M*A*S*H Star Loretta Swit Is Determined
To Save Animals & Find Them a Happy Home
Loretta Swit is showcasing her talents by spreading her wings as an actress, artist, designer and advocate to help thousands of animals, whom she refers to as companions, get the help they desperately need. It started in 2016, when the M*A*S*H star launched SwitHeart Animal Alliance, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent cruelty, end animal suffering, collaborate with other nonprofit organizations and programs that protect, rescue, train, and care for animals and preserve their habitat, while raising public awareness about issues that concern domestic, farm, exotic, wild, and native animals and their well-being.
Since its inception, the SwitHeart Animal Alliance currently supports, and collaborates with, over 20-different charities including; Bideawee, Paws for Purple Hearts, Kauai Humane Society, Dogs Playing for Life plus they fund emergencies to save lives and transport military dogs to soldiers.
Swit’s devotion and passion for animals date back to when she was only six-years-old, which is the same time Swit began sketching, drawing and discovering her artistic ability. While many fans may be surprised to learn Swit is a gifted painter, she laughs and tells PLM, “I have been drawing longer than I have been acting.”
In 2017, Swit introduced the first edition of her book, SwitHeart: The Watercolour Artistry and Animal Activism of Loretta Swit. This 128-page hardcover book, which just released a second edition, sells for $49.95 and includes 65 full-color paintings, drawings plus 22 photographs Swit did herself. All the proceeds go to helping/saving animals.
Following the book’s success, Swit developed a fragrance called SwitHeart, which she describes as a blend of orange flower, jasmine, sandalwood, musk, patchouli and vanilla. Offered “exclusively” on Swit’s website for a $55 donation, Swit tells PLM “It is packaged in my trademark heart-shaped bottle, and like the book, all the proceeds go to SwitHeart Animal Alliance Donors.”
Finally, for her latest creation called the SwitHeart necklace, which Swit sells at jewelry shows, the Hollywood icon crafted a heart-shaped pendant using Topaz, Emeralds, Rubies, or Diamonds as the center stone and setting it on a 14k gold chain. As of December 2023, Swit has raised $28,280.00 from all her philanthropic efforts.
“The force behind my strong belief in animal activism continues to fuel my passion to aid, support and save animals,” Swit tells PLM. But the buck doesn’t stop there. In addition to her many partnerships and relationships Swit adds, “I go into shelters to hang my paintings so the animals will be in a comfortable and warmer environment. I donate items from around my home such as blankets and carriers to shelters in need. I help animals get live-saving surgical procedures. I am fully involved in e-blasts, which encourage people to foster and/or adopt an animal and I try to inspire people to drop off food at a nearby shelter to help feed the animals or if they can donate 20-minutes a day, sign-up to volunteer by helping walk the dogs so they can get outdoors.”
In Swit’s words, “there is always an opportunity to do something to make a difference in an animal’s life, which is why I am fully committed to the cause.” According to the ASPCA’s website, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year and roughly 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. The organization also goes on to say, up to two million dogs and 2.1 million cats are adopted every year.
Sadly, not every dog and/or cat is lucky enough to find a family. The ASPCA’s site reports 920,000 shelter animals, that breaks down to 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats, are euthanized, which is another part of Swit’s mission. Swit is working tirelessly to educate people about what happens if an animal doesn’t find a suitable home or if they are considering adoption, the many benefits adding an animal to your life has. “The shelters I work with have highly qualified staff on hand to teach people how to properly care for a companion they want to bring into their home,” Swit tells PLM, “And many will go a step further by visiting the home to make sure the companion will be going to a safe and stable setting.”
Swit, who has two Yorkies, tells PLM, “I can say with a huge smile on my face, my little companions bring me unlimited joy and happiness.”
