For every dog searching trash cans for breakfast - a full bowl with his name printed in bright letters.
For every dog who slept fitfully last night, chained in a frozen yard - a soft, warm bed with a
person snoring gently nearby.
For every shelter dog, spending New Year's Eve in a soiled run - a forever home, filled with sounds
and smells of family.
For every "Christmas" puppy given - a tolerant, caring owner who won't abandon you as you grow
into a real dog.
For every ailing pet - enough money for your owner to pay the bills to make you well.
For every lost dog - a clear, safe road, and well marked path, to lead you home.
For every old and tired friend - a warm fire, and a soft bed, to ease your aches and pains. _______________________
YOUR DOG
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He
will be yours faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Anonymous
Our peacock, Apu, shows off for Kella and Sinchi Roca
Our daughter-in-law Lorena with the first newborns in the family
Our two Persian cats grew up with our Chihuahuas and don't know they are different
The History Place - Great Speeches Collection
George Graham Vest - Tribute to the Dog
George Graham Vest (1830-1904) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators
and debaters of his time. This delightful speech is from an earlier period in his life when he practiced law in a small Missouri
town. It was given in court while representing a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored
the testimony, and when his turn came to present a summation to the jury, he made the following speech and won the case.
________________________________________________
Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter
that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with
our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from
him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people
who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice
when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that
never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in
sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near
his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters
with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert,
he remains. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey
through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher
privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene
of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other
friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but
open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death. --- George Graham Vest - c. 1855
.
The number of dogs worldwide is
estimated at 400 million, roughly the human population of the United States and Mexico combined.
A dog’s nose has roughly 220
million olfactory receptors, 40 times as many as humans have.
Dogs can hear frequencies up to
45,000 Hz, about twice as high as humans can.
"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." -
Harry S. Truman
