Dennis Hopper gave us freedom, said actor Grand L. Bush

Actors Grand L. Bush (ctr) and Trinidad Silva (4th from left) are surrounded by real actors and real gang members in a scene from Dennis Hopper's "Colors."

VENICE, CA — “Dennis [Hopper] hand-picked all the actors for his movie,” said fellow actor Grand L. Bush, whose memorable role in the 1988 American cult classic, “Colors,” still gets him stopped in the streets by fans in a number of areas around the world, especially in Los Angeles.

Bush played a preeminent gangster in the police procedural crime film, opposite Sean Penn and Robert Duvall.

“There were many spectacular moments before and during filming of Colors that have stayed with me to this day,” remembers Bush, who first auditioned for Hopper in 1987.

Back then, nearly all of Hollywood jumped at the chance to work with actor/producer/director Hopper, whose wealth of film projects had earned him the status of icon.

Some lost out because Hopper was picky. “Hill Street Blues” regular Trinidad Silva snagged the role of Leo “Frog” Lopez, the character Andy Garcia wanted and for which he auditioned.

Bush says after he was hired to play “Larry Sylvester, aka, Looney Toons,” Hopper rented a large space for a total read-through of the script.

This was considered an unusual practice because motion picture actors are hardly ever required to read the whole screenplay as a collective during pre-production.

The space Hopper rented on Market Street in Venice was across from the building where actor Matthew McConaughey’s J.K. Livin Foundation is currently located.

“The entire cast was there,” said Bush. “There were people sitting in chairs, on the floor, even on window sills.” Bush sat at a table with Hopper and others.

“I wore a nice shirt, black jeans and cowboy boots,” he added modestly. By age 32, the sought-after actor with a commanding voice and muscular physique also had more than 40 theatre, television and major motion picture credits under his belt.  Moreover, a Canadian Genie Award nomination for “Best Foreign Actor” was tucked in his back pocket.

Bush said even actors who just had a single line of dialogue to deliver were present and alert.

“That’s how professional Dennis was then and has always been,” Bush said. It took the better part of the day for the cast to read the entire script together, he added.

Quite a few unknown actors and dancers played featured extras in Colors, including a then-14-year-old Mario Lopez.

The movie was filmed entirely on location in Los Angeles. Real gang members were hired as guardians and as actors. In no relation to the movie, two gangsters were actually shot during the filming of Colors.

“This was a volatile movie to make because we were working with all types of personalities,” said Bush. “Tempers flared now and then.”

One of those tempers belonged to Sean Penn, who was arrested for punching an extra on the set of the film who was taking photos of Penn without permission. Penn served one month in jail for the assault as production continued.

“One day between scenes, this guy and I were talking about how he should work the next scene,” said Bush. “He wanted to go with naturalism. That’s when I corrected him.

“I told him this movie’s style is that of realism, not naturalism. Big difference. I then looked over my shoulder to find Dennis smiling at me in agreement. I think that was the moment Dennis and I bonded for life.”

To cement this special type of brotherhood, Hopper sketched Bush as he appeared in the movie. “And when I visited him, there it was, hanging on the wall in his private home, my character’s image,” said Bush. “The same way I appeared in his movie.”

Hopper admired the fact that Bush was a trained and dedicated actor who studied constantly and knew his craft to perfection. And Bush said he was honored to work with an extraordinary actor’s director.

From left to right: Matthew Glave, Grand L. Bush and director Dennis Hopper share a light moment in 1993 on the set of Chasers. Photo Courtesy: Warner Bros.

“Dennis was great. We had fun. He gave us freedom to do what we do best,” said Bush. “He trusted us and what we brought to his table.”

Bush later worked with Hopper on two additional movie projects, including “Chasers,” a comedy filmed in Wilmington, NC. “That’s where I introduced my future wife [former TV personality Sharon Crews] to Dennis,” said Bush. “They hit it off really well. Dennis even put her in the movie.”

“When Grand brought me back to LA with him, we ran into Dennis all the time,” said Grand’s wife, now known as Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush.” Grand and I would simply be walking down the street in Santa Monica when a shiny, black Mercedes would roll up and honk. The window would roll down and there was Dennis just smiling, waving and flashing those beautiful kind eyes.”

The special relationship between Dennis Hopper and Grand L. Bush has lasted for well over two decades. Hopper even signed a letter of intent to act in one of Bush’s film projects.

“We’ve stayed in contact with Dennis. When my wife and I were in Amsterdam, we visited a museum showing of Dennis’ outstanding art,” said Bush. “It really felt good to see that people the world over truly love this man and the legacy he’s created on and off the silver screen.

“Dennis Hopper is my friend and mentor. He’s one-of-a-kind. He broke the mold.”

Contact:

(424) 202-0190

To ASPCA: Let’s Clear Up the Confusion Today

Dear ASPCA Online Community:

I have read with focused interest your comments regarding the operations of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue. As National Director of Media Affairs for this fine organization, allow me to clarify some of your published comments.

Before doing so, I must recognize Belle’s professionalism in first researching D.E.L.T.A. Rescue to substantiate her admirable replies.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue became a No-Kill animal welfare facility in 1979, a national status created by our founder and president, Leo Grillo.  He is recognized worldwide as being an expert in the field of animal rescue. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue is the largest care-for-life animal sanctuary in the world, a distinction Grillo also procreated. (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedication_and_Everlasting_Love_to_Animal…)

It is at D.E.L.T.A. Rescue where previously abandoned pets — all 1,500 of them — are awarded a second chance at life and guaranteed to be cared for expertly and loved unconditionally for the remainder of their lives.  Our sanctuary stretches over 150 acres of mountaintop majesty.

Our two state-of-the-art hospitals rival most medical facilities designed for humans. We employ a dedicated full-time staff of seventy.

So not only do our deserving animals enjoy a bond with humans, they also have each other. “It’s amazing that people don’t know that dogs and cats love to be with each other – especially the emotionally damaged ones,” Grillo says.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue is not an animal shelter. It is not a pound, nor a turnaround adoption facility. It takes weeks, months and even years for Grillo to single-handily rescue these precious animals from some of the harshest environments one can imagine. Many of these domesticated pets were just days shy of starvation before Grillo freed them from a slow and painful death and showed them a better life. (www.nowpublic.com/…/d-e-l-t-rescue-sanctuary-not-animal-shelter)

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue became a care-for-life animal welfare organization around 1994.

“We became care-for-life when I found that adoptions didn’t work in the long-run for many or our animals, says Grillo. “And instead of being returned to us years later, when people met new lovers for instance, they were killed.”

Back in the 1980’s, Grillo made history by publishing the first book and producing the first video on animal adoption.

“But when I realized that people only keep their dogs on a national average of two-and-a-half years, and after a favorite dog of mine was destroyed a year following her adoption, I slammed the door on it all,” explains Grillo.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue does not accept animals from the public because the sanctuary is not an alternative to the pound. Keep in mind that whenever a human gives up their pet, the animal’s margin of survival shrinks dramatically. Remember, these are animals whose sole purpose in life is to be a part of ours.

In response to the nation’s animal overpopulation crisis during this recessionary year, Grillo created a Pet Tax-exemption Act that allows consumers to deduct as much as $3,500 of pet-related expenses from their tax returns. The bill was introduced to Congress by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and is co-sponsored by Congressmen Jared Polis (D-CO) and Steve Cohen (D-TN).

Grillo’s ground-breaking initiative is supported by both the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States. (http://humanesociety.blogspot.com/2009/11/family-pets-feel-pain-of-…)

A global humanitarian, Grillo also co-created with leading photojournalist Chris Weston a best-selling book titled Animals on the Edge, a visual survey of mammals currently living on the brink of extinction. This book would not have been made possible without Grillo’s expert guidance and generosity. (www.mmdnewswire.com/wildlife-photojournalist-chris-weston-6212.html)

Moreover, Grillo is founder of Horse Rescue of America and is among a growing number of national corporations, animal welfare activists and Hollywood celebrities calling for an immediate stop to wild horse roundups. (http://www.silobreaker.com/wild-horse-plan-draws-opposition-from-ce…)

If you have any further questions or concerns, please take the time to visit our Web site at www.deltarescue.org. It’s here where all of your questions are answered. We appreciate your support wholeheartedly.

Respectfully,

Sharon Raiford Bush
National Director of Media Affairs
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue
P.O. Box 9
Glendale, California 91209

For further reading:

www.petexemption.org
www.horserescueofamerica.org
www.animalsontheedge.org
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Grillo
www.twitter.com/D.E.L.T.A._Rescue

Actor Joins Fight for Wild Horse Freedom

LOS ANGELES, CA — “Politicians try to convince the American public that this is all about money,” explained actor/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo. “It’s really about large corporations that are connected to wealthy politicians. They get the leases from the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] and then sub-lease them to cattle ranchers for lots more money.”

To view a roundup, go to www.horserescueofamerica.org

Grillo’s heated comments are in response to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s new federal plan to relocate thousands of desert mustangs to preserves in sharply opposing Eco factions. It has attracted the ire of horse protectors who call Salazar’s pricey proposal a “travesty of justice and humaneness.”

This is why Horse Rescue of America has now joined a growing number of other activists, corporations and celebrities in an allied effort to stop the roundup of these fanciful badges of the American West.

“The BLM runs the public land, which is a quarter of the land mass of the lower forty-eight states, said Grillo. “On that land are the wild horses and burros. It’s ironic that these properties are fenced off from the tax-paying public which actually owns it.”

Grillo contends it is this land upon which cattle is fed cheaply while the leases are lucrative. “Even friends of politicians get the leases and then sub-lease them for tons more money,” he said.

Grillo says relocating the mustangs to unfamiliar and harsh ecosystems would be disastrous. “There’s too much rain, fungi and diseases associated with wetter climates that desert horses are not going to be able to cope with,” explained Grillo. “If the eastern quadrant of the U.S. were a suitable environment, these horses would have migrated there on their own. They’re in the American West where they should be.”

Actor Leo Grillo is founder of Horse Rescue of America.

Grillo says for only 3% of beef cattle raised in this country, it is the wild horse that is being rounded up. Competing wildlife, like dear and elk, are being killed off by the federal government, he says, because they infringe on the cattle’s grazing areas.

“The mustang is being used as a scapegoat,” said Grillo. “It was the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that made this animal a manufactured problem. It keeps changing policy depending on who’s in office.”

To read the full article, go to www.mmdnewswire.com/wild-horse-freedom-6395.html.

LA-area Station Fire Probe: Full of Hot Air, Say Victims

ACTON, CA — “I am now asking Los Angeles County to appoint an independent investigator since this mishandling of the Station Fire may go all the way to the White House,” asserted actor/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo. “President Obama has to authorize the federal air attack and he had not yet done so at the time I was on the radio screaming for an air attack. This is an obvious cover up.” When the fire began to spread, Grillo and his staff moved animals residing at his threatened D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sanctuary posthaste to safer ground.

Pictured: The skeletal remains of a horse that was burned to death after the Station Fire outran it. Photo Courtesy: Leo Grillo

Others were not so lucky. Two firefighters plunged to their deaths. Nearly all of the indigenous wildlife in the area were incinerated. Horses were torched. What was once known as “Horse Country” is now a range of blackened twigs.

Since a clear morning sky favored a preemptive air assault, the Forest Service cleared itself by placing the blame for the monstrous fire on topography.

Concerned citizens still wonder why aircraft, including a tanker that can carry up to 21,000 gallons of retardant, was not deployed at the onset.

“The U.S. Forest Service never send in the Supertankers at the start of wildfires,” said retired aerospace security officer Ed Nemechek. “And pilots have said that there is no excuse — weather, terrain, etcetera — for not using Supertankers up front, which the U.S. Forest Service has never done, by policy. The Forest Service’s conclusion clearing itself of any wrongdoing is an obvious whitewash.”

“At the most critical moment in the Station Fire, there was no air attack for over five hours of daylight. This was a opportune time to exercise prevention,” said Grillo. “There was no wind, no smoke, no visible flames. Perfect time to douse the fire.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, whose district covers the northern chunk of greater Los Angeles, including Antelope Valley, also blasted the Forest Service’s final analysis. Antonovich labeled the Forest Service’s opinion that an early air assault would not have made a difference “a false assertion to justify their failure,” he said in a written statement.

“The bottom line on these major wildfires is that when the fires are burning, the Fire Industrial Complex is making money,” said Nemechek.

“Profits and power come first, public safety last, maybe never. And we must stop what amounts to deliberate domestic terrorism by fire for profit by our own public safety officials.”

Nemechek, who lives in Adelanto, says he and his family suffered the effects of smoke inhalation during the Station Fire.

Pictured: What's left of what was once known as "Horse Country." Photo Courtesy: Leo Grillo

Grillo, who cares for more than 1,500 previously unwanted animals at D.E.L.T.A. Rescue and Horse Rescue of America, has documented a visual survey of the Station Fire before it turned treacherous and through to its baleful aftermath. He said the dreadful image he captured of the frightened horse who tried to escape the Station Fire is representative of what happens when humans allow disasters to gain control.

“This beautiful, majestic animal tried to outrun the flames, apparently escaping from a burning ranch,” explained Grillo. “There are burned corrals up there [on Mount Gleason]. This horse’s body was actually cremated, which takes a full eight hours to do at a crematory. That’s how hot the fire was.

“I will never drop this issue until it is resolved correctly.”

NEW BOOK: “Animals on the Edge” is a Must-See

LOS ANGELES, CA — “The idea behind Animals on the Edge is not to shock people into action, which is why there are no images of decapitated gorillas, or de-horned rhinos,” said Chris Weston, one of the world’s leading wildlife photojournalists. “Such tactics, I have found, are limited in their effectiveness.  The purpose of the book is to educate people about the real problem facing our wildlife — poverty.  Animals and people don’t need pity, they need solutions and action.”

And so began a riveting conversation with Weston, a man of action who dangled 100 feet above ground in the canopy of ferocious jungles and endured for hours on end the effects of a suffocating heat index just to confirm one cold, hard fact — the planet is in an extinction crisis. “Animals on the Edge” is a visually-captivating story that is told through the expressive souls of those whose existence sits on a ticking time bomb.

Reporter: At age 40, you decided to leave your family behind and see the world like none other. How did they take the danger you faced?

Weston: It’s not so much the hazards of my job that my family finds hard to cope with but more the time I spend away from home.  My wife, I guess, has grown accustomed to it now and accepts that this is what I do. It’s harder on my [six-year-old] son, Josh.

The driving force behind the gorilla's path to extinction is man.

Reporter : What was going on in the Congo when you froze that moment-in-time tableau of a gorilla mom with her toddler?

Weston: Their attention was attracted by an unnerving sound in the forest. Looking at their response through the viewfinder, I imagined how, living in a forest so close to man, they must live their lives in constant anxiety of what is round the corner.

Reporter: What has this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity taught you about the value of life?

Weston: I’ve spent a lot of time in Zimbabwe, a country that has suffered harrowing hardship. At times, supermarket shelves were literally empty, there was no food, no petrol, oil or gas…nothing. However, Zimbabweans have a saying, “We’ll make a plan.” If something can’t be done one way they simply find another means…those things we take for granted.

Reporter: How has this assignment changed you as a human being?

Weston: When I was in Nepal, I interviewed a convicted poacher. He told me how the first thing he did when he woke each morning was check to see which of his children had survived through the night and how he turned to poaching the day his 18-month old son [died]. Every evening I read [Josh] a story before kissing him goodnight and when I wake, I go into his room to kiss him good morning. Not once in those six years have I ever wondered, when I enter [Josh's] room, whether he’s alive or dead.

Reporter: Many of the images of the endangered animals you captured appear to mirror human faces, human hands. Human emotion.  Did you see that, too, prior to triggering the shutter?

Weston: When photographing mammals, my main aim is to try and capture the personality and character of an individual subject. Researching and learning about animal behaviour and spending time with animals in the field, I have discovered that we are not so different, that we share many characteristics with animals. I seek out these common mannerisms and attempt to include them in my work.

Some villagers thought Weston was out of his mind during his mission to capture images of mammals living on the brink of extinction. Weston is hailed by many as being one of the best and more daring photojournalists in the world.

Reporter: What was the most difficult image to document?

Weston: Surprisingly, the hardest image to capture was of the wild Asiatic buffalo in Nepal. They are intensely shy and nervous creatures and wouldn’t let me within 300 yards before running into the far distance. In the end, I had to employ several local villagers to help herd the buffalo into an area where I had set up a hidden hide. It was dangerous work and several of the villagers quit partway through the assignment, citing me as “a mad Englishman.”

Reporter: Prior to this assignment, did you ever consider conservation a luxury like many of those you’ve interviewed?

Weston: A few years back, I went through a period where I didn’t earn much money and living was tight. I stopped eating out so often and didn’t have a holiday for a couple of years. I drove less, walked more and turned the heating on later than I normally would. To save money, I also gave less to the charities I supported. Although I didn’t think of it as such at the time, yes, back then conservation was a luxury. During the financial crisis and great recession of 2008, worldwide charitable contributions dropped by over half-a-billion dollars. At times of financial hardship, many things we take for granted in better times become luxuries.

"Leo Grillo helped bring ANIMALS ON THE EDGE to life," said acclaimed photojournalist Chris Weston.

Reporter: How has animal welfare activist Leo Grillo helped your efforts?

Weston: About three years ago, I got an e-mail from Leo inviting me to travel to California to photograph the animals at his DELTA Rescue sanctuary, after he had discovered a book I’d written about wildlife photography. During the two weeks I was there, we spent many evening hours talking about our two shared passions – photography and animals.

Grillo: When I saw Chris’ work, I saw something I had never seen in wildlife photography – short lenses and closeup field work. Mostly, guys use super long lenses and stay way back. But Chris gets right in there so you get the animals’ environment as well as their place in it.

Weston: For many reasons, Animals on the Edge would have remained a notion without Leo. When we first talked about the project, it was no more than an idea. Leo helped bring it to life. Not only did he facilitate the book’s production, he provided encouragement along the way and was a constant inspiration to make the book the best it could be. Although it is my name that appears on the cover, we did it together.

Reporter: Who actually came up with the title, Animals on the Edge?

Grillo: Chris did that. We spoke about actually doing something to save individual animals, not just whining about losing a species. I proposed the project as a program for our non-profit educational organization, LIVING EARTH PRODUCTIONS. As ANIMALS ON THE EDGE grew, it took on its own life. Chris’ photos will be given as gifts to our non-profit through its Web site.

Weston: Between Leo and me, we have created Animals on the Edge as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the U.S. and as a registered charity in the UK. Through these organizations, we plan to help realize the dreams for conservation that are brought to life in the book.

Reporter: Since Rwanda was your favorite place to visit, do you plan to go back?

Weston: I do plan to return to Rwanda both to support the amazing work they are doing there in protecting their population of mountain gorillas and also because I would love to document the Kwita Izina – Giving of Names – ceremony that is held each year, where the entire country comes together in a week-long festival culminating in the naming of that year’s new gorillas.

Reporter: That ambush by AK-47-wielding policemen in the Congo must have made your hair stand on end.

Weston: It all happened so quickly, I’m not sure I gave it that much thought. However, there is no doubt it was one of the scariest moments of my time in the field. The problem with people is, unlike animals, they can be very unpredictable and often act on irrational emotion, things an animal never does.

Reporter: At what point did you fear for your life?

Weston: I have never once, during this assignment or any other, felt that my life was in danger from an animal. Sure I can tell a few stories and ham them up for an audience but the reality is that few animals other than a polar bear see human beings as natural prey.  Most attacks on people are what are termed defensive attacks, where our actions – intentional or not – have caused an animal to respond in a certain way. If you never put a wild animal in a position where its only recourse is attack , then you’re unlikely to put yourself at risk.

Reporter: The ruthless killing of the dominate male orangutan in Sumatra blasted a powerful message. What was your feeling after this peaceful animal fell victim to 26 air gun pellets?

Weston: When a dying man kills an animal to survive, you can at least understand his actions. In this instance, there was no rhyme or reason to the orangutan’s death. When I returned home, it took me a few weeks to recover. It was the lowest moment of the whole assignment, my whole career, and the only point at which I felt like giving up. But then I made it my mission that the orangutan’s death wouldn’t be in vain; that the book and what resulted from it would be his epitaph.

Reporter: Which incident set the momentum for your personal moment of awakening?

Weston: I guess the true moment of enlightenment came several years ago when I met the Kenyan farmer Matunde, who opened my eyes to the problems poverty causes and how historical attitudes and approaches to conservation were unsuccessful and unsustainable. It was this meeting that set in motion the thoughts that underlie the book. Over the course of my travels for “Animals on the Edge,” there have been a number of encounters that have backed up those thoughts.

Reporter: Which single image has made an indelible impression on your psyche?

Weston: For me, the most iconic image in the book is of the [newborn] gorilla being cradled in its mother’s huge and powerful arm. More than any other, this image tells the story of what “Animals on the Edge” is all about…the protection of vulnerable wildlife. That I was the first human to see this gorilla baby was a particularly poignant moment and the way its mother revealed it to me was representative of a connection between man and animal that makes my job so fulfilling.

Reporter: This book has been so successful worldwide.  Is another one planned?

Photojournalist Chris Weston teamed with animal rescue expert Leo Grillo to bring ANIMALS ON THE EDGE to life.

Weston: Leo and I are currently talking about the next book from “Animals on the Edge.” I would like to do something that focuses on the concept that all animals have an individual character and personality – something that will underline our belief that animals are people, too.

Weston is currently in Mexico attending a conference of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a group which believes that awe-inspiring photography is a powerful force for the environment, especially when used in conjunction with advice provided by scientists, politicians, religious leaders, policy makers and top animal welfare advocates, like Grillo. The group’s plan is to hopefully replace environmental indifference with a new culture of stewardship and passion.

Following the conference, Weston expects to squeeze in some time to sit down with an equally-busy Grillo in Los Angeles to discuss additional conservation solutions and plans of action. Grillo is a 30-year animal rescue expert and founder of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the largest care-for-life animal sanctuary in the world.

“It’s about prevention rather than cure,” said Weston.

For further reading:

www.animalsontheedge.org

www.deltarescue.org

Editor’s Note: Chris Weston and Leo Grillo were interviewed by journalist Sharon Raiford Bush.

Family Pets Feel Pain of Recession as Economy Bites

LOS ANGELES, CA – The issues of pet abandonment and shelter overrun have now surpassed the critical stage as an alarming number of pet owners are still being forced to give up their animals due to the recession. Although some specialty pet stores and pet-product manufacturers claim to be immunized against these unyielding economic times, animal welfare groups report that our pet overpopulation, particularly in temporary shelters, has reached a state of instability, if not danger. 

Kelly was left to die in the wilderness until he was rescued by actor/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo and taken to D.E.L.T.A. Rescue.

Animal welfare groups say shelters and pounds throughout the nation were already in an animal abandonment crisis before the recession and the situation has been debased from bad to worsening, they report. One of the hardest hit areas is California, the most populous state in America. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has announced that the number of family pets that are dumped at shelters or pounds on a daily basis in California alone has spiked by as much as 12 percent in certain areas since the recession dropped anchor in December, 2007. 

Animal welfare experts say since the pet population in shelters was already brimming, a percentage rate in the double digits has caused a habitation overflow that has become grim. 

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, animal control agencies are already processing well over 500,000 homeless pets each year. Only 25 percent of these animals are adopted or placed into a safe environment. The lives of the majority, including those with a registered pedigree, are euthanized. 

Although economists feel that the recession is nearing an end, its recovery will be stutter-stepping well into the second quarter of 2010 as it heals from a severe downturn. But some programs, like California’s state-funded animal shelters, are not curative. Due to fierce budget-cutting, shelter animals are only allowed to sit on death row for three days, down from six. Animal depositories say 72 hours is not enough time for them to hunt down the owner of a lost or runaway pet with no identification. 

Animal groups across the state are now pressing lawmakers to enact temporary incentives aimed at providing owners constructive reasons to keep their pets during the recession. Proposals currently being written include implementing state-funded adoption, identification and spay/neutering campaigns until the job market picks up. Other animal welfare advocates say soft-style solutions fall short.

Actor/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo’s resolution has long-range capabilities with a definitive focal point. And it is already on the floor of Congress. His concept is called H.R. 3501, or the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act. 

Grillo is founder and president of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the largest care-for-life animal sanctuary in the world.’s bill allows consumers to deduct as much as $3,500 of pet-related expenses from their tax returns. It was introduced by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) back in July. Since then, the initiative has attracted the appeal of millions of American voters and taxpayers because it addresses the crucial needs of both animals and humans. 

In addition to the American Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals, Grillo’s initiative is backed by the Humane Society of the United States. With well over 11 million members, or one in every 28 Americans, HSUS stands as the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. 

HSUS vice president and chief operating officer Michael Markarian with Oliver – one of his five rescued pets. H.R. 3501 is a “critical safety net” that could prevent struggling pet owners from relinquishing their animals to shelters, he said.

“Sometimes it takes the right moment for a bill to get attention,” said HSUS executive vice president and chief operating officer Michael Markarian. “And a tax break for pet care is a policy that could directly benefit two-thirds of American households that have companion animals. We are thrilled that Leo Grillo and Rep. McCotter are advocating for this policy reform.”

 Grillo and his D.E.L.T.A. Rescue staff currently care for more than 1,500 cats and dogs previously abandoned in the wilderness. He sees firsthand how critical a problem animal abandonment has become in the wake of the recession and its slothful turnabout.

 “The state of affairs for animals has been degraded from sad to tragic,” said Grillo, who rescues pets left to die of starvation, injury, exposure and disease. “Out of ignorant desperation, people have become even more ruthless by dumping their pets unlawfully and making their aging and sick pets fend for themselves in the harshest environment you can imagine. How would you like a family member do that to you if you were suffering from an illness or weakened by old age?”

 It is what he experiences on a daily basis is one of the dominant reasons his pet tax-exempt initiative is a bi-partisan one. “Animals, like children, are entrusted to all of us, not just some of us,” he said. “We already have Thaddeus McCotter on our side. Now we need Democrats to also support the bill. It’s not, by any means, a partisan issue.” 

“And by encouraging affordable pet care, the bill not only promotes animal health and well-being, but also could help to stimulate the economy by driving more business to veterinarians, animal hospitals, and pet care providers, added Markarian. “[This bill] recognizes that pets are part of the family, too.”

Animal welfare advocates agree that the pet abandonment crisis in America can be curbed cost-effectively by providing consumers “more discretionary income for pets,” said Grillo. “We need to relieve the pressure now. 

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the HSUS and the ASPCA represent the largest and most powerful coalition of animal welfare advocates to stand up for the urgent needs of animals in the history of American legislation.

More Animal Groups Join Dog Fight for Helmsley’s Money

“This is a truly representative cross-section of animal rescue charities that can litigate this important issue,” said William R. Hess, a lawyer for D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the largest animal sanctuary of its type in the world.  The animal welfare organization links arms with three other powerful animal groups in a collaborative effort to help Leona Helmsley speak from the grave on Monday and finally expose where the late baroness really wanted her staggering $5 billion dollars to go.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue's chief veterinarian Dr. Gaylord Brown and staff.

“D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, like other charities, receives a substantial part of its annual contributions from wills and trusts,” said Hess. “It’s also important for persons to understand the consequence of being clear in their intent and avoiding the influence of persons who will not honor their intent after they die.”

Last April, the trustees chose to give away $136 million to homeless humans and select human hospitals and human foundations. Disbursements totaling $900,000 went to designated groups that train seeing-eye dogs, a service which D.E.L.T.A. Rescue regards as being an “exploitative” accommodation that is not recognized legally as one that enhances the quality of life for animals; it tends to the needs of humans. The ASPCA received only $100,000 for its nationwide animal welfare mission. Hess charges that this was not exactly what Helmsley had in mind before she died in 2007.  

Hess said Helmsley’s initial mission statement listed just two priorities: that her money help provide medical and health care for impoverished youth and that it help address animal-related needs. Helmsley then executed another mission statement for her Charity Trust that actually omitted the reference of medical and health care services. Indicating her apparent love for animals, Helmsley left her beloved Maltese a healthy $12 million trust fund. Her pet lost $10 million of its inheritance. 

If the court agrees to get to the bottom of Helmsley’s true intent and whether the trustees of her estate have exercised lawful authority, the trustees’ ability to scatter further grants could be restricted during court proceedings, Hess said. He added that his sole purpose in seeking judicial action is to see if the trustees have, in fact, failed to rightfully disburse Helmsley’s money to animal charities.  

“Every year, the Helmsley Charitable Trust is required to make distributions, around five percent of five billion dollars,” explained Hess. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue provides urgent and wellness care for more than 1,500 previously abandoned and abused animals. It also runs Horse Rescue of America and two state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals at its Los Angeles-area mountaintop refuge. 

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue founder and president Leo Grillo said an overturn of Judge K. Webber’s ruling will have significant impact on those organizations dedicated to the rescue, welfare and general care of innocent animals. Grillo considers his involvement a conglomerative one. 

“In doing this, we represent all animal groups,” said Grillo. “If every animal welfare group were able to benefit from a fair share of this five billion dollar fund, all animals could be spayed and neutered and we could end the pet overpopulation problem and close all pounds.”  

Grillo’s confidence regarding temporary animal shelters stems directly from an independent study based on published data. Grillo believes that a $500 million endowment would be enough to shut down all the pounds in America where animals are exterminated mainly due to overcrowded conditions.  

Hess said he will also be contesting whether Helmsley’s trustees have the legal right to substitute her wishes with their personal judgments.

On their Web site, the trustees claim that Helmsley did not intend for her fortune to go to dogs. “This is their position,” argued Hess. “But there are documents, such as her signed mission statement, that clearly indicate otherwise.” 

If animal groups are victorious, Leona Helmsley could be crowned "Savior of the Animals," a more befitting distinction and legacy. The animal lover went to her grave branded "The Queen of Mean."

Hess says the outcome of the litigation could change the future outlook for a countless number of animal charities, large and small alike. Grillo contends that many groups may be able to obtain the money to “save the lives of animals they would not otherwise be able to save,” he explained. “Second, it is important to set a legal precedent regarding the way in which persons write their wills and trusts to guarantee that their intended beneficiaries, like D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, end up receiving the gifts intended for them,” Hess stated. 

“We only want to do what we can to make sure that Helmsley’s true intent to benefit the dogs is honored,” added Grillo, who tracks through unkind forests and up slippery ocean jetties to rescue unwanted and starving pets.  D.E.L.T.A. Rescue has been an IRS-recognized not-for-profit animal welfare organization since 1981.  

 

Actor/Activist Moves Fast to Protect Animals from CA’s Next Deadly Quake

LOS ANGELES, CA (10/12/09) – There is no doubt that earthquakes can be catastrophic. Ask anyone jolted to their senses by the early morning Northridge temblor on January 17, 1994. In addition to having a powerful moment magnitude of 6.7, the ground acceleration was one of the highest ever recorded in urban North America. A total of 72 Californians were killed and more than 9,000 suffered injuries. With phantom arms clutching an 85-mile radius, the natural disaster was one of the costliest in U.S. history – presenting just cause for the next “Big One” that could come to pass any day now.

“When the big one hits, our infrastructure will collapse and our roads will crumble," predicts animal welfare expert Leo Grillo as he prepares Southern California for its next major disaster.

“There have already been a marked increase in the number of shakers in this region since the beginning of this month, so the warning signs are all around us,” said actor/animal welfare expert Leo Grillo, who has been working around the clock with earthquake preparedness officials by helping alert as many communities and associations as he can between today and Thursday’s statewide drill. Grillo is founder and president of D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the largest animal sanctuary of its type in the world and home of two state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals. 

“Not only will you be frightened, but your animals will be petrified. You have to remain in control for their sakes,” said Grillo, a world-renowned animal rescuer and founder of Horse Rescue of America. “And the best way to calm your own anxiety is to have made preparations, to have a plan, and to follow that plan.” 

On October 15, 2009, Grillo’s organization will join millions of Californians living in the “Earthquake Capital of the World” and practice what is known as the “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill, an exercise designed to save lives by promoting and demonstrating quick reaction. At exactly 10:15 a.m., Grillo will instruct his medical and administrative staff of 70 to drop to the floor or ground and take cover under a desk or table, or wherever else they happen to be at the moment. 

Grillo’s staff will then hold on for dear life as if a real-time earthquake had just ruptured. His employees will maintain position for the length of time the instructional California Institute of Technology scenario specifies. “At our location,” said Grillo, “the shaking will be for fifteen seconds, though Santa Monica will last for sixty-five seconds.” The moment magnitude of the ravaging Northridge quake was twelve seconds long.

At Grillo’s direction, employees will look around and imagine what would happen in the event of a major earthquake. Their imaginings could be a story of horror. Grillo warns that the aftershocks can be even more dangerous since some structures are already weakened by the previous quake. 

“During Thursday’s drill, we’ll then create mental images of what our lives would be like afterwards,” said Grillo, whose 1,500 animals at the sanctuary would be afraid and tremble during an earthquake. “Our animals will need calming, as will your pets. We must be there for them, soothing their fears,” he added. 

Some researchers believe that animals feel precursors in the form of mounting cerebral pressure, stemming from their ability to receive low frequency electromagnetic signals. “I used to have a cat who climbed the walls days before a quake,” said Grillo. He said a general uneasiness exhibited by animals prior to a natural disaster is a leading indicator. “That’s our warning that there can be an event. Maybe not a big one, and perhaps not a reported one, but it’s there,” Grillo added. 

Even humans have been known to experience a persistent headache that can last for weeks and suddenly vanish before a temblor hits. And some dogs have been documented to have an urge to chew on willow bark, from which aspirin is derived, in an attempt to self-medicate prior to an earthquake. 

Grillo said his staff will be wholly committed to safeguarding animals during the quake. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue received no significant damage following the Northridge temblor. “Just broken water lines,” he said. When the big one hits, Grillo says the Cajon Pass infrastructure will collaspe – resulting in water, gas and electrical outages, plus a shutdown of freight transport for up to four months in some areas. 

Grillo feels that D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, which is located northeast of Los Angeles, will be able to withstand another major disaster. “Our structures are strong because they’re all newer and built to code,” Grillo said. “Even my straw bale dog houses are designed to take any quake.” Grillo’s plan of action proves promising since seismologists are now on edge as are those whose on-going mission is to save lives.

Since officials are unable to pinpoint the exact time the next calamitous earthquake will occur, Grillo says D.E.L.T.A. Rescue will remain in disaster readiness mode from this point on, particularly since landslides could develop in the wake of recent wildfire devastation. Pictured: Chief veterinarian Dr. Gaylord Brown in active surgery.

Grillo said D.E.L.T.A. Rescue has already stockpiled sleeping bags and MRE’s (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) for its staff. Water storage tanks have been placed throughout the 150-acre sanctuary. As many as 1,000 emergency blankets for the dogs are in ready reserve. Moreover, the hospitals are equipped with a six-month supply of emergency medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. 

“We are working on emergency electricity now. It has to be solar-powered as generators require fuel that will be unavailable,” said Grillo. A fully-equipped firetruck and firefighting apparatus are at the ready. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue has also set aside a two-month supply of dry and canned food for dogs and cats, in addition to hay for horses and burros. 

“We’re also warning everyone about the real probability of falling rocks and other debris,” continued Grillo. “People think mountainous regions are immune to earthquake damage, but they’re sorely misled. We’re just as victimized as those living along the coastal region of Los Angeles, where tsunamis triggered by earthquakes remain a posing threat.” 

Grillo is also training his staff and community to “drop, cover and hold on” during aftershocks which can occur minutes, days, weeks, even months after an earthquake. He advises pet owners to watch their pets closely because they may become disoriented during and after a temblor. 

“Animals might try to escape from your property due to broken fencing,” Grillo cautioned. He also wants owners to be aware of hazards at the level of their pet’s nose and paw. “I’m referring to debris, chemicals and anything else that’s dangerous to humans. If it’s toxic to us, it can be lethal to them,” he added. 

Starting October 12 and continuing as often as practicable, the entire world will be able to track Grillo’s unpredictable journey to constantly safeguard pets during a natural disaster by following his up-to-the-minute blog at www.deltarescue.org. There, Grillo will address pet and livestock issues for both the mountains and coastal regions of Southern California. Those visiting his Web site will also be able to view Cal Tech’s official presentation and video.

“While we can not stop a huge shaker from occurring, we can at least get ready for it by making a plan and following it through to the end,” said Grillo. “We all need to be in control of our own survival, for our children’s sake and for the best interest of our animals. The countdown has already begun.”

MEDIA CONTACT:  Sharon Bush, (424) 202-0190, promise@dslextreme.com

 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mrs. Myrtle W. Raiford taught her daughter, Sharon, how to become a valiant woman. Mrs. Raiford turned age 90 on October 7, 2009.

Dear Mom,

I know that your loved ones have taken many photos of you since this one was snapped back in 1996.  And that’s okay because this image conjures up so many warm and beautiful memories for me. I froze this memory while you and I were on the beach in Santa Monica.  You loved spending your summer vacations in California, waking up to joyous sounds of seagulls, rollerskaters, people frolicking on the beach and the laughter of children. 

Although I only had thirty days with you, I relished every moment I had to spend with you.  I loved looking at the contrast of your cotton-soft hair against the brilliant green of our sun-kissed California meadows.  You purchased a bright yellow top from the Santa Monica Pier just to remind me where the other part of your heart lives. 

You and I shared many philosophical conversations with each other, too.  I always think about the story you told me about how flocks of pelicans always follow protocol. ”When the leader tires, another one takes its place,” you said. “There are never two leaders at the same time.” 

I have applied this observation to many aspects of my human life, even in my marriage.  As you know, Grand and I are both commanding spirits with individual strengths and intellectual prowess.  That’s why it’s healthier for us to accept each other as independent leaders in our household, separated only by gender.  So whenever he grows tired of carrying the torch, I take over and lead the flock.  We are a good team.  

You and I have experienced so much throughout our lifetime together.  For the most part, I remember the simple things — such as feigning sleep when you tucked me in a night when I was a child to tucking you in whenever I have an opportunity. I had a dream the other night about picking apples from our backyard tree and paring them with you.  My best Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were spent with you. Even when I became very sick, it was you who gave me the strength to fight.

I am beyond grateful to Janice and Kenneth for taking such good care of you in New York. I’ve mentioned before that Janice is an angel on Earth. Well, someone brought that angel to Earth and someone helped developed this angel into one of the more generous and caring people I know.  I would like to think that Janice and I are reflections of the woman you are and have always been.  So thank you, Mom, for turning us into valiant women with drive and purpose.

And thank you for helping me become the better part of you.  With love always and forever, Sharon.

Hollywood Roundup Pushes Tax Relief for Pet Owners, Congress Considers

LOS ANGELES, CA (10/07/09) – If pet-loving actors and related consumers have their way, they will be able to deduct as much as $3,500 from their 2010 tax returns for pet care expenses. The idea of a pet tax-exempt initiative was conceived and generated by actor/animal welfare activist Leo Grillo, who has been on a 30-year odyssey rescuing and tending to domesticated animals abandoned in the wilderness.  

Leo Grillo is a world-renowned expert in animal rescue.

Grillo is best known for founding D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the largest animal sanctuary of its type in the world. It is a 150-acre mountaintop refuge where more than 1,500 animals are cared for on a daily basis by a staff of seventy. Grillo said an amendment to the 1986 Internal Revenue Code will help accelerate the nation’s economic recovery and improve the aggregate condition of America’s body and mind.  

“Our nation is mentally, emotionally and financially sick,” said Grillo. “We might be listening to the urgent needs of the lonely, the elderly and those afflicted by personal tragedy, but we’re not moving fast enough to help center their expectations and turn the tide for them.”

 Grillo’s stout-hearted movement to push for pet tax-exempt status falls on the heels of alarming data. A 2008 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care survey revealed that nearly 600,000 Americans were treated for self-inflicted injuries between the pre-and-recessionary years of 2006 and 2008. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 30,000 Americans each year turn to suicide as their means to an end.  

In addition to medical intervention by physical and mental health care authorities, some animal welfare activists, veterinarians, politicians and medical care professionals are of the collective opinion that if more humans could afford the cost of owning a pet, the effect would perhaps have a positive impact on America’s tattered state of mind.  

“People are depressed,” Grillo said. “Pets help them to live and are sometimes the only beings that show these people love. So [H.R. 3501] makes pets a necessary part of their lives, not a frivolous commodity. People who live happily and are productive are good for the economy and the country. Therefore, this bill not only saves pets, it saves people.” 

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue is located near Glendale, California – a state where more than 2.2 million residents are out of work. A few weeks before Grillo’s bill was introduced, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, Our wallet is empty, our bank is closed and our credit is dried up.” But it is not political hand-wringing taxpayers want to see, said Grillo, as the number of families suffering from both want and need continues to escalate.

Robert Davi is best known for his outstanding work in such movie greats as "Licence to Kill," "Die Hard" and Predator 2." He is currently filming "The Irishman" in Detroit, MI. He is shown with his dog, Stella.

So Grillo shared his proposal with fellow actor Robert Davi, who admits spending a minimum of $4,800 each year caring for his four dogs and cat. “And that’s if there are no medical emergencies,” Davi said.  

Davi is best known for his strong character roles in a number of popular feature films. He is currently working on a movie set in Detroit, MI, a sprawling metropolis slammed to its knees by the collapse of its auto-making industry and a 28.9% unemployment rate.  

A pet tax-exemption will also encourage owners to take better care of their animals, said Grillo. “Pet owners will have more discretionary income from which to do that, and we think there will be a demand for pets since they will be more affordable,” he added.  

The New York headquarters of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agrees. “Pet care can be expensive,” said Emily Brand, ASPCA’s national spokesperson. “And in these trying economic times, families all over the country have been forced to give up their pets because of financial hardship.” Most owners spend an average of $800 each year caring for their pets. 

Brand believes if owners are able to receive tax relief, “more pets [will] get to remain in their loving homes and [not] wind up on the streets or in the already overburdened shelter system,” she said. ASPCA celebrates Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month each October for good reason.  

According to latest statistics, more than $2 billion is spent annually by local governments to house and ultimately destroy up to 10 million discarded, yet adoptable, dogs and cats due to a shortage of homes. The Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science estimates that animals with a registered pedigree account for 30% of all animals in shelters. The Doris Day Animal League reports the number of abandoned animals has ascended into the millions nationwide. 

In response to Grillo’s quest to help improve the economic standing of an instable and troubled nation, Davi presented Grillo’s proposition to Thaddeus McCotter, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan’s 11^th District. McCotter introduced Grillo’s plan of action, which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 111^th Congress.  

The bill was cited as the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act. It is designed to change for the better the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by allowing a deduction for pet care expenses. McCotter is asking Congress to deliberate on foremost documented facts which show that 63% of all United States households own a pet and that the human-animal bond has been proven to have therapeutic impact upon the emotional and physical well-being of humans.  

Pet care expenses include the cost of food, veterinary care and pet insurance. A qualified pet is defined as one that is legally owned, domesticated and alive. Those pets possessed by owners for the intention of research or utilized for a trade or business are excluded.  

Grillo’s bill was introduced in the House by McCotter on July 31, 2009. 

McCotter believes that a modification to the IRS Code of 1986 will be a simple procedure. He wants the subdivision which relates to additional itemized deductions for individuals altered by re-designating an existing section and inserting a new one. 

Grillo hopes the bill will inspire pet owners who have fallen on difficult economic times to start seeking routine wellness checks, emergency attention and follow-up care for their animals.  

“As much as eighty percent of them never go to the vet, not once in their lifetime,” said Grillo. “This way, owners will have more discretionary income to take better care of their pets. And we think there will be a demand for pets since they will be more affordable.” 

Grillo said he is pleased that Rep. McCotter was the one Davi chose to walk in the legislative measure. “Thaddeus [McCotter] is not the typical politician. He has integrity,” Grillo said. “He has stayed with our ideas, even though there are easier political ways to get something passed and look good to pet owners. Instead, he is with us to get the whole thing passed.”  

Grillo added that he is not astonished that the number of Americans supporting H.R. 3501 has entered into the millions within just a few weeks.  I do not understand how there could be even one animal organization that is not on our bandwagon on this one, supporting us in our efforts, despite real world competition between us. This one is purely for the animals,” Grillo said. Grillo and Davi co-starred in the feature film Magic. Grillo also starred in the movie Zyzzyx Rd, opposite Katherine Heigl.

D.E.L.T.A. Rescue operates two state-of-the-art hospitals at its private sanctuary, which is also home to Horse Rescue of America – a successful operation Grillo founded as well. Grillo is a world-renowned expert in animal rescue.

Additional Reading: 

• http://www.petexemption.com

• http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3501.IH: