Archive for September, 2009

The Shelter Pet Project

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

I’ve been a fan of Maddies Fund, a San Francisco-based foundation that gives grants for community-based pet adoption initiatives nationwide, for a number of years. Maddie’s Fund was started by the Duffield family, founders of PeopleSoft, in memory of their beloved Miniature Schnauzer, Maddie. Maddie’s legacy now includes The Shelter Pet Project, a collaboration between Maddies Fund, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Ad Council, to increase adoptions of shelter pets. (more…)

Walk with an Old Dog – a poem for pet loss

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

A few years ago, my veterinarian began taking a digital photo of each patient. The photo became part of the pet’s record, printing out on the bills and progress reports during our all-too-frequent vet visits during Emily’s last years. Emily was camera-shy, and the photo is a bit blurry as Emily turned her head away. As a final thoughtful gesture after Emily died, the vet mailed me a laminated keepsake of Emily’s photo, along with a comforting poem.

Emily's pet memorial from her caring vet

Emily's pet memorial from her caring vet

The poem, authored by Gayl Jokiel, reads as follows: (more…)

Remembering old dogs

Friday, September 11th, 2009

This week a friend made a generous donation to a fundraising campaign, Paws on a Mission  for our hospital therapy dog program. Instead of honoring Alex, who is one of the “furry fundraisers” with his very own fundraising page, she chose to make her donation in memory of my beloved spaniels, Byron and Emily. This thoughtful gesture brought tears to my eyes, but it also warmed my heart. Once more, I felt the power of dogs to bring out the best in each of us. Once more, I experienced the gifts that they give, even in death.

Emily in the sunlight

Emily in the sunlight