[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO GERTRUDE MAXWELL

                                 ______


                            HON. MARK FOLEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker I rise today to pay tribute to the founder and 
lifetime Chairman of Save a Pet, Mrs. Gertrude Maxwell. Dedicated to 
protecting the rights of animals, Mrs. Maxwell and Save a Pet have 
saved over 50,000 pets. And on the upcoming commemoration of Save a Pet 
Day this weekend, I want to share with my colleagues in the House of 
Representatives and Senate, and the entire Nation, the remarkable work 
of Mrs. Maxwell and Save a Pet.
  Founded in 1972 in Illinois, Save a Pet provides funds for surgery, 
transport, therapy, placement of pets in responsible homes to provide 
people with companionship. The organization promotes the idea that 
relationships between people and animals benefit both parties. It has a 
100% adoption rate, does not support euthanasia, and promotes the 
widespread use of spaying or neutering to end overpopulation and 
neglect. Save a Pet is strongly committed to educating us to treat 
animals humanely with love and respect.
  When a 1-year old nameless mutt was found paralyzed on South Dixie 
Highway, in South Florida, Nancy Mizelle found it difficult to fund 
treatment. She contacted Mrs. Maxwell who immediately funded the 
treatment. ``I wasn't going to let an animal die because of money,'' 
she said.
  Mrs. Maxwell has connected her organization with various other 
volunteer agencies to enhance service to pets. In 1994, a 5-year-old 
Labrador was shot by a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy, the dog 
needed to be transported to the University of Florida veterinary 
facility. Mrs. Maxwell arranged for the dog's surgery and 
transportation.
  Maxwell's philanthropies began long before she founded Save a Pet. As 
a teacher and social worker, she served her community and was able to 
form interrelationships between people and pets. Every week for 25 
years, between 1949 and 1974 she would drive 60 miles to teach 
underprivileged children. She taught them about the love and 
responsibility involved in owning a pet and the proper way to treat 
animals. As a social worker she set up programs to bring the love of 
pets into the homes of inmates and retirees. Mrs. Maxwell provided 
loving companionship for people everywhere she went.
  Her interest in solving community problems including prison reform, 
therapeutic policies for troubled children and adolescents, and for 
improving senior citizen lifestyles earned her the appointment of 
honorary State's Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida in 
September, 1981.
  Gertrude Maxwell's philosophy can be a lesson to us all. In her 
words,

       We do not live alone on Planet Earth. There are other 
     living things here, too. The other living things are the 
     animals whose useful service shares our homes and hearts, the 
     pets and the wild creatures who are part of our daily lives.

  This compassion for animals including promoting their freedom from 
want, from suffering, and from pain is commendable and will not be 
forgotten.
  Mrs. Maxwell has been a true servant to my community and I thank her 
for a lifetime of dedication to such a noble cause. On this year's Save 
a Pet Day, and during this holiday season, let us all take time to 
thank valuable members of our local communities like Mrs. Maxwell, and 
give them the credit they deserve.

                          ____________________