4 Women Dedicated To Saving Animals

There are many people who advocate for the welfare of animals all over the world. As we celebrate Women's Month, I decided to dive in and celebrate four women who made a huge difference in the lives of animals and pets.

Jane Goodall – You can't think about women saving and helping animals without hearing the name Jane Goodall. Goodall turns 90 years old next month and is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees after 60 years of studying social and family interactions.

In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which supports the Gombe research, and she is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. With nineteen offices around the world, the JGI is widely recognized for community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa.

Still very active in her work in 2022, she is on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project. In April 2002, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Goodall is an honorary member of the World Future Council.

Betty White – Actress Betty White was loved the world. She died weeks before her 100th birthday in January 2022. Betty spent many of those years advocating for animals. She was an animal welfare advocate who worked with organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, The Morris Animal Foundation, the African Wildlife Foundation, and Actors and Others for Animals.

Her interest in animal welfare began in the early 1970s while she produced and hosted the syndicated series The Pet Set, which spotlighted celebrities and their pets.

As of 2009, White was the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation, where she served as a trustee of the organization beginning in 1971. She was a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974.

https://lazoo.org/about/glaza/

Dian Fossey – Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her murder in 1985.

Fossey's account of her scientific study of the gorillas at Karisoke Research Center and prior career. It was adapted into a 1988 film, Gorillas in the Mist. The movie stars Sigourney Weaver as Fossey. It tells the story of Fossey, who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas and later fought to protect them.

The film earned five nominations at the 61st Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Weaver and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The film won Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Weaver.

Fossey's website says on the home page of their mission, "Gorillas are beautiful, resilient animals. However, poaching and habitat destruction have pushed their populations to the brink of extinction in recent decades. Our brave founder, Dian Fossey, knew that gorillas would need our help to survive. Today, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is dedicated to continuing and expanding Dian's work. We protect gorillas and their forests daily while helping the people who live near them."

https://gorillafund.org

Miranda Lambert – As a country music journalist since Miranda Lambert first hit the Nashville scene in 2005, I have watched her grow as an animal advocate through interviews, events, and stories she told me of how she would sit out at any Wal-Mart for days just to find the right home for a puppy. Miranda started MuttNation to help dogs, cats, and pets with her mom, Beverly, in 2009.

Just this month (3/20), as she prepared to wrap up her residency show, "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency," at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Lambert, along with Live Nation Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, presented MuttNation Foundation with a final donation of $140,000.

Since opening in September of 2022, $1 of every ticket purchased to "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency" has been donated to Lambert's MuttNation Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that has raised over $10 million since its inception.

The Foundation's mission is to promote the adoption of rescue pets, support animal shelters across the country, advance spay & neuter, and assist with transporting animals during times of natural disaster.

Miranda has many animals at her home near Nashville, including many dogs, cats, and horses. She often goes to Nashville Animal Control in person to adopt a new pet and encourage others to do the same. I've seen firsthand how she is a friend to all dogs and cats.

Country music stars love their dogs and cats. And there are a couple of country stars who actually have official Instagram channels just for their dogs. Miranda Lambert does so much for dogs all over the country with her Muttnation Foundation, which raises money and encourages people to adopt shelter animals. Miranda has many dogs, including Delta, Thelma, Louise, Cher, and many more. In July, Lambert shared her sorrow after she lost her dog Thelma.

She wrote on Instagram at the time, sharing several images of her beloved dog, "May 1, 2016, I adopted 2 beautiful Great Pyrenees named Thelma and Louise to watch over one of my happiest places on earth. My farm outside of Nashville. The Kitties, chickens, and mini horses needed to be looked after, and these 2 girls have done that since the day we brought them home. They rode on my bus all the way from Dallas to Nashville, and on that 10-hour drive, I fell in love with them. Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Thelma. She spent her days lounging in the barn and her nights keeping watch over all of us. She lived the last 8 years with no fences, just freedom to do what she did best. Love and protect. I loved her with all my heart."

She continued, "Louise has retired from her farm duties and is getting all the more love and snuggles from Delta, Bellamy, Cher, Brendan, and me. It hurts so bad to say goodbye to these sweet companions, but their love is always worth it. How lucky are we to get to have friends like Thelma? I am so proud to have been part of her story. Thank you to my friends and farm managers Julia and Tommy for taking such good care of her and every one of my fur babies and loving them like they are your own. We all miss you, Telm Telm (broken heart emoji). Y'all don't forget, love a shelter pet."

Surprisingly, in my research for this story, I could not find any of Lambert's dogs or cats or, for that matter, horses who had their own Instagram account. Maybe she doesn't want to favor one over the other. However, Muttnation Foundation does have an Instagram handle.

Then there is Kelsea Ballerini, who adopted her dog Dibbs as a puppy and gave him his name after she charted a song called "Dibbs" in 2015 that went all the way to number one. In one of my first interviews with Kelsea during that time, I actually met the sweet pup, and well, he broke our new office in, if you know what I mean. It was pretty funny.

Ballerini constantly posts about her pooch on her social media, but Dibbs, as famous as he is, does not have his own Instagram account. Maybe his mom is waiting on that one.

So, what country stars have official Instagram accounts for their pups? Here are three of them. Let's take a look at those accounts and the famous parents.

Country icon Dolly Parton has a dog that is actually her manager's French bulldog, with whom she is often seen playing on his Instagram handle. She gave fans a look into her personal life, working to train Billy The Kid. This glamorous pup even has a book that Parton authored about him for kids.

Not long ago, she posted along with a video of her giving her pup treats, saying, "Go easy," and then, "That's a good way to do it, yeah," as the dog worked to not snip at her, "Dolly Mama's Doggy Training. I think @btkthefrenchie deserves a new toy!"

Parton also celebrated her buddy a few days ago. "She wrote, It's our favorite day of the year! Happy #NationalDogDay to all our Doggy Partoners (paws emoji). Shop our new Red Fur-Trimmed Cowboy Hat at the link in our story!"

Chris Young loves his dog Porter so much that earlier this year, he flew him back from shows on his private jet so his pup could get back home. The shows were in California, and after the run, Chris boarded his private jet just to take his beloved canine back home to Nashville. Young posted a photo on Instagram of him and his dog on their plane. He wrote, "Had to fly @porterthedog home safe after a multi-week run #puppy #tourlife."

As for Porter's own Instagram handle, it's simply @porterthedog, and his Instagram features many posts of the dog asking "dad" to pay him, his many escapades, and the famous people he meets now and then, like a few weeks ago when Dad hung out with Gavin Degraw. Porter's camp posted, "Dad, let me meet @gavindegraw !!!"

Lainey Wilson's dog, Hippe Mae, has had her Instagram account for about a year. Hippie Mae follows Mom on the road and has about 45 posts of her life as a famous country star dog. Hippie Mae is a French bulldog who often posts shots with Lainey's band and family members. The sweet pup even has her own denim jacket with her name embroidered on the back.

She posted a shot of the new outfit, writing, "New fit!!!!"

Here, she posted a photo with her famous mom.