Fireworks are in the sky right now, and a lot of dogs are probably hiding under the bed, or maybe in the bathtub. Holidays can be hard on dogs; they don’t know what on earth is going on, they just know that there are a lot of people milling around and a lot of unfamiliar, loud noises. That said, the adoptable dogs of Helping Hounds marched in our local Fourth of July parade today, and several of them had the time of their lives.
Dogs at even the best rescue organization (and Helping Hounds is pretty awesome) get a little starved for attention, and these dogs drank up the attention of the dozens of adoring children who took time out from their frantic candy gathering to say hello. A lot of them were so happy they tried to pretend they weren’t exhausted at the end of the parade and keep on visiting. We put on a good show, we got a lot of applause, and by the time I left there were three adoptions and one new foster home.
These are the times when I don’t have to worry about getting bitter. Sometimes I can even get to hoping that there are enough homes for all the homeless companion animals out there, and we just have to get out and find them. More and more, I think people are realizing that the best place to get a dog is not a pet store (most of those puppies come from mills, don’t get me started) or a breeder (there are some fantastic, conscientious breeders out there, but watch out for genetic disorders) but your local shelter or rescue. As with thrift store clothes, some of the best things in life come second hand.
