--by Mike Murray

In snotty playground retort, kids often say, “Oh yeah? Well, it takes one to know one.” The comment is intended as insult, as a means of deflecting criticism back toward its sender.

Though not in the way youngsters imagine, they just might be on to something when it comes to Sarah McLachlan. Sarah’s one of those people who “knows one” because she “is one.” Imperfect in many ways (she freely admits that she can sometimes be “difficult”), Sarah is most often a caring, compassionate person.

Sarah is one of those rare birds: a celebrity who does considerably more than simply “talk the talk.” She, every step, “walks the walk.” When it comes to helping others, she asks less of us than she does of herself.

Sarah is currently lending her fame and one of her songs – Angel – to the cause of animal rescue. This is nothing new for the generous singer / songwriter. For years, fundraisers have been conducted with one of her many moving compositions (I Will Remember You, most often) softly serenading attendees.

She has helped raise money for agencies that work to end violence against children, in places all around the globe. She has unfailingly been there when natural disasters strike and people are suffering. She has lent young female artists a hand in launching their fledgling careers.

And now she seeks support for the ASPCA. Perhaps you’ve seen her commercial on television. The ad first ran during late-night news shows; recently they aired among TVLand Bob Newhart Show reruns.

If you’ve seen the ad, you remember it. How could you not? From the opening shot of the scared, shivering pooch to the touching array of other distressed dogs and cats, the images jolt. The sweet, sensitive eyes of the critters. The tender care of the blonde animal-control agent. The soothing sound of Sarah’s voice intoning “...in the arms of the angel...”

If you can take that in and not be moved, you are made of stone. As someone once plainly put it, “How could I look on that and not be changed?” Impossible, for anyone with a heart.

For all the reasons there are to appreciate Sarah, this one is the most compelling: she cares deeply about all of the creatures who inhabit our world. Most especially, she cares about the ones who suffer.

And she does more than care; she acts. She shames the primping peacocks who are everywhere to be found when representatives of a fawning media are around – and nowhere in sight when they and their cameras depart.

Sarah’s commitment is real. And this cause is, as are all of her other ones, worthy.

The ASPCA (the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) does good work in rescuing homeless, injured, or mistreated creatures. The organization also educates in the ways of humane care, provides organizational assistance to start-up rescue groups, and prosecutes those who abuse.

It is worth supporting.

But there is one thing you should know. The ASPCA’s name is a little misleading. Because the organization employs the word “American” in its title, it implies a national scope that doesn’t exist. At least not when it comes to the direct rescue of animals and the prosecution of those who mistreat them. In such cases its efforts are limited to the New York City area, where the organization is based.

As a pioneer in the field, the ASPCA dedicated itself to ensuring the humane treatment of animals. And in that continuing mission it provides outreach services to rescue groups across the country. In that sense, it truly is a national organization.

But when it comes to physical rescue – the taking in of abused, abandoned, and neglected animals (the act portrayed in the commercial) and placing them into suitable homes – the ASPCA would today be better named the NYSPCA. That is because its direct-rescue effort (as well as its prosecution of abusers) is confined to New York.

Many other SPCA organizations today exist – alongside many other rescue agencies – that handle local intake and deal with mistreaters.

I don’t point this out in an attempt to dissuade you from supporting the ASPCA. The group does outstanding work. The needy animals it aids are as deserving of your help as are any others. And the ASPCA’s assistance to rescue groups nationwide is commendable.

But you should know that if you make the ASPCA the sole beneficiary of your animal-welfare philanthropy, you might be denying aid to other animals – ones suffering in your own community.

Years ago, when I was professionally employed as a fundraiser, I was sometimes asked by a prospective donor: “Which non-profit should I help, the one you represent or one of the others who seek my support?”

Typically I would reply, “Well, I hope you can do a little something for each of us.” But I was a realist. I knew that people only have so much to give, that they must often chose. There are literally thousands of good causes to consider.

And so my conscience would force me to add: “You have to do what you think is right. I suggest that you decide which agencies do the most good, then select from among them the ones that most desperately need your assistance – and donate accordingly.”

That speech might have seemed self-serving in some cases, at those moments when I represented organizations that met the most basic of needs and served the neediest among us. But at other times, when I was representing, say, a well-off private school, I did not stray from the rationale. I offered the same advice. On those occasions, I was potentially steering donations away from the agency that employed me.

I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t have looked myself in the mirror nor slept at night if I had acted any differently. And once the full weight of that realization hit me, I never again asked anyone to contribute to any cause to which I, myself, was not fully committed. To do so would have been dishonest, and it would have been unfair to any organization on whose behalf I could not earnestly solicit.

It is a happy truth – in my humble view – that you will be making a very good decision with respect to your personal giving if you select from any one of a variety of extended-stay rescue agencies. So many are worthy of your support. They will gratefully accept your donations, and they will save lives with them.

But I do hope that you will give special consideration to the many rescue groups that serve your local area. They are typically much more hand-to-mouth than are the ones that can afford to advertise nationally. They are more desperate for your help. They operate on lean budgets. They pinch every penny. They depend heavily on volunteers.

They collect recyclables, used cell phones, and empty ink cartridges for modest return fees. They wrap gifts at places like Borders ® during the holidays for small donations. They host spaghetti dinners. They do so much good for the animals who depend on them, and they scrounge for the funds that enable them to do it.

Local rescue groups run the gamut, from physical shelters to in-home foster care – to some combination of the two. Some take in nearly all comers. Others focus on difficult-to-place, special-needs critters (the sick, the injured, the over-active, the geriatric). Some attack a root cause of animal homelessness, by defraying spaying and neutering expenses for low-income adopters.

They all critically need your help, and they have very few advertising dollars at their disposal to inform you of their plight.

Please take a few moments to browse the Internet or to scan your local telephone book. If Sarah McLachlan has moved you to act, I hope you will consider doing so on behalf of needy animals in your own community.

Sarah is truly a Godsend to the distressed, human and animal alike. She is able to write and sing so beautifully of angels because she treads among them. When you contribute to the ASPCA, to a shelter closer to home, or to one of thousands of other worthy causes worldwide, you join her in wrapping angelic arms around those who yearn for comfort.

Copyright © 2007 Michael F. Murray -- All rights reserved.