http://hsus.org/ace/21263

Best Friend Forgotten: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Homeless Animals
in America



It stars a lovable dog named Clover and an adorable cat called Oreo, it's hosted by David Duchovny of X- Files fame, and it could be  coming to a station near you. Best Friend Forgotten, a compelling documentary that follows Clover and Oreo through two different U.S.  shelters, is slated to air on PBS this fall. But the film needs your  help to ensure that its important message reaches your community. 

Directed by American filmmaker Julie Lofton, Best Friend Forgotten  takes a behind-the-scenes look at the crisis of pet overpopulation.  The statistics are staggering: in every community in America, dogs  and cats by the hundreds and thousands are left homeless through no  fault of their own.

Only a fraction of these hopeful animals find  good homes.   Clover and Oreo are two such hopefuls, examples of the kinds of  highly adoptable pets that make their way into U.S. shelters every  day. Clover was taken in from the streets of Los Angeles while Oreo  was found in a Chicago tenement building. After being rescued by  animal control officers, each is taken to a local shelter.   Once there, Clover and Oreo face a heartbreaking reality-less than  half of the 6-8 million animals that enter U.S. shelters each year  are adopted. This is not for a lack of trying. "Animal shelters  provide care and, whenever possible, loving homes for homeless pets.  Too often, they must instead provide a humane death. Due to a lack  of appropriate resources, a shortage of families looking to adopt, a  constant influx of unwanted animals from the community and a lack of  targeted spay and neuter programs, millions of innocent animals are  euthanized annually," says Kate Pullen, The HSUS's Director of  Animal Sheltering.  

This tragedy, however, is completely preventable. But only if people  become aware of the crisis. Lofton, a former stand-up comedian,  decided to get serious about the problem of pet overpopulation after  volunteering at a Los Angeles shelter where she saw countless  animals euthanized because the shelter was overcrowded. "The plague  of pet overpopulation is invisible to most people, and this movie  will bring it home to them," Lofton said.   The film helps to spread the word by educating viewers and inspiring  them to take action. According to a press release, Lofton's  said, "My hope is that this movie will motivate people to go to  their local shelter and take home a loving animal companion. For  those who have dogs and cats at home, I hope the film will encourage  them to spay and neuter their pets."  

Several celebrities have lent their support to the project.  Duchovny, most famous for his role as Fox Mulder on the X-Files  series, hosts the documentary, while Peter Gabriel, former member of  the band Genesis, has called the film "a brilliant documentary that  needs to be seen by anyone who loves animals."   Despite Gabriel's rave, there's no guarantee that Best Friend  Forgotten will be seen in your area. Local PBS stations have the  option to add this documentary to their fall line-up, since each  station creates its own schedule based its community's needs. In  other words, it's up to the public to help ensure that this film is  shown nationwide.  

The HSUS and shelters around the country are asking animal lovers to  call, write or e-mail their local PBS station by July 23, 2004 to  request that Best Friend Forgotten be added to the fall line-up of  programs. By the end of July, local PBS stations will have made  their final decisions for the October line-up, so it's important to  take action now.  

Animal lovers should also request that the film be aired during the last week of October during prime viewing hours to help kick off  National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, which is sponsored by The  HSUS and planned for the first week of November. This week  recognizes the indispensable role that all animal shelters play in  maintaining the safety and health of a community, on behalf of all  its residents.  

Spread the word about pet overpopulation! Follow  these four easy  steps to help ensure that Best Friend Forgotten's critical message  reaches your community:   Step 1: Find your local station using the PBS Station Finder   http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html  
Step 2: Note your station's address, e-mail address or phone number.

Step 3: Write, call or e-mail your station by July 23, 2004. Writers can  download our customizable letter. [ http://files.hsus.org/web- files/PDF/Letter_to_PBS_public.pdf ]

Step 4: Pass this article on and encourage your friends and family to take action!