Year End

2017 has flown by!  When I was a child, I couldn’t wait for my birthday so that I could be another year older (because, of course, everyone knew that adults had all the fun).  Little did I know that it was the other way around.  Getting older isn’t so bad, though.  At each year end, you get to look back on your past year to see the joys and also the mistakes you’ve made.

I look back through the filter of the happiness and health of my human family as well as my four legged one.  It's been a healthy year for my human family, not so much for my dogs.  Before this year even began, Emma developed a large cataract at only the age of three which had to be dealt with.  She was too young and full of life to not let her absorb all of life’s beauty.  Then, this summer, Kiowa broke his rear leg.  Another trip to a specialist and then a long recuperation for him.  Both of our kids are well and happy, now.  The only thing that still stings a bit is our pocketbooks, but in retrospect, it is a minor sting.

When I talk to people who live alone, and I suggest a dog for company, they sometimes look at the negatives.  They’re obligated to walk the dog, and feed it.  Then, there’s the dog hair, and the training (although by the behavior of some dogs, that is last on the list if at all).  I tend to think of the positives - the unquestioning love they give, the endless doggy antics that keep laughter echoing, their soulful company when feeling alone or abandoned by the world.  These are the gifts they share unselfishly with humans.  How lucky we are to have a couple of these blessed creatures, not just at Christmas, but all through the year. 

I look forward to 2018, and to all the possibilities it may bring.  I wish all of you health and happiness, and the boldness to promote greyhound rescue whenever the opportunity arises.  Keep espousing the benefits of adoption.  You'll never know whose mind you'll change.

   Merry Christmas    

   Happy Dog Year!!