Jake, 5 years old, and
his pal, Cooper.
Gone Fishing
"Thorns may hurt you,
Men desert you,
Sunlight turn to fog;
But you're never friendless ever,
If you have a dog."
Douglas Mallock
I was at a loss for words.
I couldn't think of one thing interesting
to write about today.
Then, it hit me...
...every Tuesday,
as I sit in my office car,
I am surrounded by stories.
Stories of
love and laughter,
lost and found,
stories of life.
The Captain, and
four or five other volunteers,
walk shelter dogs every Tuesday morning.
Most of the dogs
have been picked up on the streets,
lost or abandoned,
some are owner surrendered,
but since it is a "no-kill" shelter,
they will all eventually have
another chance at a
"forever" home.
It has been said
that dogs live in the moment,
that they don't dwell on problems
that they might have had in the past,
but I always wonder...
Kai
...even this little guy,
who is usually so happy-go-lucky,
has some funny little
quirks and issues...
...but I do know one thing for sure.
What is evident in these pictures is,
they are always
happy and hopeful
with each new face they see.
Ashley
When our kids were young,
they gave us Ashley
for an anniversary present.
She was the most lovable
and well mannered
of all our dogs.
She was a part of our family
for thirteen years
until we lost her to cancer.
Curly Joe
We got Curly from my brother.
A stray had found her way onto his ranch
in Fresno
and had a litter of puppies.
We were so lucky to get Curly.
The worst thing he ever did
was lay on a crate of fresh strawberries
on the way back home.
We lost him to brain cancer after eight years.
Buddy
Buddy was our gentle giant.
He loved us with his whole heart
as he did all humans.
He had a problem
with other dogs, however,
until he met a
small maltese
named Buffy...
Buffy and Buddy
...and she taught him
a thing or two about
living peacefully in this world.
He was also lost to us
because of cancer
after twelve years.
When are we humans going to wise up?
I grant you
there are some reasons
that cannot be helped
for these dogs to end up here,
but the majority of them
are where they are
because of
ill planned ideas,
and a senseless lack of heart and empathy.
What did this wonderful old girl, above,
do to deserve
the bad treatment
that is so obvious?
It must have been very hard
to accept the love
that she offered so unselfishly!
Or very easy
to not see it at all.
All these beautiful animals
have a story to tell
about home and family
and we would be so lucky
if we could
hear them.
Kai and his Papa
With just a wag of his tail
and no unkind words,
this little guy
waits so patiently each week
while his papa, and the other volunteers,
give their time to the shelter dogs.
He is glad
that time is spent with all dog-kind,
and I know this,
because
he told me so.
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher"
Plato
Happy April,
...Judy...
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