Hello friends and animal-loving strangers,

I'm supporting the Addison County Humane Society in their work to rescue, shelter, and find homes for abandoned, abused and neglected animals in the lower Champlain Valley.

Gilly will be high-stepping it on the Woofstock walk to raise funds for ACHS, and he will, no doubt, be as fabulous as usual.

You may know blog and movie star Gilly from his online fame, or perhaps you've heard of his work as a super-model for Jolly Ball (no, really, it's true; he is actually that cool). Maybe you met him when he had that high-pressure sales job peddling toys and treats to people and their obviously bored and starving dogs. You may be familiar with the high-speed cannonballs into the water or the martial arts and dancing.

What you may not know is that his mother was abandoned: she was left chained to a lamppost, enormously pregnant. Gilly only made it to me because a humane society rescued her, let her give birth to her 10 puppies in a clean, safe place, helped her raise the pups, and found homes for every single one of them.

You may know my cat Mandala, whose feral mother I pulled out of a Dumpster where she was about to give birth to her litter of six. The local Humane Society helped me rustle up adopters to come meet the feline family, and every single one of them found a good home. Mandala needed special care, so I kept him; now he's a strong and healthy, happy, loving and bossy little cat who enjoys running the universe very much.

You may know of my last dog Shalom, whose life was also owed to the Humane Society. He was rescued from abuse, starvation, and dehydration: beaten almost to death by 4 months old and with scars all over him, even in his eyes.

Shalom turned out to be the most noble, loving, gentle and beautiful being (on two legs or four) I have ever known, and it was because a shelter saved him for me to adopt. He made the world a better place, and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to be his family.

These are the kinds of urgent and joyful stories - and lives - your donations make possible.

You may well have similar stories of your own.

Would you like to sponsor Gilly's walk and support the essential work of the Humane Society in Addison County? Any amount is going to help someone, and make a real difference.

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support the fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone you think might want to donate too!

Thanks again, from all of us on two legs and four.