CJ Arabia Speak about the work Of Linda



I am sitting with actress Linda Blair in the back yard of her WorldHeart Foundation animal sanctuary, at the base of a mountain in the high desert of Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles. A worker walks by with a great, big, beautiful mutt. "That's Hank," Blair says, indicating the big dog. "He came from a hoarder. His teeth were filed down." I ask her why someone would want to file down a dog's teeth. She tells me it's done to prevent dogs from damaging each other when tossed into packs. Hank's former owner had filed down the big dog's teeth in a shed in the back of his property, without any medical supervision. But the big dog seems happy now as he shows me his smile.

Blair began rescuing dogs in 1997, following the death of her mother and two pets. Though devastated by her loss, she focused her grief into achieving something positive. "I started walking [into] shelters and rescuing anywhere from two to five dogs, putting them in a kennel, going every day to walk them and take care of them. I made signs and fliers and put them up at pet stores, handed them out. All that and working."

Blair's efforts continued to grow through 2003, when she formally established her WorldHeart Foundation. Then, in the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck. Shocked by the footage of starving, abandoned animals, Blair boarded a plane and went to Louisiana.

The Katrina animal rescue operation had been forced to close, and the volunteers were given three days to remove the remaining 350 animals. With Blair's help, they were able to ship 100 dogs to one location in California, and 100 more to a behavioralist in the Midwest. Blair took the remaining 51 home with her to the WorldHeart Foundation sanctuary.

Linda explains that her main goal is to get people more active in charity and volunteer work. "Anyone can make a difference in the life of a homeless animal," Blair insists. "Animals have been chained up, no water, no home, foreclosures, the heat, the snow, no food, the sun. These animals have been deprived of human contact and affection, animal contact and affection. They need time to heal."

At Linda Blair's WorldHeart Foundation, these dogs have all the time they need.

If you are interested in adopting one of these lovable mutts, you can check them out on www.PetFinder.com. To learn more about how you can get involved or make a donation, visit Linda Blair's WorldHeart Foundation Web site.