Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Mighty Maty: Star material?

Maty at the Hotel Murano

Independent filmmaker Geoff Talbot is in the process of making a movie about a plucky, three-legged dog named Scrap, titled Lucky & Rich. He's on a hunt for the perfect pooch to play the lead role, and right now, you can vote for one of the contenders.

I'd like to bias the vote just a bit by introducing you to Maty, one of the pups being considered for the role. This adorable dog is the absolute embodiment of "pluck," and you're about to find out why:

Maty’s entire life has been dedicated to animal welfare and demonstrating the abilities of disabled animals. She was abandoned in a motel and brought to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, where she nearly died from an infection that ravaged her body and destroyed her knee joint. Maty’s leg was amputated at 7.5 weeks of age. But that didn't stop her. She became enamored of Frisbees, and now the flying discs are a huge part of her fun and her work.

Maty’s human parents have dedicated nearly 40 years to animal welfare, working at the shelter where Maty is the humane education dog. She helps educate thousands of children and adults every year at schools and events. Her mom and dad spend money they probably shouldn't on traveling to disc dog and fun competitions, so Maty can demonstrate the abilities of disabled animals.

Maty’s email is filled with people wanting to know about amputations, and provides encouragement to people during a time when they must make this difficult decision. She has demonstrated the abilities of disabled animals and has in turn allowed her parents' shelter to quickly adopt these animals without adoptees questioning the quality of life they can live.

We think Maty has what it takes to play the lead movie role because she has experience working in front of the camera, for national network production crews. She is calm, confident, dependable and very well trained, so she could make Geoff’s directing job easier. Heck, she's been around the world on her very own geocaching coin!

See what you think. Watch Maty's audition video below, learn more about her story, read her resume – then go vote yourself!