I’m thankful for every dog, past and present, that has been
a member of my family. From my youngest
days to my current state of rapidly advancing years (okay, I’m not that old, but some days it feels like
it!), I have constantly been amazed at the unselfishness of these amazing
animals. Some of those dogs were with us
for only a short time—as a child I learned the dangers of buying from a pet
store when it was discovered our gorgeous puppy, Tuppence had contracted
distemper—others were with us for their entire lives, and others are still with
us. Each and every one brought joy and
laughter. They played the peacemaker when necessary and played the clown when
it was most needed. Every single dog displayed a distinct personality, and
every one brought something new to the family!
There is more than a hint of truth when you hear animal owners proclaim
that they did not rescue the animal, the animal rescued them!
Not only am I thankful for the canine members of my family,
I’m thankful for every dog and cat that I have met during my brief time in the
world of animal advocacy and rescue.
Their unconditional love and their hopefulness in the face of often
devastating adversity is a constant inspiration.
I’m thankful for the selfless devotion of the animal rescue
advocates that it has been my pleasure to become acquainted with. Time and again, I discover that although I
think I am active in animal rescue and advocacy, my contributions are miniscule
and insignificant compared to those of others. Also, if it was not for these
people, I would never have received the companionship of my 3 current dogs:
Suzie, Shadow and Sam! I am especially
thankful for the volunteers at Pet Rescue North, a no kill shelter in
Jacksonville, Fl that you have heard me mention many times before, for Peggy
and Mary Ann, for Fred and Deb, and for the many others that I have never met
personally.
I’m thankful for the work of advocates such as Nathan
Winograd, The No Kill Advocacy Center, and The No Kill Nation who work
tirelessly to expose the hypocrisy of organizations killing healthy and
treatable animal that they are supposed to be caring for, and to debunk the
bureaucratic excuses used to rationalize this behavior. It is the work of people such as Nathan
(hopefully, I’ll get to meet him one day) and the related no kill organizations
that bolster my belief that one day the United States will actually become the
nation of animal lovers that it is supposed to be.
I’m thankful for my loving wife, Val, who not only agrees with
and participates in my animal related activities—few as they may be—she puts up
with every time these activities interrupt something else: my time at the
computer advertising dogs in need, my black moods when the stories of despair
seem just too much, and the days when it must seem as though the dogs are more
important than she is. Don’t worry; I’m
pretty sure she thinks the dogs are more important than I am!
Obviously, the list is incredibly incomplete and, in some
ways, I am thankful for that also. If I could include everything animal-related
that I am thankful for in a short list, it would mean that only a few
animal-related things in this world were worth giving thanks for . . . and this
is so obviously not the case! We have
been tasked with the responsibility of protecting this amazing planet we live
on, and with caring for the vast array of life upon that planet, and thankfully
it appears that an increasing number of people are taking that responsibility
seriously!
Take a moment to give thanks to your companion animals. They
are doing what comes naturally to them but, even if you don’t realize it yet,
they are giving you a gift just by being in your life . . . and I’m sure your
parents taught you that you are supposed to be thankful for gifts!
So from Val, Shadow, Suzie, Sam, and me to all friends of
animals out there, and their companion animals:
WE WISH YOU ALL A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!
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