This is National Puppy Day. Not an officially-sanctioned day, just something Colleen Paige dreamed up in 2006 to call attention to dogs and the joy and love they bring to people. AND to make more people aware of the horrors of puppy mills–the more than 8,000 backyard breeders and puppy mills in the U.S. that supply pet stores. At these places, dogs are often kept in unsanitary, cruel conditions, then killed when they can no longer produce puppies. The motto for today is “Adopt Instead of Shop!”
I agree with that. Here’s a picture of my 10-year-old “ooops” puppy (adopted from a family). Her name is Riley Casey O’Donnell. She, like all my dogs before her, is a constant lesson on how to give unconditional love, even when the recipient doesn’t seem to deserve it.
