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A day in the life...

Adopt '09

Well, here in the States, it's a day to celebrate all those great moms out there. Happy Mother's day to all the pawrents out there and the special ladies in your lives! I have to say that I think my entire family is super blessed to have two of the coolest pawrents around. The thing that makes them even better, is that they have adopted every last one of us furkids. Each of the 'rescues' has been a little different, but all have changed our lives for the better. Without the moms we may have never had a chance to know the good life.

When mom worked at the emergency vet, she saw all sorts of sad cases. She worked with several rescue groups and the vet was always helping care for fosters that were sick or getting health certificates so that they could go to adoption. These animals were in rescue through no fault of their own. They deserved a chance to know the good life. Kittens were always searching for homes, and litters of puppies would sometimes show up at the doors too, just wanting the comforting arms of someone to love them. Mom helped nurse some of those litters to health (heck I even got to play with and help take care of them too!) and into wonderful homes. Adult dogs were sometimes dumped in the waiting room, with no explanation for why the people didn't want them any longer. Luckily the kindhearted people at the ER, looked high and low to make sure these unwanted animals found a family to call their own.

So we support adoption 100%. There are so many great pets to be found. There are rescue groups for pretty much every breed. My friend found the most beautiful Harlequin Great Dane puppy in a rescue. Each of the dogs in our house is a purebred and a rescue. So there are definitely ways to finding that perfect dog for you. Same thing goes for cats.

Several of my best buddies on Dogster/Catster were rescues from high kill shelters and were slated for euthanasia. It tears me up thinking that I might never have gotten the chance to meet them, and that they never might have had the chance to know love and sense of belonging. They could have died there, lonely, scared, unwanted. It's just so sad that we live in a throw away society where their previous owners didn't give them the proper treatment they deserved. It is only through the wonderful rescuers that my friends were saved. Someone looked at these pups and thought, "You deserve to be loved. You deserve food and shelter and a chance at life." And to those rescuers, and to those all around, I am extremely thankful and grateful for giving my friends and other needy pets a chance.

So again, please take the time to seriously consider adoption for your next pet. There are usually rescue events going on every weekend around here. There are great sites like Petfinder to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Please, give us all a chance to be as lucky as I am.

Big hugs and thanks to all the rescuers out there!!!!

In Memory of Military Dogs

http://www.eagleid.com/veterans/InMemoryMilitaryDogs.pdf

We Were Soldiers
(Thoughts of a Soldier Dog)

On duty, scouting the dangers of war.
We Did what we had to during our tour.
Standing guard, we had little rest.
I'd put my life on the line; I did my best.
To my last breath, I was there for you.
I was not equipment and this you knew.
We were soldiers.

You were dedicated to our country.
For each other, no doubt our loyalty.
Dear friend, feel no guilt if I am lost.
It was my honor to you, at all cost.
Remembering me; it's ok to shed a tear.
It was meant to be, it was my career.
I was a soldier.

My spirit is forever by your side.
We were buddies, to each a guide.
My allegiance was to you; that was my goal.
It was my mission, we were on patrol.
We did our best, hold your head up high.
Find peace, I am the brightest star in the sky.
We were soldiers.

================================
http://www.ea gleid.com/veterans/poem.htm
When You Think of Liberty Think of Me

When you honor the red, white, and blue
When you celebrate our nation's liberty
Think of the one who's been beside you
in spirit, in heart, in body...
No being could be as loyal as me, for I am
your best friend, your partner... your family

When our nation was young
I was the runner, carrying messages
in a war that would leave us undone
where brother fought beside brother.

And, alone in the face of terror
I moved through enemy lines,
as families fought one another,
my mission foremost in my mind.

I was the one waiting for you even though
I sensed you would not be coming home
I languished on our wooden porch
growing thinner, until the war was over
and my days on earth were done.

I was in the trenches, fields, and meadows
accompanying you into foreign lands.
With you in the jungles and swamps
and at your heels on hot, dusty roads
or on blistering, desert sands.

I have been first in the line of fire
first to enter a field laden with mines
putting myself in your stead.
I went unflinching, leading,
to wherever, doing whatever you said.

With you I've jumped from the belly of a plane
dropping into places neither of us had ever seen.
All for the greater glory and good. All for humanity.

When a bullet took your life I laid by your side
my chin on your chest--despair in my eyes.
Content to have remained with you,
until a man in our unit lifted me up,
carrying me back to the war... as he cried.

When we had parted, when you'd gone home
and when on foreign soil I was left all alone
through no fault of your own I was forsaken.

The government advised you that your friend
and helper; the soldier who'd been by your side,
would not be accompanying you home...
To our home, our country, I could not be taken.

And so it was that we were abandoned
after you tearfully told us we could not follow
the men with whom we had served.

Confusion set in as we watched you depart;
being left behind, we had not deserved.
You left us dispirited, empty, and hollow
for we had given to you all of our all.
Like ghosts were we, missing our souls,
for you had taken with you... our hearts.

I have been injured for you.
And I have died for you.
In your absence I have wasted away
from the loss of you.

I'm the scruffy, thin dog sitting quietly
next to the veteran in his wheelchair.
On the hill, the band plays a song
and the man softly cries, while
fireworks light up the night's air.

Gently I place my paw on his knee
lay my muzzle on his withered leg.
He looks at the small flag he is clutching
then he turns his attention to me.

His eyes are filled with thoughts and tears
but his smile is as warm as the sun.
"Thank you for reminding me," says he,
"what's been sacrificed for the freedom we've won."

In the now, we cannot know
who will be needing who.
But what you may not know is
that when you'll be needing me
I'll be needing and looking for you.

We've been a team, you and me
through the many years
that have shaped this land,
and God has blessed us mightily.

So, every now and then, thank me--
with a look, kind words, and the
touch of a gentle hand...

When you think of liberty
and count the reasons you are free...
Don't forget to think of me!

Copyright © 2004 by Kathy Anne Harris

Happy Memorial Day

I just wanted to say thank you to all the brave soldiers that have made the ultimate sacrifice for us. We appreciate and honor you today, and thank you for your heroism.