Rachael and Sahara on Animal Planet's PETS 101 Tonight!

I'm So Excited!

I have to type in RED!

To ALERT you!

To this:

      Tonight, our friend Rachael, who runs Sydney's Legacy, an animal education program, will appear on Animal Planet's Pets 101.  Rachael's segment, titled So Creepy Its Cute, will be featured on PETS 101, Season 2, Episode 1. In most markets it will air at 8:00 p.m. tonight, but please check your local listings because here in our market Episode 2 will air at that time. 

     The following announcement appeared on our DirecTV blurb: Which garden guest can live to be 100 years old; can you teach a gold fish to play music, etc. Rachael's segment may be toward the end of the show. I am thrilled for her and I hope you will decide to watch her segment of the show -- I would love for you to see and hear Rachael as she teaches the kids about creepy, but cute animals. 

The class that appears in the show.

     Those of you who have read my blog for some time, know how much I care about Rachael who is such an animal lover and wonderful speaker and educator. I know many of you, my blogger friends, are not into animals like Sahara, Rachael's 14 ft albino Burmese Python. Many people are not, but Rachael is teaching that all animals are relevant in the ecosystem. That it is not, for example, a good idea to adopt a cute little snake of a few inches that will grow to Sahara's size and more and then dump it in the Everglades or some other place, where it, not being native to the environment, will cause havoc. 

Boys and girls alike are thrilled to meet Sahara, and

to pet and interact with this most gentle of the larger snakes.

About Sydney's Legacy:

Sydney's Legacy is a mobile animal education program with a Mission Statement of:  "Teaching the relevance of all animals in the ecosystem."  We are based in the L.A. area and do 1- hr long programs anywhere that fun and education come together -- i.e. schools, senior facilities, birthday parties, etc.  We are available for programs.  

Website: http://web.mac.com/rkomulainen  

Email contact:  sydneyslegacy@yahoo.com

A Repeat Post: Lizard Love or How Sydney Met Rachael

This is my first repeat post. I have been absent from reading your blogs for way too long and I want to catch up. I also want to work on a couple of future posts. Plus the house is a mess and the outside is calling with the promise of another gorgeous day. I chose this post because it is about Rachael and her animal educational program, Sydney's Legacy. This is how it all began:

I'm holding Sydney and Rachael is holding her other bearded dragon, Adelaide, December 2008.

This story may not be for everyone and before I go any further, I want to say that I am not in favor of keeping exotic or wild animals as pets. I have been to reptile shows and seen all the cute little snake babies that kids and grownups get attracted to and bring home as pets, failing to do their research. And then they get surprised when they realize the snake can live for over 20 years and be 20 feet long. Many of these animals are released in backyards, the Everglades, and other inappropriate places, when they become too large to handle. There has been a 75% increase in the acquisition of exotic animals for pets since the 1990s. Since many people can't even take proper care of their dogs and cats, I feel these critters are better left in the wild where they belong.

That said, once they are here, many need to be rescued and people need to be educated. And this is where my friend Rachael is providing such a great service. She has rescued several abandoned exotic animals and her mission in life is to educate people about pets in general and what you need to commit to before bringing any living animal into your home.

Rachael has named her educational program Sydney's Legacy. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Sydney. He's a Bearded Dragon, native to Australia and, I know, it may be hard to explain this to someone who's never been totally charmed by a lizard, but I fell hard for him. Sydney is one of the most charming animals I have ever encountered and he has, in the past, inspired me to write a couple of stories about him. I want to introduce him to you here, because in the future, I'll be writing more about Sydney's Legacy. Here is the story of how it all began.

SYDNEY AND RACHAEL

A True Story of the Love of a Bearded Dragon

When Rachael met Sydney, the bearded dragon, he was mad, all puffed up, and displaying his black beard. He sat in his carrier and wouldn’t come out, threatening to bite anyone who ventured close. Rachael, who had been given Sydney by a lady who could no longer take care of him, sat patiently by, waiting for him to calm down. But he wouldn’t have any of it. The trip had been long and scary, even for a bearded dragon. And who was this red-headed person anyway? Why did she take him so far away from all that he was used to? And what kind of place was this? Who lived here? Sydney thought he he'd seen a snake. What a snake, I have to live with a snake? The whole afternoon went by. Rachael sat next to the carrier, talking in a soothing voice, and trying to make Sydney come out. “Sydney,” she said, “come out and I will show you your nice new home. It’s a fine aquarium, with sand and branches for you to sit on. And your dinner is there all ready for you.” Finally, Sydney realized he was hungry and decided to come out and get some food.

After that first day, Rachael explained to Sydney and all the animals that they would never, ever, be sold or given away. Instead, they would all be educational animals, teaching children how to take care of their pets. An educational animal is a fine thing to be, thought Sydney. When she was done taking care of the other animals, Rachael would pick Sydney up. She would pet his scaly back and coo into his ear, telling him how much she loved him, how he was her number one pet. Then she would take him for a walk. Sydney treasured his walks with Rachael and he wasn’t scared of any animals they met, but he always kept a weary eye on the sky. He was a little concerned about the very big hawks that would sometimes fly above. But Rachael would calm him down, speaking softly, telling him that she was protecting him and that she would never ever let anything bad happen to him. Sydney, the bearded dragon, finally realized that he had arrived at a very good home, where he had found his person and true love in a red-head named Rachael.

That was the story I wrote a few years ago. And Rachael has been true to her word and her promise to Sydney and the other animals in her care.

Here are a few of Rachael's animals:

Cleopatra, the Ball Python.

Cleopatra again.

Shackleton, the Savannah Monitor lizard.

Adelaide, the Bearded Dragon lizard.

Gulliver, the California Desert Tortoise, 70 plus years old.

I tried to rotate this photo but it didn't work. Also, please note that Gulliver is at an event here. At home he has a large, beautiful, garden to roam all summer long and a snug place to hibernate for the winter.

Note that Rachael names her animals after important historical or fictional characters, and in the case of the Bearded Dragons, after cities in their native Australia. She then never misses an opportunity to tell the kids about, for example, queen Cleopatra, who legend has it, carried a Ball Python around her wrist as a bracelet.

Rachael's animals are all rescues that will always be cared for and loved. She will take them to meet many kids and adults as well. They will all have a wonderful purpose in life: To help Rachael teach children and adults about compassion for all living things and the five things ALL pets need: A home, food, water, medical care, and LOVE! And a commitment from the owner to provide these things for the life of the animal. And there is no one I know of, or have seen on TV, or any lecturer at any zoo, who is better at this than Rachael. So I wish her all the best and I'll definitely write more about Sydney's Legacy in the future.

Sydney Goes to Malibu

On a beautiful Sunday in Southern California, Rachael, Sydney and some of her other critters went with her friend Sylvia to Malibu. They were all going to participate in The Wild Brunch annual fundraiser for the The California Wildlife Center The center is a non-profit organization for native wild animals.

The event paid special honors to John Paul DeJoria and Bob Barker for their contributions to animals.

Rachael runs her own animal education program, called Sydney's Legacy, named after her bearded dragon, Sydney. She is also working toward having her own non-profit animal sanctuary. Sydney, who is a senior citizen with a lot of spunk, is pictured below with Rachael. You can read all about Sydney's Legacy on Rachael's web site, It's All About The Animals

These are some of Sydney's thoughts on the event:

I was glad to get out of the house on such a beautiful day.

When I found out I was going to be held by Sylvia for most of the event, of course I was a happy boy. I may be a senior, but I can still appreciate beauty, well, you know…..That's Sylvia on the left.

The event was held at Dick Clark's mansion, called Gull's Way Estate, in Malibu. It was a very nice place with fabulous ocean views as you can see here.

We soon set up our table in the kid's area. Sylvia and Rachael were happy because we were next to the Firemen (go figure). I personally thought we lucked out because we had the best views of the ocean. I was a little worried about the name Gulls, but Sylvia reassured me that gulls only eat fish, not lizards like me. Phew, that was good to know. Now I could relax and watch Rachael in action.

Here she is telling people about Shackleton, her Savannah monitor lizard. I have known Shackleton since she was no bigger than a tiny frog in Rachael's hand. Rachael thought she was a boy so now she is named after a man, a famous explorer. I guess she's stuck with her name now.

Look how big she's gotten. Rachael likes to name her animals after famous people or places so she can talk to kids about those things too when she teaches them about animals. A very good idea, I think. I, myself, am named after the big city in Australia, because my species come from there.

Nightingale, Rachael's red-tailed boa was a big hit with the kids.

They all got together to hold her and she got quite long as they stretched her out.

The kids had all kinds of paint on their faces and arms – I guess that's a fun thing for a kid. These little girls were very brave, as far as I'm concerned, holding the Madagascar hissing cockroaches.

I don't like cockroaches much myself, but the girls seemed to have fun with them. I know this girl felt very brave. Just look at her face!

If I may say so, I was a big hit myself! A lot of kids came up to see me and they petted me and took lots of pictures with me. I got petted a whole lot that day, but it was all for the good of the native wild animals, so I put up with it. Rachael said that even people who were afraid of reptiles liked to pet me because I'm not as scary as the snakes. You can say that again! But I might have put my claws too much into poor Sylvia when I got a bit overwhelmed. I hope you forgive me, Sylvia; it's not easy for us senior bearded dragons to meet so many kids all at once. Can be a bit scary for us.

But I also attracted some grownups to our table. One was Gilles Marini, the actor, who was an Honorary Committee Member and I think has his own bearded dragon at home. He was very interested in beardie care and was picking Rachael's brain for a long time. I was happy to help bring such a nice and caring man to our table. He was smart too, because Rachael really knows her stuff when it comes to caring for us animals.

Rachael also brought Cleopatra, the ball python, Pocahontas, the California king snake, and all the Madagascar hissing cockroaches (they had babies, wouldn't you know).

I was very tired when the event was over, but I must say I really enjoyed the day. It was a beautiful place and it felt so good to be out there and be an educational animal. Some of the people in charge even told Rachael that I was the Star of the Show! Imagine that! It made me a very proud old beardie -- I almost got all puffed up. But this is the best thing about living with Rachael: Not only do we get the best of care and lots of love, we also get to be educational animals that teach people and kids what all animals need and what you're supposed to know before you even get any kind of pet.

More than 600 people attended the event and they raised over $200,000 for the charity.

Rachael said the organizers told her that all of us from Sydney's Legacy were a big success. And, yes, I have to repeat: that you know who was the Star of the Show! I know Rachael was happy that we helped her and some more people found out about Sydney's Legacy and all us educational animals.

All in all a great day. I was a very tired senior beardie and slept for a long time once we got home.

Posted by Sydney, the bearded dragon of Sydney's Legacy.

On Courage, Dreams, and Sydney's Legacy

Sunday's Quote is by Anais Nin: 

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

                                                                     

Rachael wrote about courage on her blog it's all about the animals  on July 29, 2010. Courage to dream big and work hard toward your goals regardless of naysayers or huge obstacles. She wrote about her purpose in life and she is very clear she wants to leave this planet a better place for having been here. Rachael has chosen to focus on animals and she writes about her dream of having an animal sanctuary and educational facility.

Rachael is an animal educator and has a program called Sydney's Legacy. She brings her animals to schools, senior centers, and various events in the greater Los Angeles area. And, believe me, she gives some wonderful educational presentations. I had the pleasure of sitting in on many of them when we worked at the same place some years ago, so I know. You can see Rachael's video presentation here: http://www.youtube.com/   Enter sydneyslegacy in the Search Box. There is a short version with just Sahara, the albino Burmese python, and it is beautiful. Even if you you don't like snakes...just the colors are gorgous. Well, I will say no more.

This is the brochure for Sydney's Legacy. Sydney is the bearded dragon that both Rachael and I love so much and who makes a lasting impression on many of the kids and adults he meets.  Click on brochure to enlarge it.

Goodbye Sweet Adelaide

Rachael's female bearded dragon, Adelaide, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday. She was six and a half years old and the star of Rachael's education program.

Kids who attended Rachael's Critter Education classes would pet Adelaide's scaly back and fall in love with her. I believe she would stand out in their minds long after the class was over, perhaps influencing their choice of a pet in the future. I believe Adelaide would also make the kids understand that all animals matter, not just the cute and furry ones. An important lesson that Adelaide taught so well.

I'm holding Sydney -- Rachael is holding Adelaide, December 2008

Adelaide charmed not only children -- anyone who ever saw this plump and pretty girl flirt with Rachael's male beardie, Sydney, by waiving her little legs seductively, in slow motion, would not be able to resist her. She was simply adorable and much loved by all of us who knew her.

Rachael and Holly I am so sorry for your loss.

Goodbye, sweet Adelaide and thank you for all you taught me about lizards. I will never forget you.

A Repeat Post: Lizard Love or How Sydney Met Rachael

This is my first repeat post. I have been absent from reading your blogs for way too long and I want to catch up. I also want to work on a couple of future posts. Plus the house is a mess and the outside is calling with the promise of another gorgeous day. I chose this post because it is about Rachael and her animal educational program, Sydney's Legacy. This is how it all began:

I'm holding Sydney and Rachael is holding her other bearded dragon, Adelaide, December 2008.

This story may not be for everyone and before I go any further, I want to say that I am not in favor of keeping exotic or wild animals as pets. I have been to reptile shows and seen all the cute little snake babies that kids and grownups get attracted to and bring home as pets, failing to do their research. And then they get surprised when they realize the snake can live for over 20 years and be 20 feet long. Many of these animals are released in backyards, the Everglades, and other inappropriate places, when they become too large to handle. There has been a 75% increase in the acquisition of exotic animals for pets since the 1990s. Since many people can't even take proper care of their dogs and cats, I feel these critters are better left in the wild where they belong.

That said, once they are here, many need to be rescued and people need to be educated. And this is where my friend Rachael is providing such a great service. She has rescued several abandoned exotic animals and her mission in life is to educate people about pets in general and what you need to commit to before bringing any living animal into your home.
Rachael has named her educational program Sydney's Legacy. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Sydney. He's a Bearded Dragon, native to Australia and, I know, it may be hard to explain this to someone who's never been totally charmed by a lizard, but I fell hard for him. Sydney is one of the most charming animals I have ever encountered and he has, in the past, inspired me to write a couple of stories about him. I want to introduce him to you here, because in the future, I'll be writing more about Sydney's Legacy. Here is the story of how it all began.

SYDNEY AND RACHAEL

A True Story of the Love of a Bearded Dragon

When Rachael met Sydney, the bearded dragon, he was mad, all puffed up, and displaying his black beard. He sat in his carrier and wouldn’t come out, threatening to bite anyone who ventured close. Rachael, who had been given Sydney by a lady who could no longer take care of him, sat patiently by, waiting for him to calm down. But he wouldn’t have any of it. The trip had been long and scary, even for a bearded dragon. And who was this red-headed person anyway? Why did she take him so far away from all that he was used to? And what kind of place was this? Who lived here? Sydney thought he he'd seen a snake. What a snake, I have to live with a snake? The whole afternoon went by. Rachael sat next to the carrier, talking in a soothing voice, and trying to make Sydney come out. “Sydney,” she said, “come out and I will show you your nice new home. It’s a fine aquarium, with sand and branches for you to sit on. And your dinner is there all ready for you.” Finally, Sydney realized he was hungry and decided to come out and get some food.
After that first day, Rachael explained to Sydney and all the animals that they would never, ever, be sold or given away. Instead, they would all be educational animals, teaching children how to take care of their pets. An educational animal is a fine thing to be, thought Sydney. When she was done taking care of the other animals, Rachael would pick Sydney up. She would pet his scaly back and coo into his ear, telling him how much she loved him, how he was her number one pet. Then she would take him for a walk. Sydney treasured his walks with Rachael and he wasn’t scared of any animals they met, but he always kept a weary eye on the sky. He was a little concerned about the very big hawks that would sometimes fly above. But Rachael would calm him down, speaking softly, telling him that she was protecting him and that she would never ever let anything bad happen to him. Sydney, the bearded dragon, finally realized that he had arrived at a very good home, where he had found his person and true love in a red-head named Rachael.
That was the story I wrote a few years ago. And Rachael has been true to her word and her promise to Sydney and the other animals in her care.
Here are a few of Rachael's animals:

Cleopatra, the Ball Python.

Cleopatra again.

Shackleton, the Savannah Monitor lizard.

Adelaide, the Bearded Dragon lizard.

Gulliver, the California Desert Tortoise, 70 plus years old.

I tried to rotate this photo but it didn't work. Also, please note that Gulliver is at an event here. At home he has a large, beautiful, garden to roam all summer long and a snug place to hibernate for the winter.

Note that Rachael names her animals after important historical or fictional characters, and in the case of the Bearded Dragons, after cities in their native Australia. She then never misses an opportunity to tell the kids about, for example, queen Cleopatra, who legend has it, carried a Ball Python around her wrist as a bracelet.

Rachael's animals are all rescues that will always be cared for and loved. She will take them to meet many kids and adults as well. They will all have a wonderful purpose in life: To help Rachael teach children and adults about compassion for all living things and the five things ALL pets need: A home, food, water, medical care, and LOVE! And a commitment from the owner to provide these things for the life of the animal. And there is no one I know of, or have seen on TV, or any lecturer at any zoo, who is better at this than Rachael. So I wish her all the best and I'll definitely write more about Sydney's Legacy in the future.