The animals lost a long-time advocate this past week when Bob Barker passed away. He would have turned age 100 in December. Mr. Barker hosted the game show, Truth or Consequences, for almost twenty years but is probably best remembered for The Price Is Right, which he hosted for twenty-five years. He had a very significant sign-off at the end of that show, asking the viewers to spay and neuter their pets to help control the problem of pet overpopulation.
In interviews, he gave his wife Dorothy credit for educating him on the plight of homeless animals. He realized there were more homeless pets than homes available for them, so he decided to use his opportunity in his closing remarks for the show to ask people to help by having their own pets spayed and neutered. His commitment to animal welfare was strong enough he became a vegetarian.
He was also the long-time host of two beauty pageants, Miss USA and Miss Universe. As his awareness of animal welfare issues grew, he threatened to quit if the pageants continued to have the contestants wear fur coats on stage. At first they agreed to have the ladies wear fake fur, but continued to give fur coats as part of the prize package. So Bob Barker, by then fully committed to animal welfare concerns, resigned from both pageants.
One more accomplishment that will continue even after Mr, Barker’s death is his DJ&T Foundation, named for his wife and his mother. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to address the problem of pet overpopulation by funding low-cost or free neuter-spay clinics and subsidizing voucher programs across the United States.
Throughout his life, Bob Barker made significant contributions to support animal welfare programs and animal rights efforts. He has left a legacy that continues to make a difference, reminding us (in his words) to have our furry friends spayed and neutered, when we’re speaking of pets.
__>^..^<__
