My Friendly Pets

Well, it’s that time…time for reflection, resolutions, and hopefully no regrets. I wanted to use this entry to highlight some of the good, the bad and the ugly that I have written about these past 5 months.

Of course the good is always easiest, so I’ll start with that. Some of the organizations that exist for the sole purpose of helping and saving the lives of our dogs are phenomenal. There are organizations like the HSUS, Humane Society of the United States, whose sole mission is “Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty”. They hope to reduce and eliminate suffering of animals while creating meaningful social change for those animals. The efforts of this organization must be applauded. I had an entry back on November 16th, about a raid on a puppy mill in Virgina. Feel free to click here to check it out. The Humane Society web page has a followup to that raid and some happy endings for some of the pups that were saved. Click here! This organization does some great work and much of the work is also done by our local agencies. They need our applause and accolades as well.

As I said, it is easier to write about the good than the bad, but that must be addressed as well. The baddest and ugliest story this year relating to dogs must be about Michael Vick and his dog fighting disasters. I have had several entries during the course of the past couple of months highlighting the events of Michael Vick’s arrest, plea, his surrender etc. I chose not to be objective in those entries, but rather editorial and opinionated. I felt it was an important stand for me to take. I will continue to highlight his activites as well as other instances of dog fighting that are discovered and hopefully prosecuted successfully. This is a barbaric and horrible practice and I’m ashamed to admit that it goes on so blatantly in this country. Whatever I can say or do to bring this activity to the forefront of my readers, I will do. The more exposure this crime has, perhaps more people, as digusted as myself, will join the efforts to stop this cruel practice.

I would like to take this opportunity to again encourage you to help those dogs who can’t help themselves. Donate, money, goods or your time to your local animal shelter. Also, if you are so lucky to be blessed with a dog in your life and in your family, treat them as such, a member of your family, because that’s exactly how they think of you.

My best wishes to all of my readers for a very happy and healthy 2008. May your days be filled with the barks of those dogs you love!!!