In Norfolk, Virginia, there is an organization centered there named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is an organization that focuses on fighting animal cruelty and abuse in four areas: experimentation, entertainment, eating, and wearing clothing. It also fights against activities involving animal cruelty such as chaining dogs in the backyard and killing animals seen as pests, among other forms.
However, there is an issue that the organization should focus on more: the mistreatment of animals through poisoning, especially at resorts and rentals that use lots of harmful pesticides and chemicals without any disclosure.
This is because my good friend Dr. Christine Grimaldi recently lost her dog, Molly, through this form of mistreatment.
Early on in the year, Christine traveled to California to finish a series of books, as we all are co-authors, and we are using her four dogs as main characters(Molly being the lead) in the books. We also work diligently to develop our blog called Autisticana, which focuses on our group of young adult friends with varied interests. We thank Dr. Christine for being our team captain.
Molly was an integral part of our team as she served as the team’s mascot, and went with us on adventures and learning excursions that we do on a regular basis before we write about it. For the first few weeks before this tragedy, we were fully focused on writing our empowerment books. We were on a roll.
Dr. Christine decided to rent a strawberry farm to create with us, owned by California-based Adohr Farms through the popular home rental service Airbnb in Camarillo. We all thought this would be a beautiful place to work and create peacefully. Who would have thought?
It was there that Molly became ill with pulmonary edema and cancerous cells through a deadly combination of constantly spraying pesticides and sulfuric acid tanks. After one month into their stay, Christine and all the dogs started getting sick, unfortunately, Molly got it the worse. This beautiful dog was never sick a day in her life and was always by everyone’s side. When this happened, Christine rushed everyone to the vet and had friends fly in to drive them all home immediately, with Molly on oxygen.
However, despite this trauma, Dr.Christine kept her hope alive and did everything possible to save her beloved friend Molly, such as making chicken soup with herbal medicine and taking her into her salt cave to help her breathe. This still wasn’t enough to heal her beloved Molly, and she was forced to put her down.
This made Christine so angry at Airbnb to the point where she is currently trying to sue them for not being accountable to guests, especially for animals’ safety on rentals with land that has been infested with pesticides and other fatally harmful chemicals. Her ultimate goal is to make Airbnb be unable to use farms as a form of rental property because of their lack of safety precautions. The fact that these travel platforms are willing to get people sick for money, is enough of a reason for us to make them accountable for multiple counts of murder and negligence. We even investigated them, and this has happened in the past with Airbnb guests, yet they continue to not have any regulations.
Christine has even started a petition through change.org to hold Airbnb accountable for murdering Molly and making herself and her other dogs sick and now depressed.
By reading this post, I hope PETA will take notice and decide to have its legal team be a part of Christine’s fight to hold Airbnb accountable for animal cruelty via chemical poisoning and avenge the deaths of Molly and countless other pets. PETA’s legal team is no stranger to successful legal victories, from freeing a chimpanzee stuck in a roadside zoo full of dust to terminating Seaworld’s orca attraction. Their success has been bolstered by the Freedom of Information Act, which allows them to gain access to records of illegal animal cruelty activities and has pushed for legal jurisdiction which will allow for animals’ protection after they have won these cases.
PETA’s work has been successful to the point where they were the first animal-based group to win Corporate Counsel’s Best Legal Department in 2017. With their help, Autisticana and PETA will become widely famous for being part of a battle in the war against animal cruelty: keeping animals safe from chemical poisoning and banning Airbnb from using rentals that help worsen this cruelty against animals.
Note to Self: This reminded me of Joe Biden’s own advice “for those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic: there is a black hole caused by their loss, but their memory will bring a smile to their lips before a tear to their eyes.”
We pray for Dr. Christine’s healing during this time and want her to know that as a team, we will help her get through this. As she taught us, “We are stronger as a team than we are alone. I am proud to say, we stand by her words, and am proud to be one of her News Makers @ at Autisticana.org
With Love.
Jackson Beach
President
Author, Editor, and Friend
Dr.Grimaldi’s Take Away
” I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of young adults in my life.
I always try to keep my glass half full, so I can be the change I want to see in the world.
This tragedy has been the worst tragedy for me and the loss of my Molly has made it hard for me to take a breath.” It is not how many breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away. That was Molly for me.
The lesson I learned from all of this is to hold onto precious memories. We are all here for a special reason. Molly was my reason for so long and was a jewel to everyone that met her. She knew when someone needed special consoling and would be the first to sit on their lap.
Through all of this pain, I try to find the blessings in every moment. I am beyond devasted by her loss and the negligence that caused this. I hope in Molly’s honor, her name will live on, and that this tragedy could have been prevented. I hope this brings awareness to @Airbnbtravel
and platforms like these.
“I am in grieving mode and am so grateful to have this wonderful team at Autisticana around me.“
Blessings to you my sweet Molly Goose, my heart will be forever broken but, I thank you so much for sharing your gifts with the world and caring for so many people.