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:

Den of Death

The men in Matt's family pride themselves on being great outdoorsmen. My father doesn't like picnics because there might be ants. It should therefore come as little surprise that I'm not a huge fan of taxidermy, and that my squeamishness makes me stand out in Matt's family.

On our recent trip home, I was happy to learn that Barley has taken after me in this regard. Matt's dad's "Den of Death," as it is affectionately known, made Barley just as nervous as it makes me:

Canadian Circle of Life

Matt returned from his annual fishing trip to Canada last week. As soon as he came home, he showed me this video. For the two people we know who haven't seen it, here you go:



Both fish survived the ordeal. Sadly, the walleye was too small to eat, and the pike was too big to keep, so both were thrown back. And the circle of life continues.

BFFs

Dogs and babies, babies and dogs: kindred spirits, indeed.

God Dog

On our way to church this morning--and on this All Saints' Day--this video seems especially appropriate:

Arrogant alpaca and paper-pushing poultry

Matt and I went to the Maryland State Fair last night. The highlights of the trip were found in two of the animal buildings.

For some reason, Matt has always had an alpaca aversion. He says they're the stuck-up kid of the animal world. As soon as we came around the corner and saw this guy, Matt said, "Well, well, well. Look at this smug jackass."

He said it was the hair, like the alpaca was trying to look like Prince from the Purple Rain era:

And for me, there's nothing like a little signage snafu to make an outing worthwhile. Was it really necessary to add "office" to this sign? Were they concerned that people from Baltimore would have otherwise thought that the two men sitting inside were poultry? "Wait. Those guys don't look like roosters. I don't get it."

Puppies behind bars

I'll never stop being amazed at the debt we owe to dogs. This story is worth the 20-minute investment. It made me miss Newark, and it made me cry more than once.

If people were more like animals

My mom sent me this video, and I just had to share it.



Why can't we all be more like Bella and Tara?