The gift that keeps on giving

Instead of a typical gift (i.e. stuff that is ultimately going to end up in a landfill), why not make a donation in someone's name instead? I highly recommend Fences for Fido, particularly: Smokey's Fund. It provides "comprehensive veterinary care and medications for dogs who have lived for more than 5 years chained; Helps facilitate the rescue & adoption of these dogs by a loving family; Supports educational efforts about the physical suffering and illnesses that result from dogs being chained."

• $ 20.00 A bag of dog food for a hungry fido
• $ 50.00 A doghouse for warmth, day and night
• $ 150.00 Spay or neuter and basic veterinary care
• $ 250.00 Critical veterinary care or training
• $ 300.00 Fences for a small yard
• $ 600.00 Fences for a medium yard
• $ 1,000.00 Fences for a large yard

You can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring, monthly contribution. Every little bit helps. And if you've got the time, please volunteer for Fences for Fido. It's getting colder, and there are still a lot of dogs out there who need shelter.

This organization means a lot to me because My sister and I rescued a chained dog about ten years ago. He was an 11 year old Golden Retriever named Chester (who we called Uncle Wooly), and he spent over half his life chained to a tree in his front yard. We would hear him howling out there all the time and started making plans to steal him. Fortunately, Chester's family had to move and "couldn't" take him with, so we jumped at the chance to save him.

Chester weighed over 100 lbs when he joined our pack, from years of gorging himself on cheap Winco dog food. We got his weight down and he settled in just fine at our house. He ganged up with Tank and Luke, and the three of them had so much fun, I started calling them the three stooges. 

Unfortunately, in March of 2004, we found out Chester was dying of liver cancer. We managed his pain with morphine and special food, and he never once lost that smile. He stayed cheerful, goofy Chester up until the very end. He died two months later.

We didn't have him as long as we wanted, but we're still grateful for that little time we had because we were able to give him a warm, happy home with lots of friends to play with and lots of love. Just think of the difference you could make in the life of a dog like Chester, either by donating time or money for this organization or even by adopting a senior dog. 

Spend your money on something worthwhile and make this 30-day long fake smile of a holiday actually mean something this year. 

We still miss you, Chester.  Love you always.