September 23, 2016:

Hello fellow four-leggers and any others who have found Ellie Mae’s “Paw Talk” on this very special day in history! i am excited to share this blog today because it is extra meaningful to me. It involves a dog, a platform and the chance for all of us to make a difference.

Today’s “Paw Talk” is inspired by a legend of the dog world, named Checkers. (If you have access to old people like I do in CiMAR, they may remember this. If not, you will have to ask if you can use the computer and get that cool cat Google to hook you up with some Wiki-P.) Anyhoo, the short tail is that President Nixon and his family were the forever home for Checkers.

The Nixons received the dog as some sort of bribe disguised as a giving gesture. Blah, blah, blah… (i am not sure of all the details), but Checkers became famous! He was mentioned in a speech given by President Nixon on September 23rd. Due to that speech and the fact that Checkers was used in a political kind of way, September 23rd become officially known as National Pets in Politics day! Cool right? i am sure Checkers used that notoriety to inspire all of us back then, but the importance of this day seems to have been forgotten through the years.

Since i am a pet, i thought it was time to take hold of this day and make Amanimals (American Animals) revered again! We all deserve respect, love and the chance to live the life we were given.

So, this is the part where we all come together to make a difference. Since doing a march of some kind might be hard to organize…getting rides, choosing times early enough so that the cement isn’t too hot and don’t even get me started on how to keep you cats in line!

Us…

Cats...

i rest my case.

So, what all of us fur butts CAN do is spread the word. Tell your parents and their parents and your parents’ friends and your parents’ friends’ parents – ALL parents should know about this (cuz, let’s be honest, parents have the money). But don’t stop there. People who don’t have animals (yet!) need to know that this movement needs their support too. Since we have to have a main figurehead, i decided that would be me. Mainly cuz i have a large head AND the idea was born there. It isn’t going to be about me, though. It is going to be about "the goal of getting 500 people to take a stand for animals who deserve an amazing life." This is the beginning of a movement where people give money to things that actually matter!

Now, to be clear, i am not running for office. i don’t know how far away that is and running there sounds like a lot of work. So, i have built my platform right here in my own backyard. This platform is going to be very simple. That is how Redbone Coonhounds like things. What i am proposing is a platform made up of 8 basic tenets by which we pledge to work toward from this day forward. If you support my platform (otherwise it will just fall over with me on it), you donate money to the cause. Just like people do for our elected officials. However, in this case, your money will DIRECTLY BE APPLIED to the execution of the platform tenets. Dogs and cats will be saved, vetted, placed in foster homes and ultimately secured in a forever home to live out a well-deserved amazing life. Look....dogs may not always tell the truth cuz we cannot talk. But our eyes can be trusted 100%! (Cats are excluded from this statistic because they refused to participate in the research.)

Here is my platform:

If your eyes cannot read teenieweenie print, here it is in a larger font. (i have my seniors' backs...November's blog is going to be all about that in honor of Seniors Pet Month! Keep an eye out. I will make it very large so you cannot miss it!).

i, Ellie Mae, am running for Pawsident of the United States of Amanimals. i am asking for your support to achieve the following standards of living for every animal regardless of gender, species, breed, color, age or economic situation.

1. A forever home that doesn’t end in surrender or neglect.

2. A family that fully embraces the heart, soul and personality of their chosen furry for all of its amazing qualities as well as its imperfections.

3. A cozy, soft place to lay its tired head.

4. Full bowls of food and water to keep it strong and healthy.
5. Spay/Neuter services to ensure a long, healthy life and no more discarded, neglected and euthanized souls.
6. Proper vetting to guard against heartworm disease, rabies, fleas, ticks, Bordetella and any other scary conditions that animals can get.
7. Special friends to run, romp and bond with…we all need friends!
And most of all…
8. More love than could EVER be contained in the heart of a Redbone Coonhound, which is very big i assure you!

If you feel these are tenets worth supporting in this political season, i ask for your support in the form of a donation to those of us forging this path.

Please be sure to ask your mom or dad for permission to use their credit card, though. i don’t want you to get crated without dinner or get the tug toy put way up on a shelf where you just look at it longingly hoping it will fall off…but it doesn’t and you just keep willing it to…then you slightly nudge the bookcase just enough so that mom doesn’t hear you, but darn, it is doesn’t’ budge! Ya…. that would be bad. Ask permission!After you make your donation, you will get a special thank you to put on your Facebook page to show what matters to YOU during this political season! There will be no question where your priorities are. Maybe your human will put it on their page too?!

Thank you for listening to me. i am now going to get down from this platform. i feel dizzy. i think i need a nap. Mmmmmm. A nap……

Love,
Pawsidental Candidate, Ellie Mae.

Here is where you show support!

http://www.cuzimatter.org/get-involved (go to the second box!)

Our goal is 500 separate donations so please share with your friends, family, neighbors, cat friends, dog friends, even ask the birds and the bunnies. They are usually very giving. Whatever amount you can give is highly appreciated and will not be used on dumb, pointless ads! Thank you.

Ellie Mae for Pawsident

Ellie Mae, Candidate

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