Watta way to start the day. A hike with my dog. Miles of smiles. Guaranteed.
​Not sure which Jimmie loves more, a walk or the rope-tug afterwards.
https://youtu.be/DXv0KbT68Qc

And she shimmered. SHIMMER shimmered and shined so bright six women were drawn to her light.
​Tana, Angela, Kathleen, Annie, Sue and Naida were moths to her flame.
​
SHIMMER first radiated up and out to my universe while standing on a grungy brown floor, beaming through the wire fencing of a shack-of-a-California shelter near the Oregon border. Being a ​pit bull with scars and scratches, adult and female, her doom was certain but for Tana. Shelter volunteers are the first line of defense for the defenseless. It was Tana's video and photo that triggered me to put the word out.
September 17 2011 Shimmer in the Del Norte Pound:  http://youtu.be/ELP02b6apOI

SHIMMER became Beatrice. Her world changed.
But seeing her in Annie's garden, head up and eyes closed in peace,
​it's the same head to the sky as in her shelter photo. Her essential self: heads up, hopeful.
​
​After nine years cancer caught up with her but being surrounded by love and care for so long she reflected her light back up to the sky from a place of peace. Sparkling and shimmering to the end.
​Shine on SHIMMER.

September 13, 2020. Goodbye to the last of the Vicktory Dogs. 
Another legend has ascended.
​Rest In Peace Shadow.

When the Bad Newz Kennels story broke something in me went white hot with rage. Revelations of the horrors visited on these innocents and remnants found of their hell on earth - nooses, chains, blood spatters, claw marks - the thought of their pain, their helpless terror pierced my soul. That fury would not go away and I didn’t know what to do with it. I channeled it into creating a comp of a book cover; for a book that never happened. I couldn't get enough of the story of these pit bull survivors; hours spent reading about them, searching for images of them, Photoshopping them into puzzle pieces shaped to make a ‘V’. Over the days and weeks of moving their faces from one spot to another resizing and cropping and color correcting each survivor to get the best ‘V’, the Vicktory sibling's names etched crevices in my brain and most will stay with me as long as I have memory.

​Now that the last of the Vicktory Dogs has gone over the Rainbow Bridge, there won’t be updates for me to soak up. No more new videos or interviews to play more than once. But from time to time I will always reminisce over these beautiful dogs, tears will always come. Their brave hearts leave me with an ache in my heart and deep awe over their remarkable courage and unbreakable spirit. 

These pitbulls overcame and conquered evil. They journeyed from victim to survivor to thriver becoming teachers of love and resilience; becoming ambassadors for the breed. Their stories have helped to change policies and law just by becoming the loving creatures they were always meant to be.

The game-changing legacy the Vicktory dogs leave is a shift in the public perception of dogs freed from fighting rings. They changed hearts and minds by showing the world that rehabilitation after trauma is real. Their valiant resilience cast a shadow coast to coast and other dogs now live because of the magnificent 47. 
​Judge the deed not the breed. 
 
Run free you beautiful souls. Thank you for changing the world. 

The Washington Post tracked down all 47 dogs rescued 13 years ago
​ to find out about their post adoption lives:
​ https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/sports/michael-vick-dogfighting-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR2Jyqqu0krqxkMS2UegRoxDSlpZIl9e2uQ6rwk2tUyQ6RQK1BEKnxSndUA

TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Alf, Audie, BONITA, CHERRY, Chuckie, CURLY, DENZEL, ELLEN
Ernie, Frodo, GEORGIA, Ginger, Grace, Gracie, HALLE, HANDSOME DAN
Harriet, Hazel, Hector, Iggy, Jhumpa Jones, Jonny Justice, LANCE, LAYLA
Leo, LITTLE RED, LUCAS, Makavelli, MEL, MERYL, MYA, OLIVER
OSCAR, Piper, RAY, Red, Seven, SHADOW, SQUEAKER, Stella, 
Sweet Jasmine, Sweet Pea, Teddles, TUG, Uba, WILLIE, Zippy

In another lifetime, 1988, I was striving to reach what I’d dreamed of as a child, being a famous actress.
But being on set week after week with Mike Nichols, Harrison Ford & Melanie Griffith(ugg) felt the same way other film/soap/commercial sets felt: like work. Reality obliterates movie magic. ​

Take a stab at what your heart beats for. Take chances, try something new, make mistakes, stretch. If you don’t reach your goal I guarantee that, among many other things, you will make once in a lifetime memories that lift your spirits up out of humdrum in the years ahead. A smile, a tear, shake-your-head moments of remembering 30 years down the line is worth embarrassing yourself! Experiences, lessons, places and people are the threads that weave your life story. You might even make lasting friendships, I did. Rona Carroll, in these photos with me, still lives in NYC and I’m in L.A. To this day, we are in touch.

Late in life a different passion bubbled up inside me. I’ve loved dogs since I was a little girl and decades later I tip-toed into animal advocacy, then morphed into being a dedicated shelter dog champion. Who knew? Working with rescue dogs hasn’t been my life’s work so who can say if it was meant to be. What I can say is I’ve learned a thing or two from dogs including 'live in the now'. So here I am, today, not a star who sparkles on screen, just a Working Girl. And 'my now' shines when I connect dogs to a lifesaving second chance. My spirit glimmers in knowing that I’ve made a difference for a multitude of dogs and I matter to many of the like-minded (with talents of their own) who care about animal welfare just as much as me.   

​"What is it that you wanted me to reconcile myself to. I was born here more than 60 years ago.
​I'm not going to live another 60 years. You always told me that it's going to take time.
It’s taken my father’s time, my mother’s time, my uncle’s time, my brothers’ and my sisters’ time,
​my nieces and my nephew's time. How much time do you want for your progress?"  - James Baldwin

The Standard of Living 
https://tinyurl.com/tsol1-2
Let me introduce you to a brand new podcast
​described by creator and host Randy Guiaya as
"Musings and observations about the beautiful world around us."
​Brand new, just born, AND I'M ON IT!!

But it felt like we were experiencing something uniquely LA. Is there another city that turns out a gem of a pizza from a wood-fire oven in the back of a pick up truck? I savored rubbing elbows with a small crowd of strangers vibrating with anticipation on the sidewalk between a recycling center and a liquor store. It was around 10pm, it got cold, and still, it was a great place to be on a wintery Saturday night. Nothing fancy: cash only, ​​tent, folding tables and chairs, take-out boxes and that's what made it special. 

Photos are from Elio's Wood Fire Pizza Instagram posts