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Abr Receives Support Of New Program From Tony Kornheiser, Sportswriter & Football Commentator
Fund-raising is on-going for the Senior Brittany Retreat CENTERVILLE, MD—In March, American Brittany Rescue, Inc. (ABR) began fundraising efforts to purchase a physical location for the Senior Brittany Retreat, in an effort to make sure more senior aged Brittanys are saved. This program will have a location where senior Brittanys can come when there is no available foster space for them. Tony Kornheiser, an American sportswriter and columnist, as well as an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football since 2006, has pledged his support to ABR for the Senior Retreat. Mr. Kornheiser and his family own a Brittany of their own, Maggie, whom he has written about in his Post column, as well as spoken about her on television. Maggie is now 13 years old and Mr. Kornheiser himself knows the joys and the commitment to taking care of a senior aged Brittany. “Maggie is more than our family’s faithful dog. She’s an important member of our family, even though she's been known to swipe roast beef and take running starts into specially made garbage cans. Now that she’s 13 years old, her needs have changed, and with the older she gets, the more those needs may continue to change. As her family, it’s up to us to care for her in the best way possible. Age hasn’t diminished our love for Maggie, nor should it for any well loved family pet,” Mr. Kornheiser said. His April 6, 1997, now famous “Maggie, the Katzenjammer Dog” column was reprinted with his permission on the front page of the Volume 3 (summer) issue of the ABR quarterly newsletter. ABR currently is able to save many senior aged Brittanys every year, but more are lost because homes are not available. In 2007, more than 1,000 Brittanys were helped by more than 800 ABR volunteers across the United States. Of those dogs, 67 Brittanys between the ages of 8 and 14 years of age found new homes. Sometimes, the ages of these senior Brittanys can make them harder to place in forever homes. To date, more than 17,000 Brittanys have been helped ABR since it’s creation in 1991. The Retreat will be a multi-use center able to house up to 20 Brittanys and will include training areas, meeting rooms and recreational grounds. ABR wants the center to facilitate community activities and different dog club / rescue activities. The intention is that income from use of these portions of the facility will help defray the costs of caring for the senior dogs and upkeep of the Senior Retreat, making the facility self sufficient. Some will still be available for forever homes, while other will spend their remaining days at the retreat. ABR has looked at several properties that already have a house and outbuildings that could be retrofitted to provide space for the number of dogs we want to serve. At this time, Illinois is a prime location for ABR to call the retreat home. There are a large number of active volunteers, and the state is a good location for placing dogs that have come to ABR in search of homes. This would be safe environment for the older Brittanys, There would also be room to train some of the dogs to become “Therapy Dogs,” bringing cheer and love to residents of local nursing homes and hospitals. By mid-July, approximately $16,000 has been donated for the Senior Brittany Retreat. Various fundraisers have been going on around the country for the retreat, as well as a month-long online auction. For more information about the Retreat, please contact Terry Mixdorf, ABR Chair of the Dream Team, at terrymixdorf@gmail.com. For pictures of the proposed facility, please contact Rhonda Carlson, ABR President, at rhondacarlson@copycentral.com. About American Brittany Rescue Founded in 1991, American Brittany Rescue (ABR), headquartered in Earlville, IL, is a nationwide a cooperative effort of Brittany owners, breeders and fanciers who believe we have an obligation not only to our own dogs and the dogs we produce, but to all dogs of our breed. Since its founding, ABR has rescued and placed in either permanent homes or foster homes, nearly 1,000 Brittanys per year; dogs who have been mistreated, abused, abandoned or given up by their families. ABR works cooperatively with vets, shelters and other rescue groups to save as many Brittanys we can, as soon as we find out about them. In addition to providing veterinary treatment to the rescued Brittanys, ABR has volunteers across the country, working with prospective adoptive families, doing fund-raisers and working to spread awareness about the Brittany breed. About Tony Kornheiser Tony Kornheiser is one of ESPN’s most popular on-air personalities as co-host of Pardon the Interruption (PTI) and as a booth commentator on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. In 2006, Kornheiser became just the third non-former player in 37 years to join the MNF booth, along with the legendary Howard Cosell and comedian Dennis Miller. Teamed with Mike Tirico and Ron Jjaworski, Kornheiser demonstrated his unique ability to inform and entertain and helped MNF become the most-watched program in cable television history. Kornheiser graduated from Harpur College (now SUNY-Binghamton) in 1970. He began his career in journalism at Newsday and the New York Times. He is married and has two children. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com www.AmericanBrittanyRescue.org |
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