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Benji Goes on Strike - Deal Reached

Valley Center, CA – Famous movie superstar Benji, miffed that her writer-director-owner Joe Camp has been busy promoting his new book which stars his horse Cash, has struck a blow for adoption of animals everywhere by refusing to do any tricks for Camp unless he donates a dollar for every book sold during the last three months of 2008 to the Benji’s Buddies Foundation.

Benji, herself a shelter pup, has caused millions of adoptions across the U.S. but her efforts came to a screeching halt when the book came out in May. “We’ve been very busy since the book was published,” Camp said. “Benji and I have only traveled to two shelter benefits during that period.” Camp admits that he has been on the receiving end of some very hurt looks when leaving home to head out on a book tour. “Before the book, anytime I would leave with a suitcase Benji always got to come along.”

Benji was adopted from the Humane Society of South Mississippi after a search in shelters all across the country. Camp wanted movie lovers to look into those big brown eyes and see the kind of dog they could discover at their local shelter.

But Camp’s new book The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd concentrates on making life better for people and horses, not dogs. According to inside sources Benji, star of the 2004 film Benji Off the Leash, wanted some of Camp’s emphasis to swing back to her fellow canines. After lengthy negotiations with Cash and many closed door sessions with Camp a compromise was reached. Benji will join Joe for every media interview about the book so she can promote adoption of homeless animals. And one dollar from every book sale during the last three months of 2008 will be donated to fund Benji’s personal adoption effort, the Benji’s Buddies Foundation.

Camp says that everybody seems happy with the plan. The program begins October 1 and continues through December 31. "More people acquire pets during the Fall and Christmas season than any other time of the year," Camp said. "So it's a terrific time to convince them to adopt a homeless animal rather than buy from a pet store or puppy mill. And I hope folks will help us care for dogs and horses by buying bunches of books for Christmas gifts." Camp promises, They'll be getting and giving a great read while helping animals everywhere."

Whenever Benji appears in the media the number of adoptions increase. The sad side of this result is that a month or two later, once the exposure is gone and forgotten, it is back to business as usual with full shelters begging for adopters. Thus, the thrust of Benji’s Buddies is… 1) to give a face to every homeless animal in America, a face that will live in the hearts of potential pet owners, move them to action, and change their thinking… and 2) to provide continuity of exposure so there is no opportunity to forget, to dismiss; continuity through a combination of Benji media visitations, PSA’s, and paid advertising. To, in effect, actually brand homeless animals as Benji’s Buddies. To brand so well that whenever a family considers a pet, the Benji Buddy name will come immediately to mind and trigger a trip to the local shelter instead of a backyard breeder or a pet store.

The Soul of a Horse, which went into its second printing less than three months after publication, is a memoir and voyage of discovery as Camp and his wife, Kathleen, navigate uncharted, often politically incorrect territory on their way to discovering an astonishing truth that the couple hopes will change traditional thinking about horses forever.

To download a high resolution copy of the above photo: http://www.thesoulofahorse.com/PressPhotos.htm

For more information:
http://www.thesoulofahorse.com
http://www.benji.com
http://www.benjisbuddies.org

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