"La Cage Aux Folles" and "The Gods Must Be Crazy" have just opened in your dad's New York theatre, The Plaza and the 68^th St. Playhouse.  Later that week, you find yourself ushering patrons through the Apollo then wandering backstage.  Countless legendary performers breakthrough culturally with you while they strike a chord of harmony.  The lyrics of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" linger, helping to frame your childhood.

This is Ellie Brecher, our cherished and beloved Miami Herald writer known as the Pet lady. 

A native New York pedigree and a graduate of the University of Arizona, she originated the Miami Herald "Crazy for Critters" blog in February 2006.  Her opening, "Howdy," is welcoming and approachable.  She's a writers' writer and a readers' reliable navigator, capably getting the story on the page with fair and balanced reporting.  To-date she has written well over 230 stories containing the word "dog".

Ellie is a 1988 recipient of the Nieman fellowship at Harvard, referred to as a "watchdog" journalism honor.  The directive behind this prestigious honor is, ". to promote and elevate the standards of journalism and educate persons deemed especially qualified for journalism."  It also serves to further examine and reinvigorate the press in its fundamental role of serving the public interest.  Rest assured that when you see the by-line: "Elinor J. Brecher", you can expect trademark values of substance, integrity and objectivity.

In 1994, Ellie wrote Schindler's Legacy: True Stories of the List of Survivors, which garnered a Book of the Month selection that sold 120,000 copies worldwide in English, Portuguese and German.  Her book defines the random nature of survival and gives voice to over 40 individuals that eventually came to live in America.  The people and their lives before and after the war are brought to life.  The discoveries for the interviewee and reader are heartfelt, realistic and above all life-affirming. 

Holocaust Survivors Remembered, May 2, 2000   Reviewer: A reader I'm stressing this to all, that this book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. It's very intense and real. Because of the way these Holocaust survivors explain their experiences at the concentration camps, it makes you feel as if you could've been there. The way that these survivors have achieved great goals in there lives after the Holocaust, is amazing. I recommend this book for everyone to read to get a better understanding of the Holocaust. This book is truly amazing.  Review of Brecher's Schindler's Legacy: True Stories of the List of Survivors - Courtesy of amazon.com.  Her book is available online at http://www.half.com/.

REWIND TO FEBRUARY 2006

"What's this about a dog fight?"  Ellie's voice reveals the slight tender tones of her Kentucky bluegrass days that stayed even after she moved to Miami in 1989. 

WOOF Patrol offers facts that support an understanding of Miami Beach dog owners who are being confronted by what city officials labeled a "health" problem.  And, they pointed to poop as the culprit.  However, there was another side to the tale/tail and our pooches got barking mad.  They explained to us that, "Two legs, not four, were the perpetrators." 

Telling the other side of the untold story is yet another Brecherism.  Take for example:

Crazy for Critters - Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Lab Takes an Arrow in the Chest

Vets are fighting to save the life of a Michigan Labrador named Buck, barely out of puppyhood, who had an arrow shot through his chest. Another of the distraught family's dogs is missing. What a nightmare, especially given the circumstances under which Buck came into their lives.

Click here to read the story.

Life at Ellie's house is geared towards her priorities: Gracie, part Lab and other combinations, CC, black/brown, exceedingly fluffy, likely part border collie, Shadow, a golden that appeared on Nickelodeon's "Figure it Out," performing a dive into an 11-foot pool to retrieve his toy, cockatiels Bart and Chaucer.  Did I forget to mention that Moose, who was mentioned as needing a home in the Crazy for Critters blog, found one?  That's right, in the Brecher home.