RETURN TO SENDER

I was watching the news recently about the brouhaha about the seven-year-old Russian kid who was adopted by a US mom and then “returned” back to Russia like a bad store purchase.

The adopting monster (oops – Freudian slip), the adopting mother said the kid had behavioral problems. Who doesn’t? I’ve seen adults with more behavioral problems than any unruly kid. My foster mom (Jet) says she dated a few of these Peter Pan delinquents. Hmmm.

My foster mom also says there’s a special place in you-know-where for people like the ‘mother’ of the Russian kid. I’m not sure what she means by this but her tone makes it clear that the “where” is not a fun place to be.

It’s sad to see a kid put in such a terrible situation. Imagine how he feels now: unloved, unwanted, unworthy. Now, try to translate this in to my world. I was abandoned and when I ended up in the pound, I met so many dogs that were ‘returned to sender’ and then ditched all together. Imagine how we feel when this happens: unloved, unwanted, unworthy.

In my neighborhood, Jet has two friends (Todd and Sam) that adopted two dogs. They’re much better now but holy macaroni they were a tough, unruly handful at first. Todd and Sam never gave up though. They loved them, encouraged them and never returned them. Kudos for parents like this!

Adoption is a big deal. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dog or a child. However, I encourage all humans to “do” it not “try” it.

Okay, gotta run but first a question from Hula who asked: My family and I are from Hawaii. Now we live in Vegas. It’s hot and dry and I miss the ocean (is she ever going to get to the question?) so my question (finally!) is, what can I do to get over the homesickness?

Dear Hula:
First, make sure you’re homesick and not seasick. My friend traveled from Maui and the trip to the mainland was a – a bear. In any case, here’s what I recommend. Visit the lovely Sands hotel. It’s the closest you’re going to get to the sand for a while and though not a substitute for a run on a beach, it is such a nice resort and the service is so good that you’re likely to forget Hawaii for a few hours. Next, go online and converse with some of your pigeon-talking buddies. Skype is free and you can hear the local language first hand. Finally, remember that home is where the dog is and since you are now in Vegas, it’s just as much your home as the beautiful shores of Hawaii.


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