I received an email last night from Dogs Deserve Better, an
organization dedicated to getting dogs off chains. As I read the email, with Kirby sleeping beside me warm and safe, my
heart ached for those poor dogs suffering from the ever changing elements of
cold, heat, rain, and snow.
I live in Mississippi which is just about as far south as you can
get. We have hot, sweltering summers
where air conditioning is a must. I gage
the temperature in my house by Kirby since I like it really warm. He starts panting and I lower the thermostat. Right now it is winter.
Brrrr. Just this past week it got
down to 14 degrees and we had snow.
Kirby is wearing sweaters and hoodies to keep warm.
I don’t have a problem with tying up a dog. I have a problem with leaving a dog tied up
day after day, night after night, with no shelter or comfort. I can’t afford to fence my yard so when Kirby
goes outside he is always attached to a very long tie-off. However, I am either with him or at the very
least, keeping an eye on him through the window.
I understand he is just a dog. I also understand a dog is a living creature
that deserves to be loved and provided for.
That includes food, water, and shelter, not to mention affection. Dogs were created for companionship. They crave love and to be loved. What a disservice we do to them when we treat
them as only objects to be owned. What a
disservice we do to ourselves as human beings.
If I have learned anything, it is the knowledge that a dog is
capable of giving us the unconditional love we so desperately need whether we
deserve it or not. Good or bad, kind or
cruel, a dog will continue to love us always forgiving, always hoping for the
best in us to come through.
The one resolution I made this new year was to be the best
God thinks I can be. For me that means
doing what I can whenever I can for whoever I can. This is something I can do. Here's the email, maybe it's something you can do to?
Chained Dogs are Freezing! Send them a Valentine!
This is the time of year we all cringe at the thoughts of dogs left chained outside. Here in PA it will be 7 degrees tomorrow night. Who can survive that?
One of the ways we take action in the winter months is our Have a Heart for Chained Dogs campaign, running the week of February 7-14. In that campaign we pair up valentines (made by YOU or school children) with addresses of chained dogs, and we mail them out all over the country.
Here's how you can help:
1. Make Valentines! We need about 15,000 of them...ask your kid's teacher, make them at home or at scout meetings...or make them with your friends. To learn more, click the link.
2. Send addresses. That dog you pass everyday? Please stop and get his/her address. They deserve our voice because they have none of their own, and by taking action you at least alleviate your stress of seeing them out there.
3. Send coupons for dog food or treats. We mail them along with the valentines as a gesture of goodwill.
4. Donate to the campaign. 15,000 letters takes 15,000 stamps! Plus 15,000 envelopes...and 15,000 address labels.
Please take action. The chained dogs are begging for your help. Learn more by visiting: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/Valentines2011.htmlThat's a lot of valentines. You may wonder if it will really help these dogs. Well, even if just one dog out of every one hundred dogs is helped, thats 150 dogs who will have better living conditions. It's a start and we have to start somewhere. So I'm in. I don't have the time to make valentines but I can make a few coupons for dog treats and send a small donation. It may not seem like much but a lot of little somethings can add up to something really big! Maybe you can do a little something?
Meanwhile, it's Saturday and Kirby wants to do the Blog Hop. It's a fun way to visit old friends and make new friends. There's always fun and interesting posts to read. So trot along with us...
