The past week found me entrenched in preparing gift baskets for a Silent Auction that was held last night. Despite some weather challenges and logistical matters, I’m happy to report it was a successful event. Floridians do not like colder temps.
This “Yule Be Home for Christmas and Happy Mew Year” themed event was held at a beautiful waterfront venue in Palatka Florida, just about 30 minutes from Historic St. Ausgustine to help a local animal rescue organization raise funds to power their new Spay and Neuter Trailer. It should be up and running early in 2025. This event also raised awareness for local animal welfare issues.
Acquiring that trailer was quite an achievement. Now money is needed to fund and literally fuel to serve the entirety of Putnam County, the largest in the state of Florida.
The pet overpopulation and dog roaming problem here is rampant. Every day another dog dead on the side of the road or running free, to live another day uncared for by negligent, struggling to survive, or just ignorant humans. Others just don’t see the harm of letting a dog loose in the world, but as development encroaches, so do dangers. It’s a tough call.
Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to see a brighter day when organizations founded to help have to close their doors due to the increasing costs of care and housing. Hopefully, with a new County Commission in place, and a larger animal shelter set to open next month, some changes will be made at the legal and education end of animal welfare, but that will be slow-moving. It does take its toll on those trying to make a difference one small step at a time. It isn’t only about the pets, but the people that care and try to help both humans and animals.
I admire those in the trenches doing the hard work. I help when I can, but my “strength” lies in writing and reporting on their efforts. Last Monday, during the zoom Board Meeting for the Dog Writers Association, I learned that my suggestion to invite Dr. Adam Christman to speak at the DWAA Writing Competition Awards banquet was taken up and Adam has accepted that honor! Dr. Christman, a native of Brick, NJ, was my beloved late-dog Teddy’s veterinarian when my husband Rich and I lived at the Jersey Shore. Adam also now serves as Chief Medical Officer at DVM360.com. I promised my fellow-board members who are scattered throughout the nation and beyond that I will try to fly up for the big event in February in New York CIty. Gone are the days when I could just drive 30 minutes (on a good day) and arrive.
It strikes me that one moment I’m sitting on the porch of a young woman’s home at the end of a long dirt road discussing the fate of a beautiful stray that has been roaming the roads underfed and neglected for a while. After nearly hitting him with her car, she was able to transport him to her home. She is doing the right thing and I pray that dog will have a better future. Later that same day, I found myself in a meeting with those who also rescue, but are entrenched in the professional world of breeding, obedience and showing at the highest level. Dogdom is a diverse and dramatic circle.
That encounter with the “mystery stray” actually inspired in me another story idea because of course, while down that road, I stumbled upon another interesting tale. This place is filled with them.
On the moving front, I canceled my Movers due to other developments which I may share later. The work goes on over at the canal cottage with a major dock improvement and my log-cabin “tenants” seem very content at the start of this holiday season, the first spent with our ever-growing locally adopted lab-hound mix, Jigantic Jackson.
I’ve learned to take each day as it comes. You never know where that trail may lead you, literally and figuritively. It is what keeps me moving along, and forward.
