Guard Dog Book! And DawnWatch appreciation on Giving Tuesday 12/3/24

Today I break into our regular schedule of alerts, which usually go to the whole list only on weekends, for two reasons:

1) I have just received my copy of “Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story”!

And

2) It’s Giving Tuesday, so it’s time for me to remind folks who love DawnWatch that your donations make this work possible.

Anybody who reads DawnWatch is familiar with the brilliant Mutts Cartoon, which is syndicated in daily newspapers all over the world. Featuring the rescue dog Earl and his cat friend Mooch, it is upbeat, fun, and warm. But Mutts gently introduces its millions of fans to harder topics. Not only does it bring us “shelter stories” throughout the year, it also tackles topics such as the suffering of pet fish in bowls and birds in cages. It sometimes gently refers to our destruction of nature, and every now and then it reminds us that animals who are generally human food are just as sentient and interested in life as our beloved pets.

For decades, the comic strip had a recurring character, a bully dog on a chain, known as Guard Dog. We were regularly reminded how badly he longed to be free. Last year, over seven weeks, the Mutt’s creator Patrick McDonnell developed the story and gave that beautiful dog the freedom and loving home all dogs deserve.

That story is encapsulated in a beautiful book, which is a joy to thumb through and read, and would be a perfect holiday gift for anybody involved in or moved by animal rescue.

Here’s an Amazon link to purchase it.

I am so proud to have a quote of my own, inspired by one of the cartoons, included in the book. It’s on page 180, and is also the third photo of my Instagram post about the book, and on the DawnWatch Facebook post about it, and on this X post, in case you would like to check it out.

And I am incredibly honored to be listed among “leaders in the animal protection movement who contributed to this book and to the online Guard Dog campaign.” That was easy — I just didn’t’ hold back as I gushed about how much I love Mutts and Guard Dog! And that’s not surprising, as the strip is perfectly in line with the DawnWatch mission, which is to encourage good coverage of important animal issues in mainstream media so that people can make informed choices in line with their own values.

The best coverage doesn’t hit people over the head so that they duck away, nor does it preach from above in an alienating tone. Epitomized by Mutts, the most effective animal friendly messages meet people where they are, for example at their love for dogs and cats, and gently encourages them to open their hearts deeper and expand their love further.

Perhaps you noticed my clumsy segue between what Mutts does and what DawnWatch does — and my mention of how much DawnWatch appreciates being acknowledged by Mutts! I don’t get paid for doing what I can to promote Mutts or any other animal friendly media, except by donations to DawnWatch. Those donations make it possible for me to continue my work, using the media to advocate for animals and encouraging other activists to do the same.

If you appreciate that work, I hope you will include DawnWatch among the organizations you support today, on Giving Tuesday.

Yours and all animals’,
Karen Dawn of DawnWatch