Dogs are animals of integrity. We have much to learn from them.
Author: Paul Handover
…. that when it’s wet and miserable …
and the dogs don’t want to go out to play …
… not even go out on the rear deck …
…. curling up on the settee keeping Dad company seems like the only sensible course of action!
(These photographs were taken just ten minutes ago, Brandy to my right and Cleo to my left – the rain gauge now reading 0.27 in at 11:00 PDT. With the 1 in mark being passed at 15:45 PDT!)
We most certainly need the rain but …..
The weather forecast for the next few days is ‘interesting’!
From Grants Pass Weather:
Thursday Rain. High near 68. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Thursday Night Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 51. South southeast wind 10 to 18 mph becoming southwest in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Friday Rain before 11am, then showers after 11am. High near 65. South southwest wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Friday Night A chance of showers before 11pm, then rain likely after 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Saturday Rain. High near 65. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Saturday Night Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 51.
The hydrologic report from the National Weather Service even more interesting (my emphasis and we are in Josephine County about 80 miles inland from the coast):
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR 333 PM PDT TUE OCT 11 2016 Hydrologic Outlook for significant rises on rivers and streams in Sisikyou and Modoc counties in California and Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake counties in Oregon. A series of storms will move through the region beginning Thursday. A strong jet stream stretching across the Pacific Ocean will bring a steady stream of moisture into the Pacific Northwest with these storms. This will result in heavy rainfall across the region. The heaviest rainfall will be with the storm on Saturday as the remnants of Typhoon Songda are pulled into the stream. Rainfall amounts of over 6 inches at the coast and western Siskiyou county,to over thirteen inches on the extreme southern coast can be expected through Monday. Three to six inches can be expected inland to the Cascades with one to two inches east of the Cascades from Thursday to Monday. These forecast totals across the region are equal to or higher than the totals normally seen through the entire month of October. While main stem rivers will experience significant rises due to these storms, they are not expected to flood. Small streams and urban areas could experience high water or even flooding where there is poor drainage. As this is the first large storm of the rainy season, there is the potential for debris to clog storm drains, ditches and culverts resulting in flooding. Another concern is the heavy rain falling on recent burn scars. If you live downstream of a recent burn scar, or if you are just driving through a burn scar, stay alert as there is a high risk of flash flooding and debris flows in and below burned areas. The exact scenario for flooding and high water remains uncertain.
“These forecast totals across the region are equal to or higher than the totals normally seen through the entire month of October.”
As I said in the beginning, we most certainly need the rain, and with rain comes …
Thank goodness we have nine dogs! 😉
Are smaller dogs more difficult to care for?
Of the nine dogs that we have here at home two would be classified as small dogs: Sweeny and Pedy.
To my mind they are no more different from the other dogs than are our two German Shepherds; Pharaoh and Cleo.
But that still didn’t stop me from noting a recent article over on the Care2 site under the heading of Everyday Issues for People With Small Dog Breeds. Here it is for you good people.
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By: Vetstreet.com October 10, 2016
I never thought of myself as a small-dog person. When I was growing up, I much preferred my dad’s German Shepherds to my stepmom’s Toy Poodles. The first dog I acquired as an adult was a retired racing Greyhound. But although Greyhounds are wonderful apartment and condo dogs, we have stairs, and it became difficult to get Savanna up and down them after she lost a leg to bone cancer.
The next dog, we decided, would be smaller. That’s how we ended up with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (and one Chihuahua mix). But although they are more portable, small dogs come with their own set of issues. If you are considering acquiring a small-breed dog because you think one will be easier to live with, here’s what you should know.
It Ain’t Easy Being Small
Small dogs are, well, small. It’s easy to step on them, no matter how careful you try to be. It’s not so bad with the larger Toy breeds such as Pugs and Cavaliers — at least, not once they reach adult size — but smaller dogs such as Chihuahuas, Papillons and Yorkies run the risk of getting stepped on or kicked not just by the humans in the home but also by other pets. We frequently joke about attaching a balloon on a long string to the collar of our Chihuahua mix so we’ll be more likely to notice where she is.
Other pets may bully them. Lots of small dogs rule the roost, but when they have a gentle personality, their size can work against them. Esmeralda, a Papillon, was stalked by her owner’s much larger cat, who seemed to view the small, fluffy dog as a toy at best, potential dinner at worst. It was a painful dilemma for the owner, who finally ended up placing her cat in a new home to save her dog’s life.
Little dogs can hurt themselves jumping on and off furniture. It’s an especially common problem with breeds such as Italian Greyhounds, who have long, thin legs, or Japanese Chin, who often enjoy being on high places such as the back of the sofa. This is more common in young dogs, who are not only still growing but also tend to be fearless, but any small dog can suffer a broken bone if he lands the wrong way jumping off the furniture, is stepped on by an errant guest or is dropped to the floor by a child.
For this reason, it is often necessary to buy steps so small dogs can get off furniture safely and easily (getting up on their own can be an issue, too). It’s better to teach them this habit at an early age than to risk a broken bone.
Tiny dogs often think they’re bigger than they actually are. In their head, they’re just as big and badass as that Rottweiler down the street. It’s not uncommon to see a Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua or Miniature Pinscher take his life in his hands by challenging a bigger dog. Owners must always be prepared to keep their small dogs out of harm’s way — especially when their dogs try to bring it on themselves.
Too Cute To Train?
Little dogs can be just as smart as big ones — sometimes more so. But people often don’t make the effort to train them. That’s a shame, because small dogs are just as much in need of manners as large ones.
There are a couple of issues with training small dogs. One is that they’re so low to the ground it can be difficult to get their attention or to reach down and reward them with treats.
Another is that some can be slow to learn house training. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As with any other dog, perseverance and consistency win the day.
By Kim Campbell Thornton | Vetstreet.com
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I’m not completely sure whether I totally agree with everything that Kim writes about: what do you think?
So far as me and Jean are concerned our Sweeny and Pedy are adorable and at this time of the year are most welcome as all-night sleepers on our bed!
A practical and informative guest post.
Back in September, I received an email from a Paige Johnson. He offered to write a guest post for Learning from Dogs. Now I love guest posts simply because I think that different perspectives are always valuable, and let’s face it you get enough of me ‘rabbiting on’ most days.
This is what Paige’s email said:
I reached out to your recently with a guest article offer and just wanted to send a quick note to follow up.
I’ve had my dog, GG, since my early 20s, and though it wasn’t easy — in fact, it was quite the trial and error process for both of us! — I’m happy to report that she has become a well-trained pup, great with kids, adults, and other animals.
That said, GG and I are about to face another challenge together. Moving. I know that uprooting her from the only home she’s ever known won’t be easy for her so I’ve been doing some research on how to make the process go as smoothly as possible for both of us.
I run LearnFit.org with some friends, and collectively, we love helping readers find balance in their life. Adding a dog to the mix definitely brings happiness, but it can be a tough adjustment, especially when you face another big life event, like moving or having a child.
Who wouldn’t warm to that approach!
So here is Paige’s guest post.
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When you become a new dog owner, you worry about what to feed him, how often to bathe him, the best type of flea and tick treatment to use to protect him, and a litany of other things involved in caring for him. You also need to make sure that your veterinarian is on the same page with you so that you are comfortable with relying on him to deliver the best quality care for him and advice for you. Sometimes, however, you need to break up with your vet for one reason or another. If you are a new dog owner who needs to break up with your vet, we offer four tips to help you do it as quickly and painlessly as possible.
1. Consider all of the interactions you have had with your veterinarian
If you are having a difficult time deciding whether to leave your veterinarian, think about how you have been treated by the vet and his office staff and how your new dog has been cared for at the office. If your vet has been pushing you to purchase pet food and care products from him, or he has a policy that you must board your dog only at his office when you go out of town, you most likely are justified in thinking that it is time to break up with him. Vets who try to monopolize services unfortunately are in the business more for making money than for providing quality animal care.
As a new dog owner, you need to be aware of your right to feed your dog whatever food you feel is best for his nutrition and health and not just what your vet sells. You also have the right to choose a dog boarding provider who will provide one-to-one care for your dog while you are out of town, rather than put your dog in an impersonal kennel at the vet’s office. When you leave the vet, you should consider all of the interactions you have had with him, and if you feel that you are being pushed into choosing products and services that he offers without having a freedom of choice, you should break up with him.
2. Break up sooner, rather than later
As soon as you feel that you need to break up with your vet, you should take action. Breaking up with your vet sooner rather than later will make the process much easier on you. Prolonging your relationship with your vet when you are considering cutting ties with him will increase your uneasiness and make an awkward situation even more uncomfortable.
You especially need to break up with your vet as soon as your instincts tell you to do so if you are concerned that he is not providing adequate care for your dog. The last thing you want is to put your dog’s health in jeopardy because you are afraid to break up with your vet. As a new dog owner, it is your responsibility to put your dog’s health above everything else when you deal with your veterinarian and make decisions regarding his treatment and care.
3. Ask office personnel to transfer your records to a new veterinarian
You want to be sure you have a new veterinarian on board with your new dog before you leave your old vet’s office, so that your dog’s health is never at risk during the transition. Call your current veterinarian’s office and politely ask office personnel to transfer your records to your new vet. Even if you have had issues with office staff before, it is well within your rights as a pet owner to switch vets and have your records sent to the vet of your choice. The staff should treat you with professional courtesy as long as you are straightforward and polite as well during the interaction.
4. Explain the situation to your veterinarian if you are leaving because of extenuating circumstances
Sometimes, even people who love their veterinarians need to break up with them because of extenuating circumstances. For example, you may be moving to a new town and cannot take the time to drive to your current vet’s office from your new home. If you have been happy with the care from your veterinarian and are sad to leave his care, explain the situation to him and ask for some recommendations for your new area. Your vet may be able to refer you to a new office that shares his level of care and commitment to your new dog. Your vet also may be able to refer you to other services for your dog in your new area, such as reputable dog walkers or accommodating dog parks.
Breaking up with your veterinarian is not a fun thing to do for new dog owners, especially if you love your vet and don’t want to leave his care. However, you need to put your dog’s health first, and if your current veterinarian cannot meet your dog’s needs, it is time to break up and go elsewhere. Our four tips will make the process easier for you.
Image via Pixabay by tpsdave
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Yes, we always “need to put your dog’s health first” and Paige offers some valuable advice for ensuring that is always our top priority.
Thank you, Paige!
How time flies!
I was outside working yesterday afternoon and came back into the house some thirty minutes before Jean and I were due to visit a neighbour. Ergo, I was looking for a shortcut in terms of putting together a post for all you good people.
The notion came to me that I would republish something that was on Learning from Dogs some fives years ago: October 8th, 2011 to be exact.
Here it is!
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With thanks to Ellen M. for passing this across to Learning from Dogs.
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Then to prove how quickly time flies by, guess what! Dear Sue Dreamwalker left a message to that post back in 2011.
What a great story and video… 🙂 .. Love this guys last comment about his Best Friend being less expensive than a girl friend.. lol.. Dogs Rule..
Just as Sue is still doing and, I bet, will be leaving a wonderful response today!
The face of law and order!
(Sent to me by Dan Gomez.)
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Another set of these delightful photos in a week’s time!
Please share!
This was issued yesterday.
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October 7, 2016 — Mars Petcare has announced it has initiated a voluntary recall of a limited number of Cesar Filet Mignon Flavor wet dog food due to a potential choking risk from small pieces of plastic which entered the food during the production process.
What’s Recalled?
Cesar Classics Filet Mignon can be purchased individually as well as in flavor variety multipacks.
The affected dog food can be identified by checking the Best Before and Lot Code on the product lid.
Each product will have a lot code printed on the side of the tray that begins with 631FKKC or 631GKKC and best before date that falls between 08/04/18 and 08/05/18.
The Cesar Classics Filet Mignon Flavor can also be found in variety packs with the following lot codes:
Lot Code is indicated by the red box below:
The Lot Codes listed above are the only affected products. All other Cesar products can be safely consumed.
Select packages of this product may contain small pieces of plastic, which entered the food during the production process.
Mars Petcare encourages consumers who have purchased affected product to discard the food or return it to the retailer for a full refund or exchange.
While a small number of consumers have reported finding the plastic pieces, we have not received any reports of injury or illness associated with the affected product.
At Mars Petcare, we take our responsibility to pets and their owners seriously and are working with all of our distributors and retail customers to ensure the recalled products are no longer sold and are removed from inventory.
Consumers can reach the company at 800-421-6456.
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s recall notification list.
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Hope no dog that you know is affected by this potential problem. Come to that, hope no dog anywhere is affected!
What an amazing rescue!
As many of you know, I subscribe to the Mother Nature Network service and frequently share items from MNN here.
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Animal rescuers dismantled the dryer to find the crying kittens.
Jenn Savedge
October 4, 2016
The owner of a dry-cleaning shop got a surprise recently when he heard crying and mewing from the back of one of his machines. Fortunately, this on-the-ball dry-cleaner called an animal rescue squad who rescued the four small kittens and reunited them with their mother.
According to the BBC , the dry cleaning shop where the kittens were found is located in Forest Gate, a residential suburb of London. The shop owner called animal rescuers from the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, a local animal rescue center, to help identify the source of the sounds.
Rescuers dismantled the tumble dryer where the noises were coming from and found four small ginger kittens inside. They also located the kittens’ mother when they noticed a distressed cat pacing outside the shop.
The shop owner told rescuers that a nearby resident had moved and left the pregnant cat behind. That poor distressed mama clearly needed a warm, dry place to give birth and she found it inside the dry-cleaning tumble machine.
One of the animal rescuers noted on their Facebook page that the kittens were in bad shape when they were found, “[w]hen we picked them up they were filthy, covered in grease and dirt and had been breathing carbon tetrachloride fumes since they were born in the back of the machine.”
Thankfully, the kittens and their mother are now being well cared for in a foster home.
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One might ponder about the kittens having a clean start to their young lives! (Sorry!)
Breaking the spell of loneliness!
Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
Those words above are attributed to Mother Teresa and I have no reason to doubt that.
I selected them because they seemed to capture the mood that flowed out at me from a recent essay by George Monbiot.
Many will know George for he is a British writer very well-known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books.
Way back in the early days of this blog I was moved to republish some of GM’s essays and sought his permission to do just that. He responded promptly giving me blanket permission to republish any of his essays.
Now it’s a long time since I have availed myself of that permission for the simple reason that so very often George writes about matters that are tough to read and I choose not to share with you because there’s no shortage of tough commentaries about today’s world. That’s no criticism, actual or implied, into George Monbiot’s integrity as a reporter and writer.
But his essay that was published on the 4th October is one that does need to be shared with you.
Read it!
Is music an answer to the epidemic of loneliness?
By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 3rd October 2016
Two years ago, I wrote a column for the Guardian in which I argued that what distinguishes our age from those preceding it is an epidemic of loneliness. Throughout human history, we have been hyper-social animals, dependent on each other for both physical and psychic survival. Thomas Hobbes’s claim – that our natural state is a war of “every man against every man” – is a myth proposed by someone whose understanding of human evolution was confined to the book of Genesis. But the myth is now being realised through the religion of our time: a celebration of extreme individualism and universal competition. The resulting loneliness, I argued, is a deadly condition, which kills as many people as smoking or obesity.
To my astonishment, the article exploded, and the ripples can still be felt today. A documentary it inspired, called the Age of Loneliness, aired recently on BBC1. Several publishers asked me to write books on the topic, but I could think of nothing more depressing than spending three years sitting on my backside, documenting social isolation. There was plenty I wanted to say on the topic. But how?
A few weeks later, I dashed out to buy some screws from a hardware shop. Ahead of me in the queue was an elderly woman. She lent on the counter, dithering about what she wanted and trying to engage the sales assistants in a riveting conversation about her state of health. Stuck behind her, I quietly fumed: it seemed as if she would never leave.
But as I cycled home, and my frustration ebbed away, I saw what should have been obvious: here was a person who seemed desperately lonely. “Where’s your empathy?”, I asked myself. “Isn’t that what you were writing about?”. What if that conversation was the only one she would have all day? I felt guilty about my feelings in the shop.
When I returned to my desk, I began dashing out a rough poem about a woman living with little to keep her company but memories, who goes to the shops in the hope that she might talk to someone, but discovers that the tills have been replaced with automatic checkouts. As I wrote, it seemed to me that it was trying to become something else: a ballad. Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do with the topic: I wanted to write an album.
There were just a couple of minor hitches. I can’t read music, I don’t play an instrument and my singing is banned under international law. But I knew who to ask.
I first heard Ewan McLennan while listening to Late Junction on Radio 3, in 2011. I was transfixed by his voice, his playing and what seemed to be an almost supernatural ability to find the heart of a song. He was just 25. I bought his first album, Rags and Robes, and listened to it over and again. Three years later, I heard him interviewed by Mary Ann Kennedy, whose programmes I’ve followed since she began broadcasting on Radio Scotland. He spoke with the same ease of expression I had heard in his music. He was relaxed and funny, politically engaged and plainly fascinated by the roots and text of songs and poems. He came across as a cracking bloke.
I did something I have seldom done: I sent him a fan letter. I invited him to a talk I was giving in his home city, Bristol. He came, and over dinner afterwards we clicked. So, a few months later, with some trepidation, it was to him that I sent my idea of collaborating on a themed album.
To my delight, he agreed. I would start by thinking up a story and writing a rough sketch, which might incorporate some potential hooks, rhymes and choruses. I would send it to him on the understanding that he could do whatever he liked with it. I did not try to write to his style, as I knew he would take from each sketch what he wanted and make the song his own.
I wasn’t wrong. A couple of weeks after I emailed the first sketch to him, I found an audio file in my inbox, and opened it with the excitement of a child at Christmas. It was wonderful – he had turned my base metal into gold. The songs he sent back to me were riveting and heart-wrenching, capturing sensations I have long struggled to express.
The album is a mixture of dark shades and light: sad ballads and stirring anthems. We want to use it as a means of not only talking about loneliness, but, in a small way, addressing it. With advice from charities working on the issue, we are designing our gigs to try to bring people together. I will talk about the themes and Ewan will perform the songs. We will encourage people in the audience to talk to each other; then it will end up with a party in the nearest willing pub. Music naturally makes connections; we want to take it a step further.
In one respect, the album is already succeeding, as the collaboration has relieved the usual solitude in which we both work, making our lives less lonely. I hope it has the same effect on other people.
Breaking the Spell of Loneliness, by Ewan McLennan and George Monbiot, is released on October 14 by Fellside Records.
Here’s a short video about the project, featuring some of the music:
The autumn tour dates are listed at http://www.monbiot.com/music/
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Ewan McLennan has his own website and, unsurprisingly, there are the details of the Autumn tour.
Autumn Tour
12 October Durham Book Festival
18 October St Georges, Bristol
20 October Liverpool Philharmonic
21 October Live At All Hallows, Leeds
22 October Sheffield Firth Hall
23 October Ludlow Assembly Rooms
4 November Bridport Arts Centre
5 November Berry Theatre, Southampton
3 December Kings Place, LondonThis remarkable collaboration between author George Monbiot and musician Ewan McLennan seeks to address the curse of our age: a crowded planet stricken by loneliness. Using music and the written word, it seeks to make connections in a splintered world.
Now, dear reader, you would be disappointed if I didn’t close today’s post without reference to the value of a dog or two in one’s life, and I have no intention of delivering such disappointment!
From the dozens of pictures that have been presented here over the years I chose this one.
Because I have this notion that one can never be truly alone if there is a dog in one’s life.
The power of forgiveness displayed by our animals.
Last Sunday’s Picture Parade was mainly photographs of Jean out with our ex-rescue horses Ben and Ranger. Let me share the one of Ben as it is relevant to what follows.
A regular reader, Susan Leighton, the author of the blog Woman on the Ledge, commented (in part):
Ben and Ranger are handsome! They are known as roans, correct? I have always loved horses.
I didn’t know but said that I would ask Jeannie (and they are Chestnuts, not Roans!). It then struck me that republishing the post that was first presented back in March, 2014 might be of interest to others beyond Susan.
First, understand, for it is not specifically spelled out in this post, that Ben was removed by the Sheriff because he was being starved, being beaten and having air-gun bullets fired into his chest (the scars are still visible)!
Here’s that post from 2014:
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Our new boys- the story of two horses!
Regular readers of Learning from Dogs will remember a post just over a month ago The lone Ranger. Essentially, that explained that we had visited Strawberry Mountain Mustangs in Roseburg, Oregon and, subject to their approval, had decided to adopt Ranger, a 15-year-old gelding.
Thus it proceeded to the point where two-days ago Darla, of Strawberry Mountain, ably assisted by Cody, brought Ranger and Ben to us here in Merlin. It’s been a wonderful twenty-four hours (at the time of writing this). Why Ben? Please read on.
Darla and Cody making a safe and timely arrival a little before 10am last Tuesday.
Why did we take the two? Last October, Ben had been found starved and showing the signs of a great lack of confidence. He was ‘rescued’ on orders of Darla’s local sheriff because of Ben’s condition despite being in private ownership. Darla was certain that Ben had been physically beaten in recent times, hence him being very wary of strangers. Thus his relationship with Ranger was part of his journey of returning to a healthy, confident horse. Darla offered us the opportunity of fostering Ben because Ranger had become a good companion for him. Darla explained that Ben was a very wary horse, especially of sudden movements from men.
Another 100 yards and the start of a new life for these two gorgeous animals.
In the those first few minutes after Jean and Darla led the horses to the grass paddock, Ben seemed to have an expression on his face that suggested it was all too difficult to believe! Ranger just got stuck into munching! But not to the extent of not enjoying a back-rub!
In the afternoon, it was time to bring Ben and Ranger for an overnight in the top area where the stables, food and water were. Ben was very nervous at coming through the open gate and for a while there seemed to be a complication in that Ranger kept thrusting at Ben as if to keep him away from the fence line separating the horses from Allegra and Dancer, our miniature horses.
But in the morning, yesterday, things seemed much more relaxed. To the point that when Ben and Ranger went back out to the grass, Ben was much more relaxed towards Jean and me, as the following pictures reveal.
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OK, want to turn back to Darla.
To give an insight into the awe-inspiring work of Darla and her team (and many others across the Nation) and to recognise the need of the authorities to have such outlets as Strawberry Mountain, here are two photographs of Ben shortly after he was removed from the people who had stopped loving and caring for him.
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Strikes me as only one way to end this post is with the following as seen on Darla’s Facebook page.
Thus this post is offered in dedication to the good people all over the world who know the value of the unconditional love we receive from animals and do not hesitate to return the same.
How about giving the nearest animal, or human, a big hug telling them at the same time how much you love them!
Learning from Dogs 