Blue Heron International Pictures LLC

For yet another look at what some of the fuzzy little people are doing to enrich our lives, visit Canine Companions for Independence .

They are a national nonprofit organization with a chapter in Orlando, Florida, and their canine companions are making a huge difference in the lives of disabled adults and children.

Just the type of heart-warming stories we like at Blue Heron International Pictures.

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Alex Ringer, our producer in Nesher, Israel is always on the look-out for stories which are both inspirational and heart-warming.

When he discovered a very special eagle named Freedom and its very special owner named Jeff Guidry, Alex felt  inspired to create the beautiful artwork shown above.

The folks at Blue Heron immediately contacted Jeff and asked for permission to share his e-mail from a few years ago with you. He quickly agreed, and we are honored to have Freedom join our other fuzzy and feathery little people.

 (By the way, Nesher - where Alex lives - is Hebrew for eagle.)

                  Freedom and Jeff 
                        By Jeff Guidry


Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery. It was broken in four places. She's my baby. 

When Freedom came in, she could not stand. Both wings were broken, her left wing in four places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet’s office.

From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lie in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight. She would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks. 

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week.

You know you don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon.

I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear.

I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day. 

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not), and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us. 

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I had Stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing eight months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work.

When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams, and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again. 

She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long. That was a magic moment.

We have been soul-mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird. 

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Since Jeff first wrote the e-mail, he has published a book, and we encourage you to learn more about this amazing story of compassion, and the bond of love that links us with our animals. Please click here.

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Special Feature:

Happy Habitats

                                                                                                                         (Photos by Gary Lester)

Take a short morning stroll with us and meet some of the other lovable creatures we found busy in their natural "happy habitats" while filming Bogart & Friends. Click here.

                                                                                              (photo by Adrian van Leen)

       One of Bogart's friends from a happy habitat in Australia.  

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"Mankind's true moral test consists of its attitudes toward those who are at its mercy -- animals."

                                    Milan Kundera    

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                                                                    (Photo by Kim Lehmann) 

 Feral cats in Oregon enjoy some human hospitality.  Looks like they even have a little cat carrier for napping near the door. Quite the happy habitat!

  
                                                                 (Photo by Kim Lehmann)  

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         "Until one has loved an animal,

 a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

                                          Anatole France 

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Journey's End Santuary

Glenwood, Florida

                                                                    (Photo by Hilde Vanstraelen) 

Not all fuzzy little people are adoptable. Journey's End Animal Sanctuary provides lifetime care and shelter for dogs, cats, horses, pigs, and birds that have been abused, neglected or have special needs. Rather than emphasizing adoption, Journey's End provides a homelike setting where animals can enjoy the remainder of their lives in a comfortable, loving atmosphere.

The sanctuary is located in Glenwood, near DeLand, Florida. They currently have capacity for 200 dogs, cats, horses, pigs, and birds that have been abused, neglected or have special needs. At this time, the sanctuary is operating at full capacity and needs support from all of us.

The founder and proprietor of Journey's End, Florence Thuot, started the shelter in 1974. At that time, she and her late husband Paul were employed as animal cruelty investigators for the Volusia County Sheriff's Department. They began their compassionate endeavor by bringing home some of the most needy animals.

Journey's End has a wish list, an animal sponsorship program, and a need of donations, all of which are tax deductible.

Please visit their website at www.journeysendsanctuary.org.

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                Second Chance Rescue 

Another Florida organization lovingly caring   for unwanted animals is Second Chance Rescue. 

PBS canine star Miss Scarlet, once a neglected homeless pooch herself, asks that we now provide good homes for her friends.

Second Chance Rescue may be the perfect place to start.

  
Second Chance Rescue (dba Another Chance Animal Rescue, Inc) is a Florida 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, which has been in existence for 25 years. We take in abandoned, abused, neglected, and unwanted dogs throughout several counties including Flagler, Duval, Volusia, Putnam, Orange, Levy, Bradford and Baker.

We also provide assistance to other animals when space and funds are available. We are truly a no-kill shelter, funded solely on donations, which are 100% tax-deductible.

We have no paid staff and all funds donated go directly to the animals. Over 33,000 animals have been adopted to amazing homes during our 25 years!

Second Chance Rescue provides medical care, rehabilitation, proper nutrition and the much-needed love all animals deserve. We offer adoption and foster care for all our animals.  Our goal is to place animals in the right loving home.

Second Chance Rescue will also be providing a low cost spay and neuter program for Flagler County effective May 20, 2010 by partnering with First Coast No More Homeless Pets.  

Our transport, "The Scooter" , will be made available to the rural community in hopes of making a difference  to this region where hundreds of unwanted puppies and kittens are born each year.

                                            Debi Root, Founder/CEO

Second Chance Rescue specializes in the rescue and placement of abused, unwanted and abandoned companion animals. We are a no-kill shelter. No animal will be euthanized for lack of space, and we do not discriminate on the basis of health, age or breed.

Our animals are examined, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and receive all medical treatment before they are placed in carefully screened homes.

Second Chance Rescue believes educating the community and stressing the importance of spaying and neutering are the best ways to raise awareness of the plight of homeless animals.

Please visit the Second Chance Rescue website at www.Second-Chance-Rescue.org, or contact them at BpdebiG@aol.com. 

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                   Wildlife West Nature Park:

              A happy habitat in New Mexico

Wildlife West resident, Sticks, with Roger Alink 

A happy habitat is exactly what Wildlife West Nature Park provides for animals in distress in  the Southwest. 

Wildlife West is a  project created by Roger Alink, who tells us, "Wildlife West Nature Park provides a very special look into the animals and plants that are part of the ecosystems of New Mexico and the Southwestern United States."

"All of the birds and animals at Wildlife West Nature Park are non-releasable, in keeping with our philosophy of bringing education to the public without harming ecological balances in other parts of the region."

For a closer look at Wildlife West Nature Park, click here.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral    progress can be judged by the way its  animals are treated."

                                                  Mahatma Gandhi

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  Bogart Premieres At Club Med

Bogart & Friends had its world premiere on January 30, 2009 at The Treasure Coast International Film Festival in Port St Lucie, Florida.

The special screening was held at the luxurious Club Med Sandpiper in Port St Lucie.

Two of the above episodes of Bogart & Friends may be seen by audiences in the Orlando/Central Florida area on Bright House Network.

Tune in to Channel 300, You On Demand. The films will be found in the Short Features category.

Now you can enjoy Bogart & Friends and Happy Habitats right in your home on digital cable television.