Each year Pets Alive bestows our “Starfish Award”. The “starfish” award is so named because of an old parable:
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”.
The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”
The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “It made a difference to that one!”
We find great similarity between what we do, and that ancient story. As a result, our most prestigious award each year is called The Starfish Award and is given to someone who understands and exhibits how each person can make an impact on the lives of animals, and how one person can impact thousands.This year our award is given to John Sibley.
John does so much for animals each year, and so much for Pets Alive.
John takes our oldest and sickest dogs into his home to provide them hospice at the end of their lives.
He shows them love, affection and a “real life”. He provides a care that they could not get, dying alone in a kennel run at a shelter. For that John has our undying gratitude and love, for when we fail to find an animal a home it weighs heavily on us all. The fact that they have John to care for them and see them through to the other side gives us all great comfort.
John is also an avid blogger. His animal blogs and writings about injustices involving animals, be it shelter systems, rescues, funding, or exposing issues to thousands of individuals – his blogs have gotten the attention of the ASPCA, HSUS, the CACC, and are shared and reposted by thousands in the animal community. He has done so much to bring awareness to the issues that concern us all, and in effecting change to how animals are cared for and treated.
John has also done mass rescues with Pets Alive. On his own time, and his own dime, he has flown to locations all across the country to help us assess situations and arrange to get the animals back to Pets Alive. He also often does transports from the city to Pets Alive and will go just about anywhere to pick up an animal and bring them to safety.
And even with a busy schedule and a house full of his own dogs to care for, every week John makes it a point to spend some quality time with the animals at Pets Alive.
He has truly changed the lives of many of the dogs in Westchester by matching them up in playgroups. Most of those dogs had been labelled “dog aggressive” and had lived for many years with absolutely no interaction with other dogs. John put an end to their lonely existence and enriched their lives tremendously.
To this end, and for so many more things we have no room to mention, John has our utmost respect and our eternal gratitude.Congratulations John and THANK YOU for all that you do for animals everywhere.
Just wanted to say John is awesome!! He’s absolutely the most deserving of this award. Thank you John for all you do!
Congratulations John! You are an inspiration to all of us!!
RICHLY deserved!
In the short time I’ve been priveleged to volunteer at Pets Alive, I have already read countless stories and incidents where John has gone so far above and beyond what I could imagine a person would do in their spare time for a cause such as this. It seems he has limitless energy and always says “yes”. Whatever it is he has, I hope he can bottle it, cause I’m buying it! (profits to Pets Alive, of course!)
It’s nice that people around you congratulate you for an amazing job, but if we had to wait for every time a person said “thank you” to us, many people would have to wait a long long time – John is wise enough to know that animals say “thank you” immediately, and keep saying so for their lifetimes.
In addition to helping individual animals, John is also the most eloquent and informed force for New York City and state animal advocacy. His blog is a must read for anyone who cares about animals. His work is an example to lazy journalists who write fluff stories for national papers!
Congratulations, John! or rather – THANK YOU!
Congratulations, John, on this well-deserved award. You inspire all of us, and I admire your writing and dedication. Thank you for everything you do!
Congratulations John, not only for this award but for all that you do and have done for the animals that cannot fend for themselves. You are their voice, as we all should be. Thank you for your kindness, generosity and foremost, compassion for these animals.
Excellent! Well deserved! I always look forward to reading John’s posts from where I live in Cincinnati. (Great to see an actual picture of John himself rather than the stand-ins on his Facebook page!)