For The People Who Love Animals And The Animals Who Need To Be Loved armen ac Vol.10 - Issue 6 FIRE mar - April, 2009 Carol Leifer ‘Announcements 78 A Stand-Up Voice for the Animals Pet Friendly Apt 7 By Melissa Maroff Help tockgae' a Mme —(8 jews about puppy mills and inhumane shows ensued. ta her eaten caret dream YourPot's Heath 20-43 [roy core tan caer and at the fonction Shen wi Johny Corson just pror ois }speaking out for the animats - is Carol Leifer. retirement i In fact, the acclaimed stand-up comedian, Eventually Carol joined the staff of] Emmy-norsinated writer, author of the new Seinfeld, where she wrote or co-wrote some| Ibook, When You Lie About Your Age, the of the classics including the “shrinkage Terrorists Wh and animal activist ~ is pretty episode that (Gok place at the beach and the busy these days. episode in which everyone obsesses over a The Long Island native began her carcer-as loaf of marble rye bread. ‘She also appeared Caral Leifer & Her 7 Little Rescues in several episodes. Last year. as an animal activist with sign in hand, Carol could be found along. wi fellow protesters in front of Posh Puppy. a Stand-up comic in clubs like New York's Catch A Rising Star and The Improv, and her well-known friendship with Jerry Ssinfeld dates back 1 when he discovered her at a comedy club. But her “big break” came when David Letterman saw her perform, which led eae ied: qabiiere: ta fie ary to 25 appearances on his lne-nigh talk show PREP chat thkebes to their peckstonchy was Gaol Dock LefetAnpmore Busy eeting, (8410 Sho ts ders for goed As Jong és these pet sto producing, starring in and hosting comedy ee eee Carol Leifer cond from p.1) Carol first bocame involved in pet Davis, asked for her Nelp. “I thought it would be one day; little did we know it ‘would start a min revolution,” she recalls And while Carole Davis continues to target from puppy the reads to end het support protesting “This is not an organization, Ht works,” she says. ‘Supporters in the asti-puppy mill movement since the beginning,” Carole Davis says. there. help other animals, she Monica sith her partner Lon. their 3-year~ old son Bruno and seven dogs of their own. all rescues, including’ some with special ‘There are the Chihuahuas: Shelby (in Carol Leifer (contd from p.25) “My aunt was the ultimate aninial lover I'm $0 happy that we got er cats oul. Carol says She is especially grateful, since the shelter they were placed im euthanized animals by gas at the time You can't say Carol Leifer docsa’t “walk the walk” She hegan following vegan diet at the end of 2007” without ‘even ing from vegetarian first. “I went cl turkey, pardon the pun.” she jokes. She admits the hardest thing was to give up cheese. but is completely fine wath her Gees. “All | need fo S08 18 any fOOaBe of factory farming and the unhappy lives the animals lead’ for our pleasure.” she explains. She still eats eggs" however, that she buns directly from a family farm in Pasadena, wach she sys make *panism caster. I consider myécifa fll vegan, | only cat the compassionate’ ges I et from the farm that I have visited. ve spoken to the two chickens. they're happy chickens. [ don't eat any other eggs of food with egg in it she explains “The point of is that the animals doo suler for at 1 would happily edt cheest or drink ik from someone who. could show’ me lives a apps and that that the cow cruelty-free existence.” Carol is always cager 10 extol the virtues of veganism, including when she emoced for Animal Acres, LA's sanctuary for rescued farm animals Sthe professed tothe crowd that sh was a “foodie.” and still is, just Carol says she’s more compassionate about people who are not where they should bbe regarding animals, because she was there. “It just stems from ignorance, from ng at animals ag things Once you rasp the concept that animals are sentient and feel emotions, then it's easy ¥ your flings about them and st them as things” and inst fight the fight” “wherever she's FARR oo A ver she's store pprotesting when her friend, Carole Raphaelle stores wilt “inventory” that is proven to mills, Carol Leifer is still at people getting together. I encourage more people to get off their asses and do something’ berause ‘Carol has been part of our core team of ‘She's made signs and everything, She's When Carol is not working or trying to es in Santa remission from cancer), Maccabee, (had an aggression problem from being in the shelter but has since been transformed through training), and Julius. ‘Then there are the seniors: Cagney and Lacey, one with cataracts and the other with an cnlarzed heart. And rounding out the brood arc the terrier mixes: Heston and Albert “Two of the dogs were supposed to be fosters that she and Lori ended up falling in Jove with and decided to keep. And thanks 10. good medication and monitoring. the dogs with health conditions are doing well. “It's costly, but I'm happy we have the resources and a giant yard” Carol says. The two seniors, who were 1S when they were adopted from L.A. Animal Services’ North Cenizal Shelter and are now 17, out of all the does, ‘were the biggest transformatios,” she says “They looked up at us at the ‘shelter and seemed $0 depressed and broken down, Now they're running around like puppies.” she SUVS. “They're the happiest dogs you've cver seen, with so much energy. It's amacing.™ Carol even brings the terrier mix, Albert along to some of the anti-pet store rallies ‘He's incredibly cute and people always think he's fr says. (In fact he was a st Valley shelter) beings, which is what they are,” she says. Tw the ultimate convert. 'm so much of an animal person now, yet | look back 20 9 ago when I went to Spain and atiended a bullGght - this proves all change is possible,” ‘Carol says “I was unmoved and how I'm this person who i so moved by animals. Anyone an change. | just wasn't exposed to animals, 0 | had a fear of them ast year was the frst time Carol attended the Genesis Awards, presented by the Humane Society of the United States’ Holly wood office to salute those in the news and cntertainmcat media that have raised public awareness about animal issues, This year she serves. of the Honorary Commnitice for The 23rd Genesis Awards on March 28, and also filmed a piece ‘about spaying and neutering for the show ‘Genesis is the only award show that brings peoples" attention 9 animal issues.” says ‘Carol, “Llove the geremony’ because you get a ‘good overview of that scars coverage of Animals, And what [ove best about it is that ‘you learn so much you didn't know before. | had no idea until Genesis about dogs being sold for animnal testing. as in the documentary Dealing Dogs” I opened my eves to something that [had been previously unaware ‘of, The beauty of a night like that is everyone will leave talking about SOMETHING animal-related And as we all know in the a ndvecacy world, spreading the word is the first step to change. You leave Genesis P both evhilarated: and mad as hell - how: rhany parties ean yeu say. THAT about! ‘We deeply support and believe im the famastic work of HSUS, They do so mush of value and open up the public's eves to a great hhumber of animal issues that weuld normally go unnoticed, They have a great leader in Wayne Pacclle - he's the real dal.” Carol says ‘of ane of her favorite organizations. Carol shares her observations about animal fescue among other humorous essavs in het now Book, (Whew Jou Lie About Jour .tge, the < Terrorists Ifin: Reflectians on Looking an the © \firror. The book features some of her sage of advice for living. and waven in with melissomaro{fa vahoo com) “When there's a cute lap dog, it helps them fo connect the dots caster, which helps the cause,” she explains. Ineredibly, Carol wasn't always so. involved with animals. In fact. she grew up ‘with no pets. “It was an wn-animal-friendly environment, | remember wanting a dog. but ‘my parents were, ‘no way’.” she recalls, ‘Her life with the four-legged beings began in 2001 when she moved in with Lon who had a dog and two eats. “In six months Hbccame a convert,” she recalls.“ look back in retrospect and realize | wasn't crazy about cats and dogs because | was afraid of them, It took living with them to squelch my fears, 1 realived that far from being afraid, they there to make your life rol scarier Her son, she is pleased to report, is having the complete opposite upbringing ‘She is also proud that one of the highlights of her life had to do with animals ‘Carot’s aunt in New York. who passed a hhad two cats that were placed at a loc ‘shelter. Carol and Lori rescued 1) nd, brought them ack to LA to live with them Although they had. developed Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in the shel: ced for another ye i the humor are some including the tale of ber complete transfor- mation into an “aniraal person.” By forty you think you're kind of formed, but the biggest surprises. and most joyous parts of your life can come after.” says Carol who is living proof. in that she met her ppariner, adopted her newborn son and began to share her life with animals all after the age ‘of 401 One of the essays in her hook. “Five Lessons of Animal Adoption,” is also featured in this month's issue of Ladies Home Journal, and Carol is ecstatic: about igetting her message out to the magazine's roughly 4 mitlion readers “At yoo looking for an animal to don't shop,” she advises readers of The Pei Press and anyone else who will listen. “The dog needed 10 be rescued from the pet store is the lamest excuse | ever heard. You're contributing to a vicious industry, The more people stop busing puppies from pet stores. the less. misery dogs will suffer al pupps mills.” she says emphatically “Animals in shelters are mostly” surren- dered by their owners, and it just breaks your hear” Carob says" reflecting on homeless pets in gencral. "My greatest hope with my book is that my dogs former owners will serious messages. took at it and see thett dogs that they dropped ‘off Well, they're ‘Living the Life of Riley nov, buddy Carol Leifer plans herself in the new Adam Sandler fil. Fanny People. opening im July, and will appear on Curk Your Enthusiony, later this year. When You Li About Your sige. the Terrorias Wh Reflections ow Looking in the Mirror ‘vy Carol Leifer (Random House, 208 pp) wil be available in stores and online March 31 (Melissa Maroff ts am Lat -bases! writer euiror and animal advocate. Se 18 th ‘Expert for eFfow.com where her “Ilow To” arucles on pet and “all things dog and eat reached vie ennai: ‘She can be