The Dog Lady Blog

I received this letter from a woman I met last year named Laura. I thought you all would appreciate it and undertand why, despite all the ugliness that has permeated the lives of my dogs and their caregiver (me), I feel so grateful to have such incredible support from so many beautiful people, like ALL of your who care about what was, and will be again, such a uniquely effectively, proactive enterprise--a true Sanctuary for weary, abused and disposed of dogs in need of comfort, nurturing and a forever home (if no one adopts them, that is!).
love, katherine

Katherine,

I sent my friend, Sher, an email regarding your plight asking for help/advice on how to get national media attention. I will let you know if I hear anything from him. Let's hope he has something that can help.

This is the letter I sent to him:

Sher, I am hoping you can provide some advice or assistance to help a friend, Katherine Fraze. Katherine lives in southern Indiana (on purpose...really) on a beautiful stretch of 130 acres. She lives in a trailer [a camper, actually-k.]with no running water, in a simple lifestyle that allows her to follow her passion, animal rescue.

I met Katherine after I found her on the web while looking for a dog. Katherine runs Save that Dog Sanctuary (http://www.savethatdog.org/) which in essence is a "dog farm" where the dogs live open on her land taking shelter in her trailer. She takes in dogs to be fed, nurtured and ultimately placed into loving homes. Other dogs (Benny was my personal favorite) are old and likely not a first choice for adoption, so they live out their lives in this dog utopia where they are truly loved.

She is the subject of many articles and publications-http://www.savethatdog.org/Press.html due to her lifestyle and altruistic nature. I cannot tell you what an intelligent, articulate woman she is....you have to speak to her to understand it completely...her blogs are amazing. She conveys stories---life events----with such brutal honesty it is refreshing and mesmerizing. In today's society, where everyone is so guarded...here is a woman who speaks of tragedies in her past openly, beauties in her life today with flourish--- an entry from her journal.....

Friday, September 4, 2009
Full Corn Moon On A Quiet Friday Night

I worked out in my garden until just a little while ago and worked up quite a sweat. Picked four watermelons and six cantaloupes along with a ton of cucumbers. By 10:30 the Corn Moon is glowing like a big round fluorescent meringue in the sky. After rinsing off, I got into my 3ft. deep x 6ft diameter galvanized steel 'pool' I had filled to capacity this morning, which the clear sunny daylight obligingly warmed. I floated on my back, holding onto the rim of the pool and suddenly I felt little licks on my knuckles...it was Hank, Max and Nash, doling out kisses to me. There were a few others but the moonlight seemed to illuminate the "blondes". Now we're all tucked in; me typing on my laptop, Franklin curled under my arm (making his little snoring and 'schnorkle' sounds), Norman at my head using his baby gorilla as an ersatz pillow (tucked beneath his chin), Emily to my right up against my hip (prancing in her sleep), Parker passed out at behind my knees, Molly at the foot of the bed (legs akimbo) and Clapton at my left hip, my small but truly mighty guardian. Everyone else has secured their spots on favorite blankies throughout the camper and even though we have a colossal full moon, all are calm, relaxed and ready to dream. Even the whippoorwills are quiet tonight... I love the serenity of this very moment. I'm going to lay here, quite still, and savor.

She is a normal, [highly] fallable human (ask her about how she was growing marijuana on her property) [frankly, if you knew how many people, all around you, smoke marijuana...your doctor, your lawyer, your police officer, your mailperson, your neighbor, your judge, your child's teacher...so many people have told me (or rather whispered in my ear) "I smoke pot--shh...", and sometimes they giggle. It kind of blew my mind. In a non-marijuana way, of course.] with the most incredible social conscience of anyone I have ever met. And, I will say that the visit to her facility (with my truck PACKED with donated supplies) was one of the most profound experiences of my life--as an animal lover, it is an indescribable experience.

Now, I wouldn't be asking for help if something had not happened...which unfortunately, was a potential adopter was bitten by one of the pack. This brought in the requisite governmental agencies which confiscated the dogs--I believe 14 have been put to sleep including my beloved Benny [killed at NAFCAC&P January 22. Knowing that any of my dogs died without me holding them has made for so many sleepless nights and puffy-eyes mornings...] which still makes me tear up. She is fighting the government ["The Man"] now for time to fix her living conditions (she has no septic system), provide fencing so the dogs can be penned when potential adopters arrive...all so that she can go back to doing what she adores, rescuing animals. She lives by the generosity of donations [to my non-profit organization] and by the adoption fees for her animals so to generate money to fix a trailer, [building a barn would be way more effective and "up to code"] get a septic system, [I'd rather have an incinerator toity, a reservoir for my dish, bath and other clean "grey" water to use in my garden; I want to reuse my resources as efficiently and "greenly" as I can, like I have been all these years] etc etc etc is no small feat for her. What she really needs is publicity [may I keep my privacy, though?]. Publicity beyond the local arena in southern Indiana to generate interest and public outcry.

So that is my question to you: What can she do to engage a more national media audience [without selling her soul to the devils] ? With your tenure in the entertainment industry, if anyone would know how to get the national media involved, it would be you. Take a look at her website, read her blog entries...the latter ones are about the battles with the county and persons involved in this case....she is nothing if not passionate...and that certainly comes across in these entries. But go back in time and read some of her entries---there are entries about abuse she sustained as a child, the death of her husband, the beauty of a sun rise. And then, if you have any suggestions for her please let me know. Or call her yourself, if you like. Speak to her on the phone. You'll be amazed.

Hope you are doing well! I was in Palm Springs last week and was going to try to contact you but was way too busy. How is the business going?

Laura

You know, I'd love to get paid for writing about my life experiences and rescuing animals is the one beautiful, life-affirming constant in my life. Ever since I could crawl, I wanted to be around animals. That instinct to surround myself with "critters" saved my life on more than one occasion. The way I do things isn't "normal" but my results have been extraordinary, for the animals I've rescued and for me, too. There were a few times I believed I'd be better off dead, life just felt so ugly. But inevitably, my dogs and nature in general pulled me back and reminded how beautiful this whole, weird ride called life is. Me so corny. love, katherine

posted by Katherine  # 8:23 PM 0 Comments