b'books, movies & musicWhen Kim Kavin decided that she wanted a dog, she did Rescue groups, like Lulus Rescue, where Blue had been fos-what millions of people do every year: clicked on an online photo tered, are taking up the cause. On Petfinder alone, more thanand submitted an application. She had no idea that the adorable 13,000 rescue groups are listed. That is an average of 260 rescuebrindle she fell in love with was actually a last-minute rescue from groups per state. To put that into context, Kavin writes, thea high kill North Carolina shelter that still uses the gas chamber Red Cross has about 700 local chapters in all of America. Thatsto euthanize dogs and cats. an average of just 14 local Red Cross chapters per state.Little Boy Blue: A Puppys Before writing the book, Kavin wondered,How many ofRescue From Death Row by journal- the billion dollars doled out to Americas shelters each year areist, Kim Kavin, is about Blue, the being spent on gas chambers? Just how widespread is the problemdog she adopted. Most people who of gas chambers in the United States, a country where more thanuse Petfinder.com, inquiring about half the pet owners surveyed say they call themselves Mommy anddogs within their state and across Daddy?the country, never ask the question SheinterviewscountlessKim finally did, as she stared at her numbersofpeoplewhoworkscreen. How will those dogs get within and outside of the animalfrom there to here? Her curios- welfare system. ityforwhereBluecamefrom Youcantimaginetheuncoveredasecretworldthat feelingofbeingatahighkillfew of us could even imagine shelter. Walking into these placesexisted.is bad enough, but having to walkBluehadarrivedinthe back out, leaving innocent dogsNortheastwithatleasta behindthats something thatdozenotherdogsinanRV doesntleaveaperson,saidthatisjustoneamongcountlesstransports, Author, Kim Kavin, and Blue. MichelleArmstrongofLuluswhose sponsors are dedicating their efforts to saving dogs by any Rescue. You cannot see something like that and just go aboutmeans possible. Blue was happy and friendly, but he seemed to your business. You cannot see something like that and not want tohave endured some unknown ordeal. His manner prompted Kim stand up and do more.to want to trace his history all the way back to a long row of cages Kavin discovers other atrocities, such as shelters blocking res-where he had been tagged to be put down in just three days.cue group volunteers. It sounds counterintuitive when so manydogs are being killed, but it is so common that several states have During the first few months after my divorce, when loyalty and passed laws requiring animal control directors to work with res-trust seemed like figments of an imaginary life, my foster dogs cue groups. The Delaware Companion Animal Protection Act,gave me both. They did what dogs do best in times of sadness passed in 2010 and regarded as the most progressive of its kind inthe country today, legally prohibits shelters from killing an animal snuggled by my side, encouraged me to get out into the freshair for walks, and licked away any tears.An excerpt from if a rescue group is willing to take it. Little Boy Blue: A Puppys Rescue From Death Row by Kim Kavin, Anyone who works within the animal advocacy world willappreciate the hard-hitting facts in this book. If you are a volun-an award-wining writer, editor and photographer. Published teer for a shelter or a rescue group, these stories will resonate withby Barrons Educational Series, Inc. Forward by Jim Gorant, you. If you are on the fence about volunteering for a shelter orthe writer who wrote the Sports Illustrated cover story and rescue group, sitting on a board or contemplating starting yoursubsequent book on Michael Vicks dog-fighting operation. own rescue group or low-cost spay/neuter clinic, this book is foryou. America is spending more than a billion dollars a year to The more I looked into things, the less rescuers seemed likeoperate animal shelters. Some of these facilities are functioning as an orchestrated army and the more they appeared to be a looselysanctuaries and places of safety, while others are killing more than banded gang of mercenarieswhich, I learned, were taking the80 percent of the dogs and cats entrusted to their care. Three- fight to save dogs like Blue to levels all across America that I couldquarters of those dogs are healthy and adoptable as opposed to not even imagine, writes Kim.being sickly and vicious. Through her research and visits with Finally, anyone who donates to their local shelter or rescueshelters across the country, Kavin discovers one fact that hit her in group should read the book and arm themselves with questions.the gut: If just two in four people, instead of one in four people, Find out how your money is being spent.went to shelters instead of breeders or pet stores to get their next As Kavin writes, I reminded myself again and again anddog, then the entire problem of killing dogs like Blue could be again that getting to the truth of the hardest chapters is often thestatistically eliminated.only thing that can change the bigger story for the better. U44 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'