Josh Fox–founder of the Brady Hunter Foundation, a Miami-based nonprofit whose mission reflects a commitment to helping end animal cruelty, protecting wildlife, and making a positive impact in the lives of children—observes his love of animals is truly lifelong, citing a photo of Fox as an infant in his crib being happily licked by the family dog “and the dog’s tongue was bigger than my face.” 
That passion for canines (and other critters) truly constitutes a thru-line of Fox’s life, including having a dog
at his side while a student at the University of Michigan—including taking the unusual step of having the dog live with him at the fraternity house—where the football team’s quarterback was Tom Brady. In a nod to the singular QB, Fox named his dog Brady; his current dog is Hunter. Any questions how the Foundation got its name? Fox describes how he felt an urgent issue the Brady Hunter Foundation should address–even before the Foundation existed–is horse-drawn carriages, which still function in a number of American cities (and beyond). He goes on to say that horse-drawn carriages represent an outdated and cruel form of transportation, with horses forced to work long hours in hot and cold weather, and often neglected, even abused. The Foundation’s website indicates that one of its “core initiatives is to replace horse-drawn carriages with electric carriages in American cities…Electric carriages…are a clean, safe, and humane alternative.” He outlines some of the other issues and organizations the Foundation has supported, with locales 
extending from south
Florida to South Africa. These include the South Florida Wildlife Center, where, Fox enthused, they found themselves witnessing a turtle undergoing surgery (with a positive prognosis). The Foundation bought the Wildlife Center a second ambulance, and pledged to pay the vehicle’s driver a year’s salary. On a global level, the Foundation has funded the purchase by Animal Survival International (ASI) of ten state-of-the-art collars, enabled with AI, in a collaborative effort to combat the illegal hunting and poaching of animals at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. These collars will play a crucial role in the real-time monitoring and detailed data analysis of rhinos and elephants to better protect them against poaching attempts in Addo Elephant National Park. Occasionally, at least two pillars of the Foundation’s mission intersect, like the instance, Fox recounted, when children were brought from a homeless shelter to the Lucky Horse Sanctuary, in Coconut Creek, FL spending time with the sanctuary’s horses and other animals, in an enriching experience for all parties. The Brady Hunter Foundation does not accept donations currently, but does accept requests from organizations for funding and other means of support, directed to their website: https://bradyhunter.org/
[Photo Credits: The Brady Hunter Foundation, Animal Survival International/Addo Elephant National Park, others]
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Jenn Leland, a librarian at Rocky Bluff Library, a branch of the Manatee County Library System. That’s where they’re slated to hold “The Barkelor,” a dog adoption event–inspired, they say, by the drama and excitement of a similar-named dating show!–Saturday, Feb. 10, from noon to 3pm. The eligible dogs on hand, around a dozen, Leland estimates, will be from Manatee County Animal Welfare, and are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. Wait, it gets better: Adoption fees will be waived at “The Barkelor.” Plus, Leland explained, those attending who don’t find quite the right canine love match at the event will be given a rose, which they can subsequently take to the County’s Palmetto Adoption Center (305 25th Street West, Palmetto, FL 34221) and consider adopting a dog there, with the same perks. Manatee County residents adopting a pet will be required to purchase an annual County pet license for $20. (https://manatee.polarislibrary.com/Polaris/, https://www.mymanatee.org/departments/public_safety/animal_service)
COMEDY CORNER: Nick Turner’s “Rescue Dogs” (https://www.instagram.com/nicksturners/?hl=en)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
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