Paws for a Cause

In 1993, I flew to Provo, Utah, to help my niece get settled in at Brigham Young University. I had lived there for a total of seven years and had worked at BYU for three years, so I took a few days off from work and had a wonderful time seeing friends and former roommates.

We had a picnic by one of the apartment buildings we had lived in and I was taught a lesson that would serve me well through the years.

I had been the director of the humane society for a year and saw a dog that was chained to a stake in the ground. He had a ramshackle dog house, was thin, and had no food or water. One of my friends said, “That’s a shame. Someone should do something.”

WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

protecting animals in Utah were abysmal at the time, I suspect the dog led a horrible life and suffered until death came.

However, through the years the “someone should do something” has been a guiding force in my work.