Mornin, Y'all... It's still early here in Simi but the weather forecast says we'll have yet another glorious day in our neck of the woods... HURRAH!
Yesterday was a very, very difficult day for my family and I... We received the confirmation that one of our rescues, Rogaine, has lymphosarcoma (cancer of the lymph nodes)... Our vet says it is a highly aggressive cancer found in dogs and without treatment, Rogaine has 4 to 6 weeks... This is absolutely turning our family's world upside down...
When I adopted Rogaine through one of our local rescue organizations, they thought he was a Hairless Chinese Crested because he came from a backyard breeder sweep that specialized in Cresteds... Later one vet told me he thought Rogaine was a Xolo and another vet said a Peruvian Inca Orchid... Dunno exactly what he is, but Rogaine is a one-of-a-kind dog no matter what...
With rescues, you just never know what you'll end up with for sure, other than they will indeed be very, very special... And Rogaine's exceeded that conception long ago...
We take our puppers with us whenever we RV and he has never failed to draw someone's attention whether it's at a rest stop along the way or an RV park... Little kids want to come up and feel his skin because the idea of a hairless dog fascinates them... Well, come to think of it, adults want to do the same thing as well...
They always ask me where I got Rogaine from and this allows me to talk about the value of rescuing an unwanted dog that needs a furever home... Some people think shelter and rescue dogs are 'junk' and 'less than'... I've had many dogs in my time - purebreds and non-purebreds alike... Both have pluses and minuses, but I've come to realize you can "buy" love, but with a rescue, you earn it... And oddly enough, they seem to have some inner instinct how lucky they are for you have chosen them, and bond closer to you...
Maybe you have to be 'beaten up by life' to appreciate the life of a rescue dog... If you've passed through life easily without the bumps and bruises I've encountered, maybe it's hard to relate to what a rescue dog goes through...
There are some that have already thought me a bit crazy to invest in chemo for Rogaine... "After all, he's just a rescued dog... you can always rescue another dog down the line, Linda"... I guess both parts of their statement are accurate, and it's probably hard for others to 'say the right thing' to me now also... Anyone who knows me, knows how much I care about our pupper crew...
As I hear about things that go on in our community, I sorta/kinda get disappointed at the human race... Learning about people leaving boxes of unwanted kittens at the front door of a local vet... Seeing a fella drive up in a beaten-up pickup truck, throw open his tailgate and pulling out two orange crates of puppies with the sign "Purebreds - Cheap - No Papers" sorta/kinda puts a burr underneath my saddle, ya know?...
What's wrong with our society that life is so disposable like this?
These companion animals aren't like disposable razors you use once or twice and then throw away... Lord have mercy - in Louisiana we treat our gators better than some people treat their pets!!... 'Course, Louisiana is the only place you go fishing with a shotgun in your boat, 'cause the gators are likely to follow your catch into your boat!
I've been watching the progress of AB 1634 with great interest for a few months... It only takes a few trips to a local rescue or the shelter to realize just how great the need for this bill is...
The buzz slogan now is 'living your life without a huge carbon footprint on life' and 'going green'... When does that get applied to the dogs (and cats) that are being born without a home?... And filling up the shelters like some living landfill?
I don't get it... I really don't... Do you?
Linda
P.S. If you want to learn more about AB 1634, you can surf over to the website at
http://www.cahealthypets.com/ - I sorta/kinda write like I think so if I ever confuse someone or don't make myself clear enough, you all need to tell me!