Busy Day at the SPCA

Well, the day was busy, though I only snapped four dogs at the SPCA.  But they were delightful doggies.

Clay

The dogs talk to me when I'm taking their pictures.  Not with words, of course, and some tell me more than others.  The most talkative today was the doxie, Clay, and he was hilarious.  I tied a big bow around his middle, rather than  his neck, and he was fascinated by it.  He ran around with it on, then he got on my little stage and threw himself upside down, working the bow to his underside.  Then he hung there, grinning at me, as if to say, "Look what I did !"  He ran in and out of that bow for about ten minutes, making me laugh as I snapped away.

I also met Serena today. What a lovely little lady.  I think she has some Newfoundland in her, as well as Labrador, and she's beautiful.  She's recovering from heart worm treatment, though, so I had to be careful not to get her overheated or too tired. She was simply lovely and gracious.

Then I met the little chihuahua, Princess, who was dignified nearly the entire time holding the perfect pose, until she relaxed her guard and lowered her head to her paws, letting me stroke her forehead.  That's when I saw the real soul inside.

And then there was Mila, who's still a youngster.  She was lovely, too, and she did the head tilt for me--I just love that pose.  What a good girl.  :-)

I've been re-reading a book I read some time ago--DOMINION, by Matthew Scully.  It's about how God gave us dominion over the earth, but ours is to be a benevolent dominion.  A person who is cruel to animals lacks compassion in his soul, and a person who is kind to animals is showing benevolent stewardship and honors his or her creator.  I wish you'd read this book--I think it will open your eyes to many things you may not have considered.

Mila

Princess

Serena

And today I leave you with the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman: "Now what is it that moves our very hearts and sickens us so much at cruelty shown to poor brutes? They have done us no harm and they have no power of resistance; it is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are the victims which make their sufferings so especially touching. Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God . . . There is something so very dreadful, so Satanic, in tormenting those who have never harmed us, who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power."

~~Angie