International Homeless Animals' Day

Since 1992, the third Saturday of August has been observed as International Homeless Animals' Day.  As most of my readers know, we adopted Barley from a local animal shelter.  Shelter dogs often come with problems, and Barley was no exception.  He would bite (hard), he guarded his food and growled when he ate, and he refused to settle down.  He was constant work and not at all the rosy picture I had of dog-ownership.

Because Barley was so difficult, we sought the advice of a specialist.  By this time, Barley was full grown--no longer the cute brown furball we brought home six months earlier.  The specialist listened to our story and asked plainly, "Do you know what any shelter would do with this dog?"  We shook our heads.  "For every dog like this one, there are a dozen healthy, well-adjusted dogs waiting for homes.  They would put him down within 24 hours."  So we spent the next several months working with Barley so that he could stay with us. 

While he's still a handful (as evidenced by the crockpot episode, habitual counter surfing and other modes of attention grabbing), he's so much better than he was, and I can't imagine our lives without him.  His cuddles and kisses more than make up for his occasional lapses in judgment.  I think the struggles we had initially brought us all closer together, and if I had the chance, I'd do it all over again.

Sadly, many of those healthy, well-adjusted shelter dogs (and most of those who need extra care) never get a second chance.  Thanks to the International Society for Animal Rights and its annual International Homeless Animals' Day, more exposure is being given to this important issue.  You can read more about the day here and even attend a local event.  You can also honor dogs like Barley who never find homes by watching ISAR's moving tribute, which may just inspire you to adopt a cute furball of your own: