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Galen Gering: New Leash on Life
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Galen Gering is passionate for a special charity called, "New Leash on Life." Read on to find out what they do, how Galen is involved, and why it is so important to him. And for more information on this important cause, go to www.nlol.org.
How did you get involved with New Leash on Life?
My wife, Jenna, and I were referred to them through a friend of ours. It was when we were training our puppy. We wanted to find a good trainer. New Leash on Life has a non-profit organization, which is a large part of what they do. But there's another part of their organization, which provides their income--and that's training peoples' dogs. Bobby, who started the whole thing, has been training for years and years. Once we got involved with him, we learned about the rescue organization that he has. We thought it was great, and wondered what we could do to help. It's been a wonderful relationship and absolutely rewarding because I've been able to give something back to a small organization.
How does the organization work?
There's a two-part focus. Number one is to educate the public. Most people will get a pet because they think they're so cute, but they don't realize there's a big responsibility that goes along with it. That doesn't just mean looking after it and feeding it-it also means training it. And by that I mean training the dog so that the dog and the family can peacefully coexist. A lot of people don't understand that a dog is there for you. Your life should only change to a certain extent because that dog is in your life. Bobby is great at teaching people that balance. A lot of times what happens is that people have a puppy for six months, and after the "cuteness" wears off, they're left with a dog they don't know how to deal with because it hasn't been trained. So then they take it back to the pound. Bobby tries to educate people so they don't get to that point. People have to know what kind of animal they're getting before they get it. A person should investigate the characteristics of a dog before they go and pick one out. And then the other focus is to rescue animals, because you can't educate everyone. He gets animals from shelters or from people who are abusing their animals. But hopefully, through the education, there will be fewer animals to rescue.
What kind of facility do they have?
They have kennels. Ultimately, his goal is to have a farm. He has a big place now, but his goal is to have a larger place where he can house even more animals. Also, he's worked out agreements with a lot of shelters and humane societies. He'll cover costs if they keep the animals.
Can you talk about what you've done to help so far?
I've done two appearances to raise money. The first one I did was with McKenzie (Westmore, Sheridan). We did a signing at a mall. We sold autographs and pictures-all of the proceeds were donated. At the second one, we had more people from the cast. We have a third one coming up on March 16 at the Westside Pavillion in Los Angeles. We once had a fan come visit the "Passions" set-they paid a lot of money for that, and it went to the organization. And the money from when I did "The Weakest Link" went there. That was great, because no matter how I did on the show, there was a guaranteed donation of ten thousand dollars. And we also raised about seven thousand dollars after I appeared on the Fox morning news.
After September 11, they have been helping pets of members of the armed forces. Can you talk about that?
It basically started out with a pretty unique story. A husband and wife were in the air force and both got called to duty at the same time. They had no one to watch their dog. Here are both of these people going to fight for their country-and what a tragedy that they had to leave their pet behind with no one to watch it. We created a fund especially for that kind of situation. I appeared on the Fox morning news and spoke about it. As a result we raised seven thousand dollars. All of that money went to people going to fight in the war, who had to leave animals behind and had no one to watch them. So, New Leash on Life will be housing them until they return. It's a really wonderful effort.
How have your co-stars been about getting involved?
They have been awesome. Everyone has totally supported this. For instance, Justin Carroll (David) just recently came on the show and he just jumped right in to the last event. He brought his own dog and fit right in. I think people realize that animals don't have a choice-they're just brought into this world. And it's nice to be able to help them out if you can.
Have you always been an animal lover?
Yes, always. When I was growing up, my mom loved cats. I think we had seventeen cats at one time! And we had three dogs. I always had animals around.
Do you have your own pets now?
I have two dogs. One is Wily, because she's the Wiley Coyote. She's a yellow lab and about two and a half now. We actually got a dog from Bobby and he just didn't fit into the scenario of our family. Certain dogs have certain dispositions--that goes back to the point I was making earlier about education. Certain dogs need to be the only dog in a family. We ended up having to put him up for adoption again and we found a perfect home for him. Then, we got Cosmo from the pound. He fits in perfectly as far as his temperament. He's a little bigger than we thought he'd be. He's part St. Bernard and part something smaller, like a Jack Russell.
Do you hope to further your involvement in the future?
We're constantly generating a bigger awareness and that's phenomenally important. We're certainly going to do whatever we can to help.
Is it important for you, as an actor, to use your fame to help out?
Absolutely. It all happened so fast, in terms of being on the show and suddenly being recognized. And then, for one reason or another, people admire you and listen to you, and that certainly gives you a voice. It is nice to give something back.
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