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Jim
Willis Made Me Do It - Part I
Your
Veterinary Medicine Guide's Story of Pet Adoption
by Janet Crosby Tobiassen
DVM
Part II of this story - Sophie
update
Many viewers
of the Veterinary Medicine site are familiar with Jim Willis - he is a
regular contributor of animal
stories, poems, and opinion pieces featuring animals and our care of them.
Additionally, I recently reviewed Willis'
book, "Pieces Of My Heart - Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature"
on this site.
At the end
of Willis' book, he offers suggestions for all degrees of involvement
-- starting with loving and exercising current pets in the household.
Donations of food, time, and money to local shelters and rescue groups
are also very much needed by shelters everywhere.
Taking this
to heart, I decided to donate some pet food to my local shelter. I have
to be honest... I was a little intimidated by the thought. I have, of
course, worked with shelters and rescue animals over the years, and quite
frankly, it can be depressing. Too many animals. Too few homes. I wasn't
sure if I could resist all of those faces in need of a home. We already
have double-digit pets (OK, so I am counting my beloved chickens, but
chickens count!) and a very busy home life, so I wasn't exactly shopping
for another pet.
Thinking
ahead, I decided that my husband, Brent, would be a good person for this
effort. He would donate the food, go about his other errands, and a good
deed would be accomplished. I would continue to work on getting more
involved. Start with food.
Brent dropped
the food off. No problem.
<= Meet
Sophie.
Yes, Brent
donated the food. Then he proceeded to tell me about a very sweet dog;
tail wagging, calm, looking up so earnestly at him...
That was
all I needed to hear. We went down the next day and adopted "Sophie".
She was a stray found running the streets, not spayed, and about six months
old. Very sweet. Excellent with our small kids. She had that "I'm
so grateful" look that rippled all through her body.
I
was pleasantly surprised by the shelter >>>
Page 1, 2
MORE:
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- as featured in The Viewer Viewpoint
Text and photos: Copyright © Janet Tobiassen Crosby. All rights reserved.
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