The Bond Between Man and Man’s Best Friend

There is an unmistakable bond between humans and dogs.  Dogs give to us unconditionally expecting nothing in return.

Not only does your canine buddy give you companionship…

  • Studies have shown that pet owners were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rates than non-pet owners.
  • You are more likely to get out and walk with your canine companion. This is good, not only for your overall health, but helps with daily stress. Social media is fun for interaction with friends and family, but when you are out walking your dog you become more approachable by other pet owners thereby giving you an opportunity to increase your network of friends and acquaintances.
  • Service dogs create a much happier life assisting people with mental or physical disabilities. They give their human companions a more independent life.

The benefits are too numerous to list.

artist and hound dog

Glenn Swanson, a Montana artist and sculptor, is an avid dog lover and every dog’s dream human. Glenn doesn’t go looking for a new canine companion.  They place themselves in his path. I think Ginger the hound dog waited patiently near a logging road in the mountains of Montana until Glenn just happened to pass by. There are no accidents in life and as you can see from the photos of Glenn and Ginger, this was a match made in heaven.glenn swanson and hound dog

I am grateful for the multitude of benefits I get from my furry best friends.

Redtail bird by Glenn Swanson

Glenn’s work includes all types of wildlife, but his specialty is realistic portrayals of birds in flight.
GlennSwansonArt.com

Feed a Dog | Feed Your Soul

I stopped at a convenience store today to get gas and noticed, what appeared to be a homeless man with his beagle dog sitting in front on the sidewalk.

It is heartbreaking enough to see someone that lives on the road, but doubly sad when that person has their furry friend with them.  It has to be hard enough to beg for food without worrying about feeding your dog.  Maybe not…

As I approached the store, I commented on his sweet looking beagle.  His response was, “she is my heart.”  I could cry 🙁  This man, for all of his problems or loss that he has suffered that put him in this position in his life, beamed when he mentioned his precious dog.charles chaplin dog quote

Well, all I could think about in the store was this dog going hungry…yes, I do not like to think of people going hungry, either, but a person has a voice to ask for help…man’s best friend doesn’t.

Upon leaving the store, I approached the man and handed him cans of dog food for his best buddy.

He was so appreciative and thanked me.  He responded “she has already had two cans this morning.”  It made me laugh out loud.  All of the people going in and out of this busy convenience store and I thought that this dog was going hungry.

No, people are predominantly good.  I was not the first person today to worry about these two.

I am so grateful that people give without judging a person on their outward appearance.  Yes, he was obviously homeless, but you never know what could have placed him there.

As I left, I thought about my three spoiled animals at home lying comfortably in a dry, warm house.  I found all of my furkids on the road and they could just have easily ended up in front of that convenience store with a totally different life.

I am so grateful for my warm, dry house. 🙂

A Dog in a Hot Car Equals Death

We are having record setting temperatures in Atlanta. Today the high will be 105 degrees. It is too hot for me to be outside very long. I can only imagine how my poor dogs feel in their fur coats.dog in oven

Of course, they don’t really have to worry because they are spoiled rotten and not really interested in staying out for very long. They basically go potty and hurry back inside.

This time of year it is mandatory that you do not leave any furry creature in a car…whether windows are up or down…doesn’t matter…DON’T DO IT!

I work with a local dog rescue group called Little Nuggets Rescue out of Snellville, Georgia. Lynne is the owner and called me with some very disturbing news just the other day.

She and her son went to her vet to pick up a dog that was to be transported. Another rescue asked her to do this as a favor, but she didn’t know why.

As she entered the vet’s office she happened to notice a dog transport van parked with windows rolled down approximately 4 inches. She also noticed that some of the dogs were not able to stand or turnaround in their crates.

She found out later that the rescue did not want the dog released to this particular dog transport…Kats Waggin Train out of Tennessee.

She proceeded into the office and inquired to whom the van belonged. The vet tech pointed her to the van driver. She tried to speak to the driver but basically was ignored as the person was submerged in their phone call. This was around 1:00pm and the temperature was approximately 106 degrees outside. Lynne later found out that the driver had been in there for approximately 30 minutes.

She left the office stressing over these poor animals and called the police and the Department of Agriculture, but nothing could be done. The van was already gone.

car interior heat chart

Credit: Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society

Do I even need to remind anyone that it takes only minutes for the inside of a vehicle to heat up to kill a dog from heat exhaustion?

A person responsible for transporting animals should know this better than anyone.

Please, please…a note to all dog and animal rescues. Be very careful whom you choose to take responsibility for these precious living creatures.

Mere minutes can mean life or death for a dog in a car on a hot summer day.

I am so grateful that there are legitimate organizations out there to transport rescue dogs to a happy destination. I hope and pray that they all arrive safely.