Even as a child, Debbie felt empathy for animals kept in cages or forced to perform tricks and refused to go to the circus. Eventually, she founded the animal rights group Illinois Animal Action, which she headed for eight years.

Impressed by her work, PETA recruited Debbie to head up its campaign to help animals abused in circuses and roadside zoos nationwide.

And it did not take her long to start producing miracles. Among others, she has persuaded Lions Clubs International to advise its member clubs to avoid circus fundraisers and induced MasterCard to pull its sponsorship of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which is notoriously abusive to animals. Recently, she was instrumental in the rescue of Delhi, the first ever “circus” elephant to be seized by the United States Department of Agriculture because of cruelty to animals, and the removal of 16 elephants from the cruel Hawthorn Corporation.

Not one to remain passive in the face of animal cruelty, Debbie has dashed onto killing fields to disrupt pheasant hunts, dressed as a giant rabbit to protest cruel animal tests, and personally delivered all kinds of animals, from rabbits to monkeys, to sanctuaries around the county.

From convincing corporations to close captive animal “curiosity displays” to persuading authorities to pull the plug on a deplorable roadside zoo, Debbie’s won’t-take-“no”-for-an-answer attitude has saved countless animals from captivity.