Thank you for what you do.

    Our prime purpose in life is to help others, 
                 and if you can't help them, 
                   at least don't hurt them.  

                                                            Dalai Lama

This quote came across my computer yesterday and got me to thinking.

I want to take a moment this morning to thank all of those people who are helping dogs.  When I look at the big picture, there are just so many people out there who really care.  From the Veterinarians who are going against common practice to do what is right.  The positive trainers who refuse to choke and yell at dogs.  The foster parents who take in the strays and care for them when they most need it.  The pet store owners who are taking a stand and not selling crap to people and their dogs.  The dog food companies who are making great food for our dogs and not cutting corners to save money.  I THANK YOU.

I was sitting here with my two twitching away in their dreams and thinking about a very harsh local trainer.   I've seen him in action and it makes me shudder.  While thinking about how he is even still in business I stopped and shook off all the negative.  I redirected my focus on the good, much more positive.  I am happy to say that there are far more positive trainers than harsh conventional ones now.  It really does boggle my mind that the conventional ones are still out there though.  But onto the positive.  The positive trainers take the time to learn how to best communicate with our dogs.  They understand how dogs learn and work to build the relationship between human and dog.  They have a huge bag of tricks and know how to get to what makes your dog tick.  They love dogs and do not want to hurt or dominate them.  Kudos to all of you PR trainers.

The Veterinarians who say "no."  They are not going to push horrible food on unsuspecting owners and not going to tell owners to keep doing things that we are finding out are really dangerous.  The Vets who go above and beyond to find the answers.  Those who have open minds and search for the newest information coming out.  The Vets who know that there are better ways.  The Veterinarians who really care, I mean actually care about the animals.  Before the money, ahead of the protocol; they put the animals first.  THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.

What about the small food companies who strive to go the opposite way of the big guys.  They search for the best products, find ways to get the best to our dogs without sacrificing quality.  It can be a struggle to do it all right but they wade through the battle and come out with a great product for our dogs.  They are the little guys and if you feed your dog pre-made food; then this is who you should be supporting.  Not the big guys who pump out whatever just to make a buck.  It is the big guys that are making your dogs sick.  Thank you little guys.

How about the dog sitters and walkers who actually care?  Those are the jewels in a bag full of stones. Believe me when I say, I have heard many a horror story about people left to take care for dogs.  When you find a good dog sitter or walker, one who cares for a dog like it is their own; reward them.  Like any profession in life, there are the top notch performers right down to the worst.  Someone out there has the worst pet care person.  The good ones are worth their weight in gold.  I truly respect these gems.

Now onto the canine foster parents.  I have such respect for the ones that do it right.  This too has the good and bad but when a dog foster parent does it right it is amazing.  A foster parent can make such a difference in a dog's life.  They can take an abandoned and frightened animal and transform them into a trusting companion for a new family.  A canine foster parent gives, they take little for themselves but the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped a life.  These people are selfless and have my greatest respect.

To the wonderful groomers out there that take the time needed to make a dog comfortable. The ones who are patient and kind with respect to a dogs emotions, thank you.  There are good groomers with regard to quality of clip and then there are the ones who really care about the dog under the fur.  The groomers who take a special concern for the dogs and  don't just pump them out assembly line style.  Those are the great groomers.

Lots of people work with dogs; a select few work with care and compassion, heart for what they do.  There is a true difference in working with dogs for a buck and loving working with dogs.  The difference can easily be seen if you look and watch closely.

To all the people out there who have broken free from the rules and regulations to do it right; THANK YOU.   For those who take the high road and move away from the pack to go a new and better way; THANK YOU.  For all of the wonderful humans out there that do even the smallest act towards helping dogs to have a better life; I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH.

Afterall; dogs are in our hands, shouldn't we do our best for them?