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Jennifer Skiff

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Jennifer Skiff
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Boston, MA
OccupationWriter
Journalist
Television producer
Animal advocate
NationalityAmerican
Period1986-present
GenreNonfiction
Notable worksGod Stories
The Divinity of Dogs
Rescuing Ladybugs
Website
jenniferskiff.com

Jennifer Skiff (born 1961)[1] is an American author, journalist and television producer, best known for writing inspirational books and animal welfare diplomacy.

Early life and education

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Skiff was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Bar Harbor, Maine.[2][3] Growing up, her family had pet dogs, and she has said she received emotional healing from dogs.[4][5] Jennifer is a graduate of Hebron Academy, a college preparatory boarding school located in Hebron, Maine.[6] She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1983 with a double major in broadcast journalism and criminal justice.[7][8]

Career

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Television

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Skiff began her career at WTVX-TV in Fort Pierce, Florida, and also worked as an anchor and reporter at WABI-TV in Bangor, Maine, and covered crime at KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3][8] Wildlife Minutes, a television series she developed that highlighted the plight of endangered and threatened species, premiered on the Discovery Channel in 1987.[3] She worked as an investigative correspondent and producer for CNN for 14 years, and was a producer on the channel's environmental program Earth Matters.[2][4][8] As a segment producer for TBS's Network Earth, she was nominated for a 1992 CableACE Award for magazine show special or series,[9] and received an Environmental Media Award for TV News Magazine Segment as correspondent and writer for the series in 1996.[10]

Books

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God Stories: Inspiring Encounters With the Divine

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Skiff started working on her first book, God Stories: Inspiring Encounters With the Divine, after what she described as a miraculous recovery from bone marrow cancer at the age of 32.[11] It was published by Random House in 2008 and includes 100 stories of encounters with God, which she collected from people of various faiths, backgrounds and nationalities.[1][2] Publishers Weekly called it "mysterious and faith-inspiring" and "inspiring if uneven".[12] It was excerpted on Today.com.[13]

The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend

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Her second book, The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend, was published by Simon & Schuster on October 23, 2012. The book is a compilation of inspirational stories about dogs gathered from people's submissions.[14][15] It reached number 8 on the Toronto Star nonfiction bestseller list in April 2015.[16] The Divinity of Dogs was based on submissions Skiff received when writing God Stories. Starting in 2010, she spent over a year collecting submissions, photos, and interviews. The stories are told from the point of view of the dog owners. The book has a musical companion, The Divinity of Dogs: Music to Calm Dogs and the People Who Love Them, created by Skiff and pianist George Skaroulis.[1]

Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World

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Skiff's third book, Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World, published by New World Library in 2018,[17][18] highlights the true stories of remarkable people who didn't look away from seemingly impossible to change situations, and describes how their lives have been enriched while they've worked to save animals. Leaders in what Skiff calls the Compassion Movement,[19][20][21] their stories illustrate how we can break barriers to improve all life on earth.

From Rescuing Ladybugs: "There's an honorable war being fought in our world for animals. In it, the good are going after the evil, the generous are taking aim at the greedy, and the kind are blanketing the cruel. I refer to it as the compassion movement because it's fueled by a desire to alleviate suffering."[22]

In the book, Skiff says that in 2018 "there are more laws and corporate policies protecting farm animals than ever before, and more consumers are leaving animals off their plates and eating plant-based meals instead. This colossal shift is due to Josh Balk and other leaders in the compassion movement who confront cruelty head-on, using common sense and innovation."[23]

In the book, Skiff says "There are many leaders in the compassion movement — too many to profile in one book. These are the people we admire for their ability to see the roots of problems and develop effective strategies for fixing them, as well as for their courage to combat greed when it inevitably clashes with compassion. They are the visionaries, pacesetters, and analytical thinkers whose unexpected connections with animals are driving sweeping change throughout the world."[24]

In the book, Skiff notes Jill Robinson, co-founder of Animals Asia as "leading the compassion movement on the largest continent on earth – Asia".[25]

Michael W Fox,[26] veterinarian and author, on Rescuing Ladybugs: "Rescuing Ladybugs is an exceptional book - a clarion call to awaken our empathy, ignite compassionate action, and help recover our humanity in these dystopian times. It should be required reading."

Animal advocacy

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Skiff co-authored the position paper that led to West Australian Parliament passing sweeping laws to end puppy farming that included, mandatory spay/neuter of dogs before the age of two-years-old, mandatory dog breeder registration, a centralized government dog registration system, and the transitioning of pet shops into adoption centers.[27][28]

Skiff is the Director of International of Animal Wellness Action, an organization that champions legal standards that forbid animal cruelty, and the Center for a Humane Economy, an animal welfare charity. She leads the Center’s Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, among others. The campaign compels the largest sportswear manufacturers in the world to discontinue their use of kangaroo leather in shoes. In 2023, Nike, Puma, and New Balance, made the pledge.[29][30][31][32][33]

After witnessing atrocities perpetrated on bears, Skiff initiated and led the successful campaign to build the first bear sanctuary in Laos.[34] In Indonesia, she negotiated the release of 12 chained monkeys into their native habitat from a hotel zoo, an initiative that shuttered the zoo six months later.[35]

In 2022, she began work as consultant to the Prime Minister of Morocco on a kingdom-wide initiative to eradicate rabies humanely by the method of trap, neuter, vaccinate, return of street dogs.[36]

Professional associations

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  • Center for a Humane Economy, Director of International[37]
  • Animal Wellness Action, Director of International Programs[38]
  • Humane Society of the United States, Chair, Maine State Council[39][40]
  • SPCA of Hancock County: Chair, SPCAHC Trustee Council[41][42]
  • Animal Aid USA, Adviser[43]
  • Institute for Humane Education, Adviser[44]
  • Dogs' Refuge Home WA, Australia, President, Trustee[45][46]

Bibliography

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Personal life

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Skiff splits her time living between Maine, USA, and Perth, Western Australia.[1][2][47] She is a former president and trustee of the Dogs' Refuge Home, a no-kill shelter in Australia,[48] and works with charities around the world to help abused and abandoned animals.[49]

Skiff was featured in the book, One Hundred & One Reasons to Get Out of Bed: Small World Steps, Big Planet Heroes by Barbara Royal and Natasha Milne.[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Judy Harrison, "Somesville author shows divinity of dogs through owners' stories," Bangor Daily News, October 27, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d G. Jeffrey MacDonald, "Close encounters with the divine," USA Today, November 21, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c Letitia Baldwin, "Newscaster a defender of animals," Bangor Daily News, September 21, 1996.
  4. ^ a b William Yeoman, "Canine tales simply divine," The West Australian, March 7, 2013.
  5. ^ Judy Harrison, "Author searches for tales of divine dogs," Bangor Daily News, July 11, 2010.
  6. ^ "Animal Tales: Maine stories make dog book". 18 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Conversation with Jennifer Skiff '83," TCU Magazine, Winter 2008.
  8. ^ a b c Judy Harrison, "Good God stories wanted," Bangor Daily News, August 26, 2006.
  9. ^ Martie Zad, "CableACE Awards to air Sunday," Bangor Daily News, January 16, 1993.
  10. ^ "EMA Awards Recipients & Honorees," Archived 2016-01-30 at the Wayback Machine green4ema.org. Accessed March 7, 2016.
  11. ^ Julia Duin, "'Stories' Abounds with God's Grace,"[dead link] Washington Times, April 26, 2009.
  12. ^ "God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine," Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2008.
  13. ^ "'God Stories' of divine intervention," Today.com, December 22, 2008.
  14. ^ "New Book Asks: Is ‘Higher Power' Behind the Special Abilities of Dogs?" CBS Chicago, June 30, 2013.
  15. ^ Brook Bolen, "7 Stellar Books That Dog Lovers Won't Be Able To Put Down," BarkPost.com, July 2015.
  16. ^ "Bestsellers," Toronto Star, April 3, 2015.
  17. ^ Jennifer Skiff, Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World, New World Library, 2018
  18. ^ "Face Time: Jennifer Skiff, writing to save animals". 28 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Face Time: Jennifer Skiff, writing to save animals". 28 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Jennifer Skiff launches animal advocacy book at Shenton Park dog refuge". 30 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Animal advocate, author Jennifer Skiff visits Steamboat for inspirational book talk". 4 January 2019.
  22. ^ Jennifer Skiff, Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World, New World Library 2018, page 145
  23. ^ Skiff (2018), pages 129,130
  24. ^ Skiff (2018), page 149
  25. ^ Skiff (2018), page 150
  26. ^ "Dr. Michael W. Fox".
  27. ^ "Western Australia Bans Puppy Mills, Dog Sales in Pet Shops". 29 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Bill 2021". 23 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Animal Welfare Groups Urge Adidas to Fill Vacant Role of Adidas-North America President with a Leader Opposed to the Company's Use of Skins from Slain Wildlife". 19 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Nike to drop use of kangaroo skins for its shoes in 2023". Reuters. 15 March 2023.
  31. ^ "Nike and Puma Policies Halting the Use of Kangaroo Skins in Shoe Models Take Full Worldwide Effect at the Start of 2024". 2 January 2024.
  32. ^ "LAV: First victory for kangaroos". 13 November 2019.
  33. ^ "New Balance will discontinue its use of kangaroo by the end of 2024". 3 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Rescuing Ladybugs: Animals Asia featured in book focusing on profound human-animal interactions". 12 September 2018.
  35. ^ "Meet The Team". 13 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Morocco Moves to Address Canine Rabies Through Humane Street Dog Management". 7 September 2022.
  37. ^ "Center for a Humane Economy, Director of International".
  38. ^ "Animal Wellness, Florida Veterinarians Help Horses Impacted By Hurricane Dorian". 10 September 2019.
  39. ^ "In new book, HSUS staffer describes journey from animal trapper to rescuer". 22 August 2018.
  40. ^ "Dave Pauli: Rescuer of Wildlife". 14 July 2023.
  41. ^ "MDI Author to Appear on 20/20". 22 October 2012.
  42. ^ "Board and Trustees – SPCA of Hancock County, Maine".
  43. ^ "Jennifer Skiff".
  44. ^ "Jennifer Skiff". Institute for Humane Education. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  45. ^ "Jennifer Skiff launches animal advocacy book at Shenton Park dog refuge". 30 November 2018.
  46. ^ "Jennifer Skiff reads from "Rescuing Ladybugs" at SoFo". 7 September 2018.
  47. ^ Steve Dale, "New pet books make ideal gifts," Chicago Tribune, September 28, 2013.
  48. ^ Shannon Cutts, "What Pets Know That People Don't," Psych Central, October 2013.
  49. ^ "McNally Named New President of Hancock County SPCA Board," The Ellsworth American, April 11, 2012.
  50. ^ "One Hundred & One Reasons To Get Out of Bed: small world steps. big planet heroes". Amazon. 25 November 2015.
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