I don't let go. A group of stubborn protesters, including me, took it to the streets and for 5 years our lives intersected on the corner of Mammoth & Ventura Blvd. The Doobie Bros. would be proud. So I can't let the closing of Puppy & Me disappear quietly. In the big picture, few will take notice. Any one who wasn't there can't know how much this pet shop's closing means to my small band of brothers & sisters. WE WOULD NOT GO AWAY UNTIL THEY STOPPED SELLING DOGS. So what truly matters most is that Puppy & Me's door is closed. We saw this thing through, like we said we would. To the end. 

Just as Yes On Prop 2 is unforgettable for me, P&M is another life marker. I will look back on these years exactly as I look back on my Yes On Prop 2 year. Tuesday night I watched the finale to Dexter - what's Dexter got to do with this you ask? Like I said, I don't let go, my nature is like a dog with a bone. I chew on things, I'm sentimental. 

I remember sitting on the old HSUS office floor (L.A. headquarters for YOP2) sorting envelopes, talking with Christi Brockway and she tried to hum the theme song of this new show, Dexter. I knew about it but hadn't seen it, didn't think I'd like it. Welllll, hooked is a good way to put it. So well done, usually unpredictable, unique. Watched the whole enchilada.

So looking back on Yes On Prop 2, I will never forget running down the night streets of Van Nuys, up freeway ramps and down a traffic divider, below underpasses - putting up posters with Leigh, Larry & Monica. Over time I've come to recognize when I'm IN a moment, that I'm living one of 'those moments' I will always-always remember. I knew that 'street guerrilla' night was one of 'those moments' and meaningful. P&M will be the same, a treasured memory. A special time, like Dexter, unpredictable & unique. 

P&M is Gone With The Wind but those years will stay with me always. Moments that made up years, that make a life worth living.

Oh happy day. Hard to process after 5 years of being on the front lines, 5 years of soldiering on even as our ranks dwindled. I'm so proud of the little band of soldiers who never waivered: Sophia Chou, Ben Harding, Steve Lockhart, Candy Keller, me, Melissa Maroff, Reva Smilkstein + our true blue mascot Asher Chou. This CORE GROUP kept showing up no matter what. But most important, PUPPY AND ME IS DONE:-))  They refused to ever consider a humane business model, never entertained the possibility of  offering shelter or rescue dogs. There are more battles to be fought for animal welfare but in many ways, this small victory is huge.