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Welcome At
Rainbow Bridge

Dedicated to those
who perished on
September 11, 2001

The Pet Press is a free monthly magazine for Los Angeles pet lovers.

Mary Tyler Moore
Using Her Voice and Her Smile to “Turn The World On” to All Animals

By Lori Golden

Having the chance to talk to Mary Tyler Moore about her love of animals was truly a dream come true.  I’ve always been a HUGE fan, from her days on The Dick Van Dyke Show to my all time favorite sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  But knowing that she is a major advocate for animals was just the ticket I needed to get my long, sought-after interview with this multi-talented icon of the entertainment industry.  She was everything I hoped for and more – passionate, articulate and funny.

For instance, when I suggested that she is idolized by millions, she interrupted me saying, “the last time somebody called me an idol it was followed by my then 3-year old nephew saying, ‘yeah, but you’re also a doody-head.’”

When it comes to animals, Mary says “I love them all! Even those animals for whom I have no particular feeling- like snakes or alligators or any of the creepy crawly fellows.  I still care very much about them and would never tolerate inhumane treatment to them.”

To understand how Mary got this way, we have to go back to a pivotal moment in her life, when she was nine years old.  “I was coming home from school and I saw a man had cornered a dog and was beating him with a stick. I yelled at him to stop but he wouldn’t, so I just dropped my schoolbooks and ran and jumped him and beat him around the head and shoulders and kicked him with my feet.”

“That was the first time I felt passion and anger at man’s inhumanity,” she continues.  “I beat the man up as best I could, but I didn’t undertake any active role until many year’s later.  It just hadn’t occurred to me that there was anything I could do as a child going to school.  But that’s not always true today.  There are all kinds of outreach programs that reach youngsters who can volunteer and help in many ways.”

Mary’s activism really began after her two series were over, “when I moved to New York and my life was filled with more open spaces.  Before that, there wasn’t really the kind of time required to take seriously any crusade. Living in New York and working as I have been doing on short term projects has allowed me the time to really focus on what I want to do and what I want to become involved in. I help wherever I can.  Whether that means going to Washington to lobby Congress or just showing up for a benefit and signing autographs, whatever needs to be done I do happily.”

Her latest pet project came about when the ASPCA asked her to join them in their goal to make New York City a NO-KILL city.  “I am delighted by that,” Mary enthuses.  “The city kills 40,000 dogs and cats EVERY YEAR.  That is an accurate number.  I am undertaking the no-kill shelter project as well as encouraging people ALWAYS to get their dogs and cats from shelters; don’t go out and buy them; and don’t get them from pet stores!  There are too many who need you already for you to waste their lives.  And spaying and neutering of ALL cats and dogs- that’s the other thing that’s very high on my list.  It has to come from many fronts in order for us to reach the no-kill state. You need enough people working on it and you have enough fund-raising events so that the money is there to back the things that you need to do.  Like the traveling, maybe, that has to be undertaken.  Not for me, because I always pay my own way, but for other people who are not as fortunate as I who need to travel and need those expenses paid.  We need a lot of help.”

Mary’s advocacy for animals extends far beyond shelter animals and horses. A couple of years ago the head of Farm Sanctuary told her they were in desperate need of some legislation to protect farm animals. “So I narrated an educational piece that is sent to politicians who are in a position to make changes.  It’s also sent to the Agriculture department begging them for humane treatment while they try to make their dollars. To come face to face with a sheep, cow, pig, or goat and to look into their eyes is to see the depth of their souls... whether it’s fear and terror in the eyes of an animal traveling to slaughter, or the joy and trust in the eyes of an animal safe and comfortable at a place like Farm Sanctuary. Animals look to us for compassion and protection, and it is our duty to relieve their suffering.”

Mary hopes to one day be able to say she changed the way people think about animals the same way she helped change peoples’ perception of women in the workplace. “I’m convinced, with heightened awareness, that there will come a time when we look back and say,  ‘can you believe that people used to eat animals?’ A human being has been given an intellect to make choices, and we know there are other food sources that do not require the killing of a creature that would protest being killed.”

As a result of what Mary has learned she happily says she’s been a vegetarian for about ten years now.  “I don’t wear any leather products, although my shoes might have leather soles, I guess… but I will not wear anything for fashion that’s made of an animal.   I wear fabric shoes and synthetic shoes and the same is true of belts and handbags. But I’m not a vegan.  I just eat anything that doesn’t require the killing of the food.”

Most people know that Mary is diabetic, and she has used her position as Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to address Congress about the need for stem-cell research.  She was also recently given an award by the City of Hope which is always a target of animal rights groups because they do research on animals.  “It’s a horrendous no win situation,” she admits.  “What I have been working for is to make a switch from the bench to the bedside.  It is time we translate our knowledge into activities that involve people and not animals.  There has been among the scientists in the world a huge shift to that.  We can’t get away from that altogether at this point, but the circumstances have been improved.  Scientists are much more aware of the sensitivity of animals and what they need to do to make them as comfortable as possible while they’re working with them.  I wouldn’t be doing what I do if they weren’t making an effort.” 

Mary says she personally has a “rich animal life.  I’ve got two dogs, both rescues, that came from shelters. One is a Miniature Schnauzer I was lucky enough to get when she was just 8 weeks old; the other is a Golden Retriever who found his way to us when he was 6-months old.  We have two goats up in the country and eleven horses, six of which are rescue animals.  I don’t have a carriage horse yet, nor do I have a Premarin foal yet, but I’m working on that.  I have two “cop” horses from the mounted police whose horses at age 4 and 5 turned out to have physical problems that weren’t suitable for the kind of work they have to do. They are just out to pasture and have nothing but a good time, eating their heads off, romping and frolicking and just doing all good horsy things. We also have 5 horses that we do ride.  And they intermingle, too.  They’re not kept separately.” 

“The Schnauzer is named Shana, as in Shana Meydela, because my husband is Jewish.  I said to him when we got her: ‘this is a German dog.  What are we going to tell your family?’  He said, ‘well let’s think.  Maybe we can name her something very Jewish.’  So I knew that Shana meant pretty and Madela meant girl, so that’s what we came up with.  And of course without any of that they fell madly in love with her.  She is 2 ½.”

Her Golden Retriever is named Shadow, and he’s 3 ½.  “He came with that name.  I take no responsibility for that.  It’s a good name since he shadows Shana.  They are the best of friends.  They roughhouse together.  You can’t believe that somebody isn’t going to have a broken leg.  They are on top of each other all the time.  But the Golden is so tender and careful around her.  He can scare her with his feet pounding on either side of her without having to actually touch her.  And she loves it.  She can’t get enough rough treatment!”

As the ultimate fan of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I had to ask her about cats.  You see, at the end of every show the closing logo is a meowing orange tabby. “That was done by the production people,” Mary explained, “because it was pointed out that MTM sounded like MGM, and it sprung from that concept.  Since we were a little company, maybe we could have a little cat that looked like the lion.”

And then Mary confessed the truth. “I don’t understand cats. I have to have an animal that responds to me enthusiastically, and cats take their sweet time.  I know they are that way naturally and it’s up to me to be patient with them or to not deal with them, and I’ve chosen the latter,” she says with a laugh. 

I did my best to explain how I have recently become a real cat person, even suggesting that she should get a male cat. But she was adamant in her reply: “I don’t have that kind of personality.  I am not secure enough that I can walk in the front door and have a cat stare at me and say, ‘oh, it’s you again.’  I need the approbation that comes from dogs.”

(I tried!)

When I asked Mary what my readers might do to become better pet guardians, she immediately commented, “I like that term guardian as opposed to master or owner.  It is an honor that is bestowed on some of us and we need to treat it that way.”

“I think it is helpful to point out that there are growing numbers of daycare centers for dogs that are quite affordable.  Very often successful people will say they can’t have a dog because they work every day.  Now they can. Many offer pick-up and delivery services, and they are with other animals all day long playing.  You can have your dog obedience trained during the day… they can even go swimming. The point is that for a small fee you can have your dog leading a pretty damn nice life!  There are so many wealthy people who work every day who just don’t think they can do it, but it adds so much to their lives!”

“Animals can give you so much in terms of a warm, full, rich feeling about yourself and  your life.  When you sit down with an animal or just watch it playing off on its own with another animal, you are inspired.  And that stays with you.  And that gives you more to go on than you ever had before.” 

(On November 16th Mary Tyler Moore will be back in LA as the Honorary Chairperson for Actors and Others 9th Celebration of Caring.  She is currently in Atlanta filming Miss Lettie and Me to be seen on TNT, and she also reunited with Dick Van Dyke for a new production of The Gin Game that will air on PBS this fall.)

September, 2002

 

First published in August of 1999, The Pet Press has become THE only local resource for
pet lovers in the Los Angeles area. The mission of The Pet Press is three-fold:

Promote Responsible Pet Care

Promote Spaying And Neutering

Promote the Rescue & Adoption of Pets

     

-Age has it's advantages.»
-How can I adopt a purebred dog?»
 

-10 Worst Excuses»
-Early Age Spaying & Neutering»
 

-I Am Famous Now»
 

Each issue of The Pet Press contains the following sections:

Your Pet's Health

Animal Help

Readers Views & News

In this section of The Pet Press you can find information pertaining to the health and care of your pets.

This is the section of The Pet Press that is most used and referred to by vet clinics, rescue groups, and animal lovers all over Los Angeles. 

Each issue features e-mails and letters we receive from our readers. 
 

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For more info about The Pet Press, contact Lori Golden at 818-998-1036 or
email The Pet Press at publisher@thepetpress-la.com
 

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