Lubbock Christmas Gift Idea Numero Dos - Date with a Dog (The Haven)

Ok, it's not really a date with a dog - it's a calendar that features adorable animals from a really great non-profit, no-kill shelter just outside of Lubbock. The calendars are only $10 and the proceeds go to  helping the Haven do what it does - care for and find new homes for our local homeless pet population. You can purchase them through Paypal or you can swing by to get yours. At $10, you can afford one for almost everyone on your list.

The Haven

For those of you who have no wall space but plenty of closet space, you can also pick up your Haven T-Shirts for $10 each.

You know there's someone on your list that needs this shirt!

 

May your shopping make a difference for pets in need.

 

 

Thankful 2015: A very incomplete MH list

 

for people who fight to improve our world, to conserve and protect nature, and to serve those in need

 

for people who strive for better (rather than more)

 

for each day I have the opportunity and the health to ride a bike and leave the car behind

 

for every great blue heron, horny toad, and possum that (safely) crosses my path

 

for people who rescue strays and strays who rescue people

 

for a season of learning to garden

 

for pipelines not built

 

for the freedom and opportunity to write this blog

 

for each and every person who takes time to read this blog

 

for those who invest in and develop clean energy

 

for those who acknowledge man-made climate change and work to slow it

 

for everyone who reduces consumption, who recycles, who repurposes

 

for family, friends, and my amazing wife who tolerate my MH nagging

 

for people who believe differently but seek common ground

 

for my Savior who sustains me

 

May your thanks list completely overwhelm your adversity list. Thank you, friends!

Lubbock Giving: Operation Wishbone - The Haven and Second Chance Dog Rescue

Here is the flyer

 I stopped by Mr. Aquarium yesterday - 34th Street is blessed with a lot of great businesses - Jenny came right over with a flyer and asked me to spread the word. She knows that my wife and I are dedicated to the idea of supporting no-kill shelters in their quest to make life better for the thousands of cast-aside pets our town sees every year.

From this 2013 Avalanche-Journal Article about local adoption and kill rates

We killed almost 24,000 from 2010-2012

In this season of cold and hunger, please set aside a little to help these shelters care for Lubbock's homeless pets. 

Our Condo in his dino pjs

Link to the Haven

Second Chance Dog Rescue (Snyder, TX) can be found on Facebook.

May your life be richer for what you give away.

Lubbock Pets: An Apology, A Great Event, and two horrific incidents

This is Brian and Puddy. (Brian is the tall one)

First, the apology: My friend Brian is a guy who is passionate about improving conditions for unwanted pets. He volunteers for the Haven here in Lubbock, a no-kill animal shelter that does a great job of housing and re-homing unwanted pets. This weekend the Haven held its annual Strut for the Mutts event to raise funds for this valuable and noble cause. The apology is to you, to Brian, and to the Haven for not getting the word out earlier about the event. I want this blog to be a place that supports local people who are working for good, and I am very sorry for overlooking this event.

So, please know that the Haven is a great place that does a great job in the face of overwhelming odds. And they could use help. Volunteers, cash donations, food and pet supply donations, and adoptions - these are all gladly accepted.

Here is a page from their website that lets you know ways you can help: http://www.havenacs.org/main.asp?id=44   Please consider doing something to help the Haven and other no-kill shelters to accomplish great things for these unfortunate outcasts from our careless consumer society.

Changing gears, there is a really great young man in our neighborhood who likes to take our Sasha running a few times per week. They go for a two-mile run in the evening and both have a wonderful time. A few weeks ago, they were running near our house and had something horrible happen. As they were running past an alley, a pair of large strays came running out at them just as a pickup came driving by. The truck hit one of the dogs and killed it instantly. The other dog ran away. The young man driving the pickup stopped, but there was little to be done. Animal control was called and came by to pick the poor thing up.

Yesterday, I had almost the same thing happen. I was going for my daily bike ride. A chihuahua, a family pet, came running out into the road to bark at me just as a red Pontiac came flying by. The dog was killed almost instantly. The Pontiac came to a stop a few feet away, honked the horn, and then sped off. The family came out. We were all horrified.

It's easy to look the other way, but we have an epidemic of animals roaming our streets, Please spay or neuter your pets, please stop supporting dog and cat breeders who contribute to the overpopulation, and please make sure that you are equipped and committed to care for a pet before bringing one home.

May the pets around you have long and wonderful lives.

For Lubbock Animal Lovers: Support Your Local No-Kill Shelters

Kylie

Mattie

These two cuties are Kylie Minogue and Matilda Dundee. They wandered up to my mother's house a few weeks ago. These two young sisters are inseparable and they are great fun to have around. We figure they are 3-4 months old. Both are smart and are learning quickly. Kylie loves being held like a baby. Mattie likes to he held, but would rather play fetch.

So, what are they doing on Mesquite Hugger? Like millions of other dogs and cats in Texas, these two were strays who would have ended up being put to death merely for existing. We brought them home so that we can find them a better life.

Strays are not a small problem. They are an epidemic worldwide. And the reason I bring this up today, is to show support for some of the people in our area who are working diligently to find homes for strays.

This post showed up on Reddit recently: Hello fellow Lubbockites! The Haven Animal shelter needs your help! If you have the means, please consider this very worthy cause, please spay or neuter your pets, and if you are looking for a new family member, adopt an animal in need.

Here's a link to an earlier MH post on the same subject: Sashadoption

May you and yours find love in all the right places!

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then I want to go where they went." Will Rogers

There is a statue on the Texas Tech campus. The statue is of Will Rogers and his horse. I have walked, driven, or bicycled past that statue hundreds of times, but I know little of Will and his country wit. I do, however, often run across quotes that make me like him all the better.

I had a lot of  time over the weekend to hang out with the dogs: Condo, Sasha, and Maya at our house; Quiz, Chance, and Lacy at Keith and Melissa's. In general, I like dogs better than people.

Bonus dog/Heaven quote for the day:
"Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." Mark Twain

All of that is to say that there was an article about Lubbock Animal Services and their our approach to animal euthanasia. It's not gory or horrific. It is an article filled with facts and some hope, but it is still an article about killing animals because they exist. Below are links to that article and to a short list of animals available for adoption.

Policy-based euthanasia at city of Lubbock animal shelters decreasing; still too many, officials say

Adoptable Animals at Lubbock Animal Services

May you choose your friends by their virtues.

The Haven - A No-Kill, Non-Profit Animal Shelter

This handsome guy (the one in his beloved dino pj's) is Condo. His racing name was El Conde, but his sleeping-on-the-couch name and thrilled-to-have-a-cookie name is Condo. And he is very much a blessing in our home. He is our good dog. He, of course, is a rescue.

 

If you are looking for a Condo, Fido, Fluffy, Princess, Quiz, Newman, Sinka, Jenna, Pharaoh, or any other blessing for your family this holiday season, well, here is a great opportunity for you - the Haven is having an open house on Saturday.

The Haven Website

 

May your home be blessed with a tail that wags at the sound of your voice!