Here at In Defense of Animals, we are excited to announce Corey Barnes as our Animal Advocate in the Spotlight for the month of December.

Corey has been a devoted supporter of In Defense of Animals since 1988. This was the year she and her toddler attended a protest with In Defense of Animals organized at the UC Berkeley campus that year to protest the school’s horrific treatment of animals in its laboratories. Today, Corey lives with her rescue dog Karma in San Rafael, the home of our headquarters. Corey has also been a vegetarian since 1986 and a vegan since 2009! She is a truly fantastic Animal Advocate.

Corey shares Karmas rescue story:

“I contacted the Ukiah Animal Shelter to ask about a pitbull I’d seen on their website.  They said she had been there a long time (over six months) and had been moved to a no-kill shelter because she was not “showing well.” She barked too ferociously and no one was interested in adopting her.

We traveled up with my son’s dog in tow (he had been adopted from Ukiah also). He was a regular visitor at my house so it was necessary for the two to get along well.  After the appropriate play time, we realized that Karma liked Bozo and he liked her.  I had fallen in love long before from her picture on the website.

As I put Karma in the car, the volunteer asked me to turn around and look at a darling young female pit bull who had just arrived.  She said that they only had so much room in the shelter and were full.  Because we adopted Karma, the young dog could stay and be treated for heartworm then adopted out (she was scheduled to be killed in Ukiah). Two lives were saved that day!”

The IDA team is very happy to share this heart-warming story. We are not only thankful for the support we receive from our members, but the boundless compassion they have for animals as well!