No doubt, Betty White loves her TV career, but not any less than she loves animals. The actress once confessed:
I have this very expensive habit. Thankfully, my work makes it possible for me to support and volunteer my time with many different animal welfare organizations.
That’s right, Betty is not the one to buy Prada bags. She would rather donate to an animal charity organization.
It all started with her parents.
Betty White’s love for animals started thanks to her father, Horace White when she was a child. Horace gave shelter to stray animals during the 1930’s depression. Growing up as an only child, Betty was always surrounded by four-legged friends.
She remembers that her parents would come home carrying something cute and furry and say:
He followed us home. Can we keep it?
At one point the White family gave a home to around 26 animals.
Animal activism
Since then, Betty has been actively supporting a number of organizations that provide help for animals. One of them is The Seeing Eye, which is the oldest guide dog school in the world.
She helps to raise money for the organization’s auctions and also did a voice over for a film about The Seeing Eye’s program. That’s not all, Betty also became a creator of radio public service that does announcements for the organization.
White has been participating in many telethons for animal rights and has been a part of the board of directors for “The Morris Animal Foundation.”
She is a Los Angeles Zoo board member who not only donates lots of money but also helps to care for the animals living there. Betty once told that if she hadn’t been an actor, she would have been a zookeeper.
Cats or dogs?
When she was asked whether she is a dog or a cat person, Betty said:
I’m everything with the legs on each corner.
The actress has 3 animals of her own: a Shitzu named Panda, a Golden Retriever Kitta, and a Himalayan Cat named Bob Cat, who, as White points out, thinks he is a dog.
Batty White dedicated her whole life to communicating with animals and helping them have a better life. She urges people to take care and nurture their pets and to not be embarrassed to talk to them and try to understand their needs.
