My dream...

My dream, as unrealistic as it may seem, is to help each and every animal have a loving home. It would be fabulous is this dream was attainable, but sadly it would mean that every single person would need to own several animals, and lets face it, that just won't happen. When people start their search for a pet, it usually starts with a fad, some Hollywood star carries around a chihuahua, suddenly everyone wants one, breeders go into overdrive and charge enormous amount of money, mean while a sad "mix" dog sits in a cold kennel scared and alone. Soon after a certain kind of dog is highlighted in a movie, and the process starts again. But now that people have moved on the chihuahua fad has ended and many of those are sent to shelters and often euthanized. It's a vicious cycle. One that will sadly probably never end.
Another problem is that once a dog has outlived its usefulness people tend to put it to the side. Many people surrender their elderly pets to make room for a new puppy or kitten. The old pet will most likely not be adopted and the be euthanized. They once were a beloved pet, now sitting on a cold slab, wondering what they had done wrong and why their family left them there to die. Part of my long range plan is to help as many elderly, tossed away pets as I can feel love in their final days. They deserve to know that someone loved them right to the very end. Even in shelters, puppies and kittens get picked first. One day...I will be able to do something, one day I will cater to elderly pets that have been tossed away.
My dog, Maya, was the very first dog that was mine, not a family dog, but mine. She was a sweet little chihuahua, that was so very smart. She would play dead if I said, "BANG!" She could dance, sit, high five and sing. She died last year at the age of 14. It was because of her, that I realized that so many older pets suffer a worse fate then the rest. She had lost her sight, most of her hearing and arthritis in her back, when she walked she would spin circles and sometimes bang into things. We loved her until her to her very last breath and love her still. When we made that awful trip to the vets office, she did something she hadn't done in quite a few months, she wagged her tail like crazy and howled and squealed, like she often did when she was excited. She was happy, she was happy that we had made the choice to end her suffering, even though we would miss her so. We knew we were doing the right thing. She's is why when we visit the local animal shelter that I look at the old dogs first.
So think about an elderly dog, even if it's for a short time, at least they will know love before they die.