On September 3rd, a Post was published about John. Anyone who read that Post will understand the pleasure that both John and I got from being re-connected. Subsequent chats since that Post have shown that there are many parallels in the way that we think, see the world, and speculate as to what, really, is going on! It was inevitable that I would ask John to join Learning from Dogs and, when I did, John’s immediate ‘yes’ was proof indeed that this was the right thing for us. A strong desire to do something is always important.
John’s first Post shows that he will be welcomed by all who read this Blog.
This has been doing the rounds and may be seen on numerous web sites and Blogs. It may be fiction but, nonetheless, it’s a good message.
Strangely, for a Blog called Learning from Dogs, there have been precious few dog stories. Maybe the integrity of a dog is so flippin’ obvious that we don’t need to wrap the species up in all sorts of romantic twaddle. This in no way, however, reduces the power of the message that dogs, along with many other species of warm-blooded animals (e.g. horses) are capable of reminding mankind of the importance of integrity.
Let’s help Pilot’s N Paws achieve something wonderful.
Unless one is familiar with this fine organisation, you may be scratching your head wondering how is it that 5,000 pets can be rescued in a week.
Click to learn more
The Pilots N Paws 5000 will take place during the week of September 12th through the 20th. This event was conceived as a means to draw public attention to three issues. The first and most important message that needs to be conveyed is that we have a serious problem in this country and as a result about 4,000,000 animals or more are euthanized annually.
This would not be the case if there were more and better spay and neuter programs and laws regarding owners’ responsibility for their animals.
The second issue is that because the problem is primarily regional a lot of these innocent animals could find permanent “forever” homes if they could be transported from high kill regions to areas with homes available. To accomplish this we desperately need more pilots to help with transports.
The final issue is that while aviation has proven to be a successful way to transport animals to safety, general aviation in this country is threatened. The threats range from onerous Homeland Security directives to crippling and expensive fees imposed on general aviation. We want to see general aviation perceived by the public accurately as a driving force in our economy, and one that contributes far more than its economic impact would suggest. We want to see general aviation free of these threats.
Their website has a special section devoted to PNP 5000, so do read more. The home page has a link where you can donate to support this excellent cause.
Let’s face it, rescuing these animals is only returning the favour.
One of my favourite Blogs is Baseline Scenario. It is hugely popular especially since it was started only in September 2008. The vision of the Blog is “The Baseline Scenario is dedicated to explaining some of the key issues in the global economy and developing concrete policy proposals.”
However, one of the founders of the Blog, James Kwak, recently had his dog, Dauber, pass away and published a Post in memory of the guy.
This is a YouTube video courtesy of CBS Videos that has obviously caught the imagination of quite a large audience – the number of viewings on YouTube is in excess of 3.2 million! (So, apologies if you have seen this before.)
It’s impossible not to admire, respect and love a dog
An incident last night reminded me of the complexity of the dog’s mind. It has not been the first time this has happened.
Our 6 year-old German Shepherd dog, Pharaoh, was given a bone as a treat during the previous day and, as sometimes happens, it was a bit tough on his stomach. So at around 1.30 am, I was woken up. Nothing so special about that. But reflect on how this happened.
I am your dog and have something I would love to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead very busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise, some have to do this alone. It always seems like you are running here and there, often too fast, never noticing the truly grand things in life.
Learning from Dogs 