Canina

I'm a superhero! Shh!
Growing up in the Catskills, Our Heroine’s childhood was anything but normal. Her alcoholic father would beat her and her mother often. With few friends her own age, she found companionship in the many animals that lived in the woods. Her best friend was a Shepherd-mix named Beau. When her father came home drunk, Beau and hide with Our Heroine in the closet, where she pet him until her father fell asleep. She always dreamed that one day Beau would rescue her from her tormented life, leading her to a secret world never to be found again.
The worst day of Our Heroine’s young life was on her 9th birthday. She was celebrating with her mother and Beau when her father arrived home, violently drunk. Upset because Beau was at the table, he started an argument and sent Our Heroine to her room alone. She watched through her bedroom window as her father shot and killed her beloved Beau. With her broken heart as her guide, she packed a few belongings and headed for the door. While her father was past out on the couch she took his shotgun and killed him. She went to Beau and weeped over his bloodied corpse, letting his blood seep into wounds of her own, also inflicted by the father who would no longer harm either of them again. His spirit seemed to enter her body and she felt more connected to him than ever. She buried his bloody body under their favorite tree, and ran far away swearing she would bring an end to all those who abuse animals.
18 years later Our Heroine lives in Los Angeles with her three dogs, 6 cats, 2 turtles, 3 bunnies, a snake and a rotating door of rescued strays she is caring for at any given time. By day she works as a waitress in a vegan restaurant and keeps to herself. A lonely woman aside from her animal friends, she begins meeting people on the Internet as passionate about justice for animals as she is. With her innate leadership skills, Our Heroine forms an underground militia under the identity “Canina.” Contacting her pack for animal rights online, Canina and her loyal followers plot revenge on enemies to animal worldwide. One by one, each hideous and violent crime against animals avenged by Canina and her rabid pack. From animal researchers and factory farmers to celebrities draped in furs, no crime goes forgotten…
or unpunished by...
CANINA!
Melissa Bacelar (actress / writer) has a powerful compassion for animals so creating the “Canina” character came quite naturally. Melissa plays host in real-life to a menagerie of dogs, cats, rabbits and spends countless hours working to publicize orphaned animals in need of good homes. Canina landed Melissa an audition with Stan Lee and earned her a spot as a finalist for his SciFi Channel show, “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” Melissa has brought Canina to life as a web-based comic book so that she may reach an online community of those who support animal rights and rescue.
Melissa’s acting credits include the award-winning “Strange Things Happen at Sundown,” Troma’s “Toxic Avenger 4: Citizen Toxie,” ABC’s “One Life To Live” and “The John Henson Project.” Melissa also founded The Network Studio (New York/LA,) which offers 30 workshops a month and currently works with over 2000 actors. For more: www.MelissaBacelar.com