Actress joins The HSUS in thanking O’Hara Owens for saving dog

(Dec. 18, 2014) – Longtime animal advocate and Twilight star, Nikki Reed, is giving a young girl the surprise of her dreams: an in-person visit to her home. O’Hara Owens, a resident of the small village of Moreauville, Louisiana, gained national attention last month when her village – in Avoyelles Parish – passed a ban on several breeds of dogs. Owens, who uses a wheelchair and wears a halo brace because of neck problems, said that her dog Zeus helps monitor spasms she sometimes has at night, awaking her mother when they occur. Zeus would have been seized and destroyed after December 1.

After starting the “Saving Zeus” Facebook page and online petition, O’Hara gained the attention of Nikki Reed. “Because of O’Hara’s brilliant advocacy through social media, my followers made me aware of what would happen to Zeus and others just like him in Moreauville, and I couldn’t stand idly by,” says Reed. “I have been an animal rescuer and pit bull owner nearly all of my life and the answer to solving problems with strays in a community is not to confiscate pets who are in homes. There are humane ways of managing the homeless animal crisis and the first step should be to make spaying and neutering accessible and affordable.”

Michelle Cho, vice president of the Los Angeles office of The HSUS says, “Nikki got in touch with The HSUS and our Animal Protection Litigation team was able to intervene alongside other animal protection organizations that opposed the legislation. Thanks to people like O’Hara and Nikki, we are able to put a national spotlight on the unfairness and ineffectiveness of breed specific legislation, and are so grateful to the village of Moreauville for its repeal. The HSUS is proud to unite these two terrific advocates.”