Favorite Video Friday – Puppies, Kitties and Mirrors
After two long weeks of worrying about mom and praying for her recover, she is finally out of the hospital and now in transitional care helping her to get stronger so she can go home. Yay!
She is somewhat of a miracle woman. Her surgeon, a specialist in gastroenterology, has only seen what she had one other time in his career. It is called a paraesophageal hernia, which is a rarer form of a hiatus hernia. Blood supply was being cut off to her stomach, so immediate surgery was the only option. Because of her age, they were very concerned about her ability to recover, but her daily workouts are what brought her through. She was much stronger than they expected.
Anyways, she is on the road to recovery, so I think it’s a day to celebrate and laugh. Being able to laugh in times of worry and fear is a luxury, so we need to enjoy these moments when we can.
Today’s video is full of silly little puppies and kitties encountering a mirror for the first time. I am sure you can guess what happens, but the giggles and silliness is definitely worth watching. I hope it starts your day off with a smile.
Happy Friday everyone!
Getting a pet should require more forethought than a last minute gift idea.
I recently watched an adorable video on Life With Dogs featuring puppies playing amongst Christmas presents. I’m not going to lie. I was conflicted. The video was absolutely adorable, but a part of me worried that people would come away thinking that getting a puppy for Christmas was a good idea. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people comment on the cuteness of the video, but also include a statement reminding people not to purchase or adopt a pet for a Christmas present. I wish more people would heed this advice.
Recently, I was reminded of the importance of this message when a friend sent me an email regarding a co-worker who was looking for a new home for a relative’s Sheltie. The dog in question had been purchased as a gift by adult children for their elderly father, who was already suffering the beginning stages of dementia. The dog was supposed to become a beloved companion for the father as he declined in health. Amazingly questionable logic isn’t it? Why give a dog to someone who won’t be able to care for it in the future? Why put a dog in a home to become attached to someone knowing that some day soon they will have to be separated? I cannot fathom why someone would choose to do this, but they did.
Sadly, this is story is not all that uncommon. I still remember the little ball of fluff (a cute little Yorkie puppy) that was surrendered at our shelter a few years ago because the daughter it had been purchased for did not want it. The parents had spent nearly $1000 on a gift that could not be returned to the store like any other Christmas or birthday gift (although I would argue that surrendering a puppy at a shelter might as well be considered like any other gift – returnable, expendable, exchangeable).
I know that somewhere this Christmas some child or girlfriend or elderly parent will receive a pet as a gift. It’s a reality I accept. I just hope that THIS pet will be treated as the living, breathing being that it is, and respected and loved and cared for – for ALL of it’s life and not just for the short time in which it is a gift. Getting a pet should require more forethought than a last minute gift idea.
Note: I wrote a post back in 2009 listing the reasons why getting a pet for Christmas is a bad idea. I think it is still applicable today.
Favorite Video Friday – Cats Just Sittin’ Around
This week’s Favorite Video Friday continues the our cat theme from Wordless Wednesday. I found the fist video quite some time ago but was saving it for a special day. Then, I happened across the second video and couldn’t resist sharing both of them together. You’ll see why when you watch them.
Personally, the first one is my favorite one, despite being a bit blurry, the music is so perfect that it makes me laugh every time I watch it. I hope you do too. Enjoy!