Dog Eared Tales.

Like many people and dogs we know, Mom and I are thankful for some very basic things—things some people and dogs do not have right now like shelter, food and the love of a good family. Please understand as you read our list of things we are grateful for that we do not take any of that basic stuff for granted.

OK, I'll admit I am also thankful Mom does not make me pose for things like this!

We did not intend to omit those things; we’re just asking that you assume we know how lucky we already are as you read about some less obvious things that we are thankful for as well. These are things we never even knew existed this time last year.

1.  Great Dog Tales, in 125 characters or less. We’ve really enjoyed reading the TGTB writing contest entries.  It took a lot out of us to get this one launched and we already have as many entries as we had in our spring contest with a month still to go till the deadline.  “Adopt A Senior Pet” month is about to end but based on what we have seen so far none of you are ready to stop telling us about the joy pets of any age bring and the lessons they teach us. Mom may be on to something here; she had a feeling the holiday season would bring out the creativity in all of you!

2.  All the people and friends we never would have met if not for this crazy thing they call the internet.  For example, our friend (and one of the contest judges) Bette was busy this month raising over 20,000 dollars to support research for canine cancer.  It was all part of her task as the organizer for her local “Puppy Up” dog walk in Seattle. Bette’s hard work and dedication is the kind of motivation do-gooders everywhere (and for every cause) thrive on. Her determination will keep on giving as we all take notice and step up to meet her example. You can read about Bette’s work and the payoff in her recent blog entry “Dog Tired”.

3.  Nosy People. That’s right, this year we like nosy people.  Well, we appreciate them, maybe like is too strong?  Anyway, when you put yourself out there in any public way, there will always be people who don’t like or don’t get what you are doing.  Some of them will try to though, by asking innocent questions. Some will be kind of mean about it instead, trying to prove you wrong somehow.

Whatever the intention, their questions make us think and keep us on track so we are glad to hear them. Here are 2 of the most popular:    
  

3a.  “Why do you worry so much about animals?  There are PEOPLE who need help too you know!”  In reality, we did not dignify that one with a direct response.  We have covered this a million times over and if someone is really upset by it they would take the time to get to know us before they make that assumption, right?  So then they’d see the answer over and over again in what we do. 

I  probably summed up best in the “Would You Adopt This Dog?” post a while back, “There are so many people in the world who need help with life and death things; things out of our control like earthquakes and floods  and cancer. I am sure it is easy to forget about the animals if you are a person (we are not suggesting you do forget about those people things instead, by the way).  

It is just that it’s frustrating to know that society already has the power to make such an immediate difference in pet overpopulation and cruelty.  We don’t need to wait for the tide to recede or a cure to be found. It already exists in low-cost spay/neuter programs, stronger anti cruelty laws, better adoption screening, no-kill shelter models in WI, MN and  TX and even the dog tales we tell here.  We just need someone to adopt them.” 

Now do you get it?  If we can cross animal causes off thelist as “solved” there’d be even more energy for the people stuff. Pets could also serve as a cure for loneliness and complacency, don’t you think? Lots of people have those things, I hear.  For the record, we support many “human” charities privately; animal matters are just what you see on the business end.

3b. Speaking of the business end, “Why do you even have a ‘business end?”  Oh, you mean why do we sell T-shirts and stuff?  Simple-by doing that we raise more money for the cause than if we just dug into our own pockets. Or did you mean “Why publish a blog, or work on a book?”  Wait, how did you know about the book?  Yes, Mom is working on a book—that is totally her thing.  It is not the same as the blog stories but it is about animals. She is already a writer by definition in some of her day job and by writing for me. So why does she want to publish her own stuff?  The reason for the blog is pretty plainly states on my “Who is Shady” page. I’ll let Mom  answer the book stuff herself…

“Publishing is just another way to be heard.  I am not looking for someone to legitimize what I have to say or want to do by putting it on a shelf in a bookstore. I am just looking to find or convert more people to do it with me and to make a real dent in animal issues.   It’s a bit of a cliché really- in that I want to “to make a difference”.  The blog, Facebook and Twitter were only supposed to be marketing tools and to sell our TGTB products.  In a very short time, new friendships and emails in our inbox far outweighed the orders in the online store.  Our stories began to reach people in a positive way and they reached for their keyboards much faster than their wallets. 

Even better, they reached out to each other and to animals that needed them. They found comfort in our pet loss discussions.  No reason we cannot make that connection with more readers, right? The person that asked me this, well she may be not ever one of them but it isn’t any reason not to keep writing. I heard a quote recently that I wish I’d heard sooner because I would have used it to answer this question very succinctly.

‘What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.’ Albert Pine

Quotes are not unlike cliché’s.  They are popular and enduring with good reason. It’s because they are true. Animals and people I have met though TGTB have given me so much in this life.  I just want to (cliché warning) give back.  Why not try to do it on the grandest scale possible? Why not shoot for Oprah’s book club or the front shelves at Barnes and Noble and stop “preaching to the choir?”.   If I die with an unsold manuscript in my desk, so be it.  It won’t be a failure because I have already reaped the reward of my efforts in the results along the way and in the contentment of having a goal to work toward. “

Nice job, Mom.  If I may just add one comment to those who still don’t like or get what we are doing; at least we are doing something. You can tell us we should care about something and you’d be right—but no one can tell us what is right or wrong to care about.

 Mom and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving holiday and a safe long weekend. As some of you may already know, a gum infection and subsequent dental work has kept me and Mom pretty quiet for almost a month now, but she is finally feeling better.  We really appreciated the well wishes. Thank you for caring about us.

Author Shady is the proud blogdog for “This Good That Bad“, a company dedicated to helping shelters, animal rescues and other non-profits raise funds with their products.  She and her Mom  also sponsor contests and lend marketing support and advice to groups to help raise awareness for their causes on every level.