A day before dress rehearsal, we give you the final in our series of rescue and pet selfies. And appropriately, one is about a dog, and the other a cat. Come to our show this weekend, and you’ll see why that makes sense with the repertoire!
Emma Lou, a Treeing Walker Coonhound
Emma Lou (whose human is Leslie Helfgott, Alto One) is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. Treeing Walking Coonhounds are well known for their hunting skills of small game such as raccoons and then ‘treeing’ the animal. She was rescued by HART from a West Virginia family that did not appreciate her hunting skills. She was then fostered by a Vienna, VA veterinarian friend, and subsequently adopted by the Helfgott family. Emma Lou is a loving, loyal, and active pet who enjoys several long walks a day through the woods at Nottoway Park. Emma especially likes “finding” deer with her amazing senses of smell and sight and then telling us with her distinctive and loud bays and barks. If given the chance, Emma would happily run throughout the park all day chasing deer.
Emma Lou, with her human’s children
Emma Lou, on the hunt
We began this series with two former VCS Board Chairs and their cats. Fittingly, we end with the current chair, Allyson Faith McGill (Soprano Two) and her cat, Walter.
Ally McGill with Walter Tomato
The cat’s full name is Walter Tomato (he came with the name Walter, which we liked; Tomato was one of Best Friend Animal Sanctuary’s first grand cats, so we named our Walter in honor of him). Because of my husband’s allergies, Walter lives with my sister, but he is my baby, too.
My sister and I co-adopted the marvelous Walter from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in July 2009. We were volunteering at Best Friends (Kenab, Utah) in July 2009 and met Walter, who stole our hearts. She already had three cats, so I suggested we co-adopt (so I am not only one of Walter’s mommas, but I pay cat support!).
Baby Walter
My life is better with Walter because he is a pure love. He was bottle fed as a rescued baby (along with his three littermates, when they were 2-3 weeks old), so he thinks people are terrific. He is also part Turkish Angora, and their temperaments are more “dog-like” in that they are friendly, sociable, and love curling up with their people.
Walter kissing Ally’s sister on the nose, which sealed the deal.
ANIMAL CRACKERS is A Concert For A Cause in partnership with HART (Homeless Animals Rescue Team) and featuring The Freedom Hill Singers under the direction of Gretchen Lynch.
We sing ANIMAL CRACKERS at 4:30 pm, Saturday, October 24, 2016 at Vienna Baptist Church (541 Marshall Road SW, Vienna, VA 22180).
Tickets to ANIMAL CRACKERS – and 2015-16 season tickets – are available online. Adults/$25, Seniors(65+) and Students (15-18)/$20, Youth/Free – with a paying audience member. We’ll have tickets at the door too. Box office opens at 3:45 pm, doors will open at 4:20 pm.