THE GRINCH THAT STOLE BUSINESS

It takes a special kind of human to hit an animal.  My foster mom (Jet) says there’s a special place in hell for these humans. I gather from Jet’s tone that hell is a very, very crummy place.

One of the other ways humans hurt creatures, especially a lot of dogs, is dumping them because they can no longer afford to keep them. Nationwide, 84 percent of shelters and rescue groups last year reported increased numbers of family pets being given up or just abandoned. Some shelters have seen an increase of 9% to more than 20% of abandoned family pets in their area. What would possess a human to leave a family member behind? Would you leave your son behind or abandon your daughter? We are ‘family’ members just like your kids.

Humans say they can’t afford to keep us and blame the situation on the economy.  The economy doesn’t dump dogs; people do.

I asked Jet about the economy issue.  She said that small businesses (about 29.6 million of them) are the backbone of America’s revenue-generating, job-stimulating economy.  The problem, she noted, is that it is tough for small firms to get capital or grow in such an un-stabile environment.

“What is this Grinch that stole business,” I ask?

It appears that some humans blame it on politicians and government regulations.  I blame it on the humans that vote for leaders and then don’t hold them accountable for making better decisions that help our country’s businesses and economy.  (Okay, I might have gotten this last comment from Jet.)

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Dumping a dog is not the fault of a bad economy anymore than a lousy economy is the fault of a lousy law or regulation.  It’s about humans that don’t have the backbone (and I know bones) to do the right thing.  Next time you hear someone say they may need to give up their dog or abandon their cat because of the economy, remind them a bad economy is an excuse but it takes a bad human to dump an animal. Consider living leaner.  You’ll save money to survive in tough times and save your ‘family’ pet too.

Okay, the question of the day is from Jastus who asked:  Dear Parker, I am looking for happy stories to share with humans that would motivate them to adopt a dog that needs a home.

Dear Jastus:

I’ve got just what you need.  There is a wonderful rescue program called Last Chance Highway.  Send every human you know to the link below to view Last Chance Highway’s top 10 rescue stories.  It will surely twist their heart into action – directly to a local rescue shelter.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/last-chance-highway/home-adoption-stories/home-adoption-stories.html

THE WILL OR THE WAVE

You may recall the story about David versus Goliath.  Jet, my foster mom, has a preacher guy called Charles Swindoll (I call him Pastor Yoda) because he tells stories that make him sound wise. Pastor Yoda talked about this little guy called David who fought a giant Philistine named Goliath.  Representing Israel and King Saul’s army, David was a normal man and fought with stones and a slingshot whereas Goliath was over nine feet tall and had all sorts of armor and weapons.  The odds were in Goliath’s favor - tenfold. David won.

I was reminded of this story when I heard about a little Yorkshire Terrier-Poodle mix named Bentley who fell off his master’s sailboat.  Despite all odds, the dog, without the benefit of any life raft, managed to dog paddle hard enough against the current and long enough over the waves to stay alive until his humans could rescue him.  The odds were in the wave’s favor - tenfold.  The dog won.

If I were a betting dog, I’d be broke right now.  There is no way I would have put money down on David or Bentley.  So how is it that all the odds can be against these guys and they still win?  I thought about all the weeks I was living on the streets after being abandoned by my owners.  I had no real survival skills, no shelter; no source of food or water and often fought off bigger dogs while dodging coyotes.  I won.  That’s when I realized a face off between life’s big waves and a warrior’s great will often yields astonishing results.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… No matter the hardship, whether dog or human, you’d be surprised what can be done when the will is bigger than the wave.  Next time you face a challenge, imagine it as a wave and dog paddle with all your might. Despite the odds, the will can win over the wave.

Okay, the question of the day is from Piper who asked:  Dear Parker, I hate to sound like a diva but I feel so much more special when I get to wear my coat.  It makes me feel like a princess. See photo.  I know you’re friend Nokona likes to say, “It’s good to be me” but every time I put the coat on I like to say, “It’s good to know me” because I just look so stunning when I wear it.  Is this what humans call vanity?

Dear Piper:

Yes.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE KNOWS ‘SPECIAL’

If you can remember Shirley Temple, you’re old.  As I’ve learned though, good things are timeless, even to a dog, so it seemed this little movie maven made for a great blog topic today. One of the best Shirley Temple dialogues is a movie scene where she’s talking about her duck.

“My duck is special,” Temple says to a lady.

The lady skeptically asks, “Why?”

Shirley says, “Because my duck can lay an egg.”

The lady responds a little smugly, “What’s so wonderful about that?”

Without a pause, Shirley Temple emphatically notes, “Well, can you lay an egg?”

Sometimes it seems that humans are so obsessed with the special things they manufacture (sci-fi movie sets, interactive videos) that they fail to see what is special about what God has manufactured. Is a 3-D movie more special than a duck that can lay an egg?  Is a talking robot more special than a dog that knows when its master is about to have an epileptic attack?  Is the discovery of prehistoric bones more special than the creation of these incredible beasts?  Is a humans’ ability to change clothes to adapt to their environment more special than a gecko’s ability to change colors to match its surroundings?

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Humans can do amazing things. Disneyland is a perfect example of what special experiences can be fabricated by the human imagination.  Even a dog realizes this is so.  However, if you’re really looking for ‘special’ then look no further than the creatures around you.  Humans cannot possibly manufacturer anything as special as nature.  So take time out on the side effects of special effects and get back to what is really special in life.

Okay, the question of the day is from Tippy who asked:  Dear Parker, what does embarrassed mean?  My dad (Ted) turned as red as a macaque.  (See photo in case you don't know what a macaque looks like.) My poodle friend says Ted's redness is caused by being embarrassed.

Dear Tippy:

I'd say your poodle pal is correct.  Ted turned red because he was embarrassed. Essentially, humans are embarrassed when another human says something that other humans are thinking but would never say out loud.

WHAT IS HATE?

I was scouting out new smells in the backyard over the weekend when suddenly I heard a real ruckus in the house.  It’s funny that humans think barking dogs are so loud and disruptive because, in general, we make a lot less noise than humans.

When I ran in the house to determine what was going on, the news was blaring on the TV (more noise) about one human using a gun to shoot a lot of other humans in a place called Arizona.  I know about guns because Jet (my foster mom) and I talked about them.  She has rules about guns like, “Keep the safety on until you are ready to use the gun”; “If you intend to shoot an animal, it better be for food or the animal should be allowed to shoot back".

From what I understood, some whacked yahoo just walked up to some people and a Congresswoman (this is a human that lives in one place but works in a giant white house in a village called D.C.) and started shooting.  When I asked Jet why he shot the people, she just said because he hated what they stood for; hated what they represent.

What is hate?

Jet said ‘hate’ was like a unique poison that gets inside of humans sometimes.  Once inside, the poison sort of kills the loving and kindness parts of the human, leaving angry cells that attack everything they see and hear.  One time, my beagle friend Louie got in to a poison called Anti-freeze and nearly died.  It sounds like the poison called ‘hate’ is much more deadly.  

It’s funny.  Dogs don’t hate.  Dogs don’t know hate.  They may attack another dog or human but it is out of fear, not hate.  Perhaps humans are not so different and they shoot each other because of fear that is so intense that it fuels hate cells that attack the goodness inside them.  Sort of sounds like a kind of cancer.  Hmmm, I wondered if their is an antidote.

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Hate seems to be a poison that humans ingest not acquire.  They get it through their ears when they hear certain types of sick humans; through their eyes when they watch certain types of sick humans.  My lesson?  Humans need to be more selective about who they hang out with or risk getting hate poison.

Okay, the question of the day is from Spitz who asked:  Dear Parker, I love the winter weather.  I’m a Husky breed and have thick fur made for the cold so it makes me happy when my humans let me play outside during this time of year.  The problem? My best friend Allie lives next door and he is freezing most days.  He’s a little fox terrier and easily gets too cold.  How long should a dog like Allie stay outside in winter?  We need to tell his humans.

Dear SPITZ:

How thoughtful of you to look out for your friend Allie.  Some dogs like you, have fur designed for the cold; many do not.  Dogs left outside in cold weather should have:

• Shelter

It should have a floor and a design that minimizes any draft. Insulated shelters are a must and I also recommend a padded blanket of some type on the floor of the shelter or a heated hot water bottle inside a blanket on the floor.

• Water

Make sure the water source is some place where it will not freeze.

Some dogs should not be left outside in really cold weather so make sure your human friends talk to a veterinarian to be sure they are doing the right thing to protect their dogs in winter.

… And thank you for being such a good friend to Allie.

LANDING ON YOUR FEET

I’m watching a National Geographic’ special on cats: lions and house cats.  Normally I wouldn’t bother.  I’m a dog and I find the aloof behavior of most cats rather annoying. Recently I helped Jet rescue a cat that turned out to be a real whack job that didn’t do anything to endear me to feline types.  I named the rescued cat Frat because his crazy head hair made him look like a grumpy college fraternity guy that just rolled out of bed after an all night study session with a keg. He’s camera shy so I made a rough sketch of the nut-case cat (below).

Now, back to the TV show.  This particular Nat Geo segment was showing the development of a cat fetus during every stage of the womb.  The tiny fetuses looked like gummy worms.  Although playing with cats is not something I have any interest in doing, I did found their development in the womb simply fascinating and their unique capabilities interesting.  For example, a cat's acute auditory capabilities enable them to hear a tiny mouse up to 30’ away.  Cats know if a container does not touch their facial whiskers that they are likely to be able to fit inside it; they can withstand an ugly fall and always land on their feet.

Jet, my foster mom, says more humans could use these ‘land on your feet’ skills.  I agree.  I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all but it seems most humans lack the fundamentals to recover from life’s hard falls.  This seems to apply to humans trying to survive the wilderness and the streets.

Test your survival capabilities in the wilderness:

1.    Can you build a fire?

2.    Can you build a shelter

3.    Can you effectively signal for help?

4.    Can you find/secure food and water?

5.    Do you know fundamental first aid skills?

I’ll bet most of my human readers would not survive five days in the wilderness. Would you?

Test your survival capabilities on the streets (of business and life):

• Could you reduce your business overhead 30% if you had to?

• Do you have at least 6 months of capital/savings to support yourself and

   your company during times of economic loss?

• If you’re job looking (or trying to avoid losing your job) are you

  demonstrating the skills employers want but seldom see these days? Specifically,  

  Innovation, Adaptability and Resourcefulness (doing more with less; creative problem 

  solving)

So, here’s my lesson of the day… Dogs, because of humans, survive on the streets every day.  It’s hard and awful but we do it.  Perhaps humans need to do the same for one week out of every year.  This would remind humans of two things: one, their survival skills are not up to par which is why they often don’t land on their feet in tough times and two, abandoning an animal to live on the streets is wrong.

Okay, the question of the day is from Jake who asked:  Dear Parker, “What is God?”

Dear Jake:

God is part Isaac Newton – an inventor – and part Coco Chanel – a designer.  Only everything God makes is perfect.