Ok, I view myself as an elected official but, some folks probably see me as a politician. You know the saying about politicians, if they want someone to like them they need to get a dog.
That’s just what Sallie and I did this past weekend, we got a dog. We drove to the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society and found a dog. We went to the shelter to look at the dog that had been advertised in last week’s newspaper.
We visited with the dog and was about to adopt the her, when I began to walk around the compound. I spotted a yellow dog, and it came right up to me and began trying to lick me through the pen’s fence. This “politician” thought he had finally found someone who liked him! I called Sallie over, and the dog did the same to her. We both decided that was the dog for us. The staff was very understanding about our changing the dog we wanted to adopt. It probably didn’t matter to them so long as we were going to adopt one of their animals.
I also started to believe this “politician” had a heart and soul. I felt so bad for the dogs we didn’t adopt. As they barked, whined and tried to get our attention, I wanted to take all the dogs home with us. It is really sad to see how these innocent animals have been abandoned and neglected only to end up at the animal shelter.
So we did our small part last Saturday. I hope everyone who is considering getting a dog, or a cat, will go visit the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society to see if there is a pet for them to adopt. There will be no pressure to adopt. In fact, we had visited the shelter earlier this winter and didn’t find a dog that we could connect with.
So, if you see me walking around town with a floppy eared, yellow dog, remember we got Lucy from the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society. A benefit of adoption is that when a match and an adoption is made, the animal is vaccinated, spaded or neutered. The adoption fee covers these items and the identity chip that let’s folks, like our Highlands Animal Control officer, know who to contact if the dog is lost. We know Lucy is a runner, so she stays on leash at all times when outside.
By the way, the dog we didn’t adopt is named Fern. She is a nice, sweet little dog that will make someone a great companion.
We have so many community organizations on the plateau that make this a wonderful place to live. So many people, like the staff at the Humane Society, find great purpose in the work they do, whether it be their profession or as volunteers.
It has been hard trying to write this piece while a dog is trying to get into my lap. We’re both in love again.