If I were sick.....

"If I were sick or injured, where would the money come from?" I have heard my friends and their owners talk about that. In this time of living from paycheck-to-paycheck, with many people on the brink of foreclosure, what do people do when their pet has an emergency? My primary human has been working as an emergency veterinarian for a number of years, but she has recently seen a significant increase in people who simply cannot afford to pay for emergency care for their pets. At the very least, they find it extremely difficult to find ready money to put down for the kind of deposits that the typical veterinary emergency hospital requires in order to begin treatment. This has become such a big concern to both my humans that they are preparing to start a non-profit organization to address this problem in three important ways. The first will be to find resources for people to pay for the short-term emergency care that their pet needs. The second is to help them learn better financial management so that they can get out of debt and put money aside for life's emergencies. The third is to reach out to assist other people, like themselves. In this way, the gift that they receive turns around and becomes a gift for another. This project is still in the early planning stage, but my partner is looking for people who might be interested in helping it get off the ground in local communities. More information will be posted as the idea develops.

Ginny and her toy "Stuffy"

Dogs Helping Kids With Autism

There are times when the talents of the canine species overwhelm even me. I just watched an inspiring Yahoo video of an interview on ABC's Good Morning America. The title was:"Canine Companions for Autistic Kids." Here is the video link: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=7212210

For more information on the dogs and how to obtain them, go to abcnews.com and click on Good Morning America.

Looks? Shmooks!

I must admit that I wasn't really paying attention to what my two humans were talking about until I heard my name mentioned. Then my ears perked up. They were discussing whether it was really reasonable to drive several hours to have me evaluated by the professional handler that they had been talking with. For one thing, they said, even if I had the "perfect body," according to the AKC standard, it still costs a lot to get a championship. There's the handling fee, which, from their research, is about $70 per show, plus mileage, plus training and conditioning, plus entry fees (about $25), etc., etc. Not only that, there's not predicting how many shows it would take to earn a championship, because there are specific rules about how points toward the championship are earned. It could take as few as 3 shows (very rare) or it could take dozens. There are also plenty of dogs who simply don't get a championship, no matter how many shows they compete in. The investment in getting a champioship can't be recouped until puppies are sold. Certainly, it is possible to breed without a championship, but the puppies are not worth as much. Then, there's the expense of getting my hips and elbows certified as structurally sound by the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), because it would be unethical for them to breed me without this.

Oh, and about that "perfect body"---They are noticing that mine has a few imperfections! One of my back legs tends to turn out a bit when I stand or walk. What do I care? It works fine for me. I can run and leap for a ball like a gazelle! Anyway, the end result of their discussion is that they have decided not to put me on the dog show circuit. That's fine with me. I say, "Looks? Shmooks!"

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That's my dad, at the

show where he finished

his championship.

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Why do German Shepherds Make Good Police Dogs?

Pssst........ because they lo-o-o-ove doughnuts!