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Rita Anderson, Tour Director and grandmother of two, lead an unassuming life in Boulder, Colorado until a neighbor's Dalmatian changed her forever. "Over weeks, months and years, in temperatures of 100 or -5, I watched this dog in his lonely pen in the back yard of the family home. When I asked the family why he lived in the pen, I was told a family member was allergic to him and he was not housebroken. I offered to find a new home for him, but was told no. I contacted Animal Control but they said that since the dog had food, water, a doghouse and a clean pen, he was being treated humanely. I even convinced a columnist to write a column about this dog, but nothing ever changed."
Then Rita heard about a campaign in California to legally change the word "owner" to "guardian" with respect to companion animals. She figured maybe this was a way to change people's attitudes--and ultimately their behavior--towards cats and dogs. "It's all about changing consciousness. Ownership implies that we can dominate animals and treat them like products. If we can change the language, there's a good chance that as our children and our grandchildren grow up, they'll begin to think of themselves as guardians and feel a responsibility to their companion animal, similar to the way parents feel about their children." And so Rita decided to start her own campaign in Boulder.
"I had absolutely no idea exactly what I was going to do. I had never led anything before and I was intimidated by the whole process. What spurred me on was thinking about that Dalmatian. Ultimately, I just jumped in and began calling everyone I could possibly think of who might be interested in supporting the idea. I called one of our local City Councilmen to find out the procedure necessary to present the idea of "guardianship" to the City Council. Then I began contacting more people and organizations for their support, including a local group whose goal was to help establish dog parks and off leash running areas, an animal rights group which allowed me to use their e-mail list, and a local political group which works with the legislature in an attempt to change existing "animal" laws.
At the same time, I made an appointment with the Executive Director of the local Humane Society. She agreed to support the idea of changing "owner" to "guardian" and said since the Humane Society was in the midst of drafting new language regarding animals, she would also submit the guardianship issue to the City Attorney.
We were fortunate to have the local newspaper, the Boulder Daily Camera, fully behind us. We were able to get a supportive editorial and two excellent columns (different writers) informing the public about the merits of guardianship. Two or three talk shows also jumped on the issue.
Another point that is of significance for any people out there who feel they don't have time to work on causes: For six months out of the year, my job takes me "on the road." Even so, I continued to work on the campaign through a laptop computer and cell phone. I made calls from far flung airports as well as the local Dairy Queen. I sent e-mails from my home or my hotel room. The most important thing is to have the belief that what you are doing is right and that it will make a difference.
The proposed ordinance finally came up for the First Reading before our City Council on June 6. There was a bit of chuckling, jokes about dogs really "owning" people, etc. and it was suggested that it be considered for a "Resolution," not an actual ordinance.
I discovered that some national groups had written letters to our Council, telling them it would be a mistake to vote for guardianship. It was then that I wrote a rather lengthy letter to each Council member, explaining the nuts and bolts of this idea.
I also wrote a Guest Opinion for our local newspaper. I had never done anything like that and was afraid it wouldn't sound "professional" enough. Putting my feelings right out there for the world to see was a new and frightening experience.
On July 11, the issue again came before the City Council. At 10:30 pm when our time came up, the President of the Board of the Humane Society spoke and the Executive Director gave a very passionate speech about the importance of this change. One by one, supporters got up and spoke from their heart. When it came time for a decision, I was flabbergasted at a vote of 8 to 1 in favor. My daughter and granddaughters were there and we were nearly overwhelmed with joy. Chantel, my 9-year-old granddaughter whispered to me, 'Grandma, even if they wouldn't have voted for it, I would still be a guardian, not an owner.'"
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