Gateway Pet Guardians and the Meaning of Thanksgiving

Gateway Guardians, an inspiring documentary film, has given me a lot to be thankful for.  Shown at the St. Louis International Film Festival, filmmaker Rebecca Ormond follows an unlikely and very shy heroine, PJ Hightower, on her daily rounds feeding the stray dogs in E. St. Louis, IL. Through the rubble of urban decay that most passing motorists miss, the dogs eek out a living and give birth to puppy after puppy.

PJ started feeding the strays in 2001 and hasn't missed breaking bread with them since that time. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail haven't keep her from providing these grateful cast-offs with fresh water and a daily meal. The dogs anxiously await her car every morning and some come running at the sound of her engine. Even the wariest of strays comes out of the debris looking for a biscuit. Some of the friendly dogs politely request a pet in addition to a handout.

Rumor of PJ's magnanimous efforts spread not only in the canine kingdom but in the humane movement. A small group of animal lovers strongly believed in what PJ was doing, so in 2004, they formed a nonprofit, Gateway Pet Guardians, to aid PJ in her quest to rescue the strays of the street.

Gateway Pet Guardians doesn't have a shelter, so they rely on folks to foster care animals. When Gateway Pet Guardians doesn't have foster care homes for dogs, they would like to be able to at least sterilize, vaccinate and return them to the street. But because Illinois law broadly defines "owner" to include someone who "acts as a custodian of an animal" — as PJ does for E. St. Louis' strays — Gateway Pet Guardians can't provide vet care for dogs and then return them to the streets without running afoul of the state's animal abandonment law.

PJ routinely takes in the puppies that are born in the rubble because they are easier to foster care, socialize and adopt. But older dogs, like Nigella, a Shepherd mix that Gateway Pet Guardians is trying to find a home for, are left out in the cold. Nigella is one of many street dogs who the volunteers can feed, but can't vaccinate or spay for fear of breaking the law. They're essentially forced to watch the cycle of homeless pets continue.

It's extremely frustrating for the group, so a petition has been started to change the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act to specifically allow trap/neuter/return programs for community companion animals.

I'm grateful for PJ's stamina. You see, in the 80s, I used to work in E. St. Louis. Hardly a week would go by when I didn't bring home a litter of kittens or a dog that had been abandoned. When I changed jobs and no longer worked in the city, I kept in contact with one resident who continued to rescue dogs and cats for me. When she died of old age, so did my connection with that city and its animals. I felt as though I abandoned them, too.

Despite the legal barriers, PJ and Gateway Pet Guardians aren't abandoning E. St. Louis' animals. Tell Illinois legislators to help groups like them care for community animals and combat the pet overpopulation problem by allowing them to spay and neuter strays.

The last words that appear on the screen before the credits of Gateway Guardians are simple requests: Foster. Adopt. Spay/neuter. Donate. Appropriate words for Thanksgiving.

Photo credit: Gateway Pet Guardians