city, it’s very open and loose. We don’t give any awards, we don’t make any long speeches, everybody knows why they’re there. We sell out every year, and the entertainment is always top-notch. We have a website (www.amanda-fnd.org), which offers tips on how to pick a dog and showcases our pets. Lots of people think they know what type of dog they want, and call us up and say, for example, “We’ve got two kids and we work all day and we want two Jack Russell terriers!” And we say, “No you don’t!” We really like to help people choose a pet that will be a joy to them, that truly fits into the time they have available and that will be in their home for fifteen years. SB: You have a surprisingly thorough interview process. TA: We just want to make sure the home is a secure environment, and we don’t want anyone to make an impulsive, emotional decision and regret it later. Choosing a dog is like falling in love. It either happens or it doesn’t. SB: What do you say to people who are thinking about buying a pedigreed dog? TA: In Los Angeles about 20 percent of the dogs in the pound are purebred. If somebody wants a purebred dog, I know 178 individuals in this city alone who are rescuing different breeds—so you can get your pedigreed pet and rescue an abandoned animal at the same time. There are very poor consumer laws regarding animal breeding. People assume that if a dog has “papers” there is some guarantee of quality, but the AKC doesn’t check out breeders—it’s all done through the mail. And there isn’t a quality pet breeder in this country who would sell to a pet store. Think about it: if someone loves animals, would they really take that creature away from its mother at six or seven weeks and ship it across the country to be put in a little glass terrarium? These puppy mills treat animals like a cash crop. I wish the AKC would be more responsible, instead of thinking only of the registration fee and encouraging people to breed, would look at the fact that there are 12 million dogs and cats destroyed in this country every year. They should encourage people to breed carefully and slowly. The result would be that the value of the pure-bred animals would go up, and for people who just want a nice pet, this would also help empty the pounds. But if your heart is set on a purebred animal, talk to your vet, talk to your friends. Research the breeders, go to dog shows and look for people who talk about their pups as companion animals and not just some prized rutabaga they grew in the backyard. SB: When I was looking for a rescue dog, I was initially scared to death of having my heart broken, seeing all those orphans. TA: When you come to us, the pets you see are loved and kissed every single day. They’re exercised and walked by our wonderful volunteers. They have their own beds and toys, and we keep them until we find a home for them. So you can come here and be sure that if you don’t find the animal that you want, you won’t leave with a heavy heart, because they are not facing death. We’re in no hurry to get rid of them. We’re not just looking for homes, we’re looking for loving, quality homes. SB: Where did the Amanda Foundation get its name? TA: Amanda in Latin means “worthy of being loved,” and that’s certainly how we feel about our animals. Photograph: Max Schroder HOME | TOP | CONTACT US | ABOUT THE BARK | WEBMASTER