Puppy Love/Doggy Days

I eagerly took good care of all the puppies and dogs that I’ve had throughout my life.

Canines bring such joy and richness into our lives so I made sure the one’s who came to live with me were enriched and well pleased.

It came natural, who could help from treating an adorable puppy or dog with ultimate love, and genuine care?

I remember when I was in my teens I tried to brush one of my dog’s teeth yet she made it impossible as she constantly licked the toothpaste.

While I kept my canines teeth and gums healthy in other ways, Milk Bone puppy and dog biscuits was an excellent remedy for helping to keep her breath fresh, and mouth happy.

In fact, Milk Bones were the only type of dog food my canine would touch, except for a special high quality dog food I use to feed two of my canines that brought out a gorgeous sheen to their already healthy coats.

She was strictly a table food eater.

 

Therapy Dogs

 

When I worked at one of the assisted living facilities I often occupied there were therapy dogs often brought in to offer emotional support, mental stimulation, and companionship toward the elderly.

In my opinion, therapy animals are lovely resources for any age group to pleasantly and significantly benefit from.

For those who are receptive to canines therapy dogs are a great enhancement to the lives of people and within the lifting up of the spirits to those in need of a humane connection.

It is particularly very assistive within the elderly environment to receive the therapeutic attributes in which a loving, friendly, affectionate, and comforting trained dog can provide to them.

The dogs themselves deserve the proper care and respect in return for all they do and the sacrifice they undertake in order to cater to our charitable (human) causes.

Canines have feelings and needs too and sometimes people don’t take into account how they may get overwhelmed and taken advantage of within their own doghood life periods.

Dogs are living beings also and shouldn’t constantly have their precious moments stolen away.

They need our therapeutic modes of solicitous and considerate treatment as well.

The Fourth Of July/Comfort For Our Canine Companions

 

Around 3a.m. this morning I was up with my television set tuned to a news broadcast that mentioned the 4th of July being a day in which most dogs run away from home just before switching to a commercial break.

I figured the instance probably had to do with the explosive sounds of the fireworks lit in celebration of Independence day.

When the station switched back to the news program a segment on the issue was aired going further into detail about the anxiety some of our canine companions go through during the July 4th holiday, and as I thought, of course, it pertained to the noise and electrifying sparks of those loud fireworks.

I understood completely. When I was a kid I hated the sounds firecrackers and M-80s made yet loved to see the beautiful arrangement of bursting colors that shot out into the sky with a more appealing explode.

My dog didn’t like the sounds of fireworks either but it was never an annoyance to provoke her to run away from home. She’d either run close to one of us (her family members) for comfort and protection or run under some furniture to hide as she did from the loud harsh sounds of thunder when it rained.

My dog use to hang out with us on the stoop as we’d watch people light up the streets of our block on this holiday occasion back in the day.

 

North Shore Animal League

For us canine lovers our pets health matters too.

Aside from other puppies that were given to me by family associates when I was a child  all together I had adopted three puppies from North Shore Animal League on three separate occasions.

I adopted a seven to eight week old puppy in the year of 1986 from North Shore Animal League.

It was one of the happiest days of my life. I was ten years old.

The shelter gave us free dog food, bowl, leash, coupons for more food, and future appointments to periodically get our pet her free shots.

It was totally free to adopt a cat or dog from North Shore Animal League back then.

There was no out-of-pocket cost for anything.

Seven to eight years later in 1994 my dog came down with a serious life threatening bacteria infection called Pyometra (a result from my dog not having been spayed a veterinarian had acknowledged to me and my family).

At the time we didn’t have the money that it cost to pay for our beloved pet’s operation.

As a last resort, we called up North Shore and explained our dire situation. They told us to bring in our dog’s adoption papers and that they would conduct her surgery for free, and indeed they did.

They said all that mattered was saving our dogs life.

All they asked for in return was if we could one day send them a donation to contribute to help out the other animals.

This was such a nice act of kindness and a blessing given unto us.

It’s a different day and age now but I still remember after all of these years how caring and helpful the staff members and volunteers of that time were at North Shore toward our beloved pet, and toward her total well-being.

If it weren’t for their shelter we would have lost her.

She lived a life of seventeen full years.