A Fierce Advocate for Animals

Betty White died yesterday, just a few days shy of her 100th birthday.

For some reason, her passing has had a large impact on me. I didn't follow her career, although I enjoyed her roles as Sue Ann Nivens in the Mary Tyler Moore Show and particularly as the simple but sweet Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls.

I don't get hung up on celebrities. The death of an actor or musician may cause sadness, but it doesn't have a great impact on me. But Betty White? Her passing brought tears to my eyes.

I think what saddens me the most is the loss of a good, kind, decent, generous and caring human being. She was never involved in scandals. She never remarried after losing Allen Ludden, the love of her life, in 1981. She didn't speak ill of others, and others didn't speak ill of her. 

She was a fierce advocate for animals. She served as a trustee of the Morris Animal Foundation for 42 years, as vice president of the Canine Division for four years, and as board president for three years. She personally funded several Morris Animal Foundation studies in animal diseases. She also served on the board of trustees of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. As she once said, “I stayed in show business to pay for my animal business.”

Betty White loved dogs, especially golden retrievers, which makes her even more special in my eyes. I like to believe that she was greeted at the Rainbow Bridge by all her beloved dogs, and of course, that she has been reunited with her beloved husband, Allen Ludden.

Welcome home, Betty. Thank you for your presence, which made this hateful, cruel, divided world a whole lot better. Thanks for your humor, for making us laugh, for your compassion and most of all for being a good person. Your work on planet Earth  is done.

In Betty's memory, I have made a donation to the Morris Animal Foundation.