———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
Date: Dec 23, 2006 8:18 PM
Subject: [GULF COAST] We Are Rescue

KINSHIP CIRCLE ANIMAL DISASTER RELIEF - PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

12/23/06: We Are Rescue
PAST NEWSLETTERS: www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html

ANIMAL ISSUE OF THE WEEK: Slaughter On The Streets Of Serbia
TAKE ACTION

IN THIS ALERT:

1. ‘Twas The Night Before XMAS 2005 (A New Orleans Prayer)
2. At What Point Do We Stop?
3. A Clue? A Lead? To Bring Them Home…
4. NOLA: 12/28 Holiday Event To Help Katrina’s Animal Survivors
5. Trapping Help Needed In Bucktown (NOLA)
6. Building A No Kill Community: Seminar In Shreveport, LA
7. Katrina Causalities: Strays Of Lakeview, New Orleans
8. NOLA Vest-Up Campaign For Human/Canine Law Enforcers
9. A Katrina Cat Reunion For Early-ARNO Volunteer!
10. Katrina CNN: A Story Of Survival And Reunion
11. Troubled Waters Video - December 2006
12. Arraignment Set For Deputies In St. Bernard Street Shootings
13. Would It Have Been So Hard To Feed These Dogs?
14. Baton Rouge: Katrina-Rescued Pet Fish Need Home
15. Christmas In New Orleans, By Katrina Dog-Artist Larry
16. A Christmas Goodbye
17. A Christmas Wish For Our Best Friends
18. On The Anniversary Of His Passing - Love, Brenda

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(more…)

——— Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
Date: Nov 23, 2006 4:17 PM
Subject: Today, I Give Thanks…

Permission to cross-post

11/23/06: Today, I Give Thanks…
From Kinship Circle
www.KinshipCircle.org

By Brenda Shoss

Today I give thanks for each faceless victim pulled from dark waters…

For fluids and needles poked through paper skin.
For infinite food left in forgotten cities…
And the glimmer of foil pans filled with water.
For recognition of life in vacant eyes.
Love revisited…
And the promise of a warm lap.
Today I give thanks to rescuers
And recall untold mercy, selfless and vast.

Today I give thanks to those who inhabit my home…

One born in a puppy mill
Another dumped on a road
A kitten retrieved from floodwaters
And a cat claimed from death row.
For bottomless love…
Left in whispers upon my face
Wound around arms and legs
Sloshed in wet kisses
Asleep at my feet.

Today I give thanks for the blessed few among billions…

Freed from sunless warehouses
To flutter a wing
Stretch a leg
And peck warm dirt
Curious eyes over blunt, severed beaks
Once factory-farm trash,
Now someone’s treasure.

Today I give thanks for a world…

Where laws can change,
Views transform…
And hope rebounds in the eyes of an animal.
Where tumult, pain, joy, courage and stamina
speak inside a single creature’s eyes…
Crushing indifference
Rousing nameless deaths
And stirring empathy
Where there once was none.

Today, I give thanks for miracles…

Born in a son
Who is compassion and light.
Innocence unearthed,
With no distinction between animals on a leash,
in a stall, a lab or a cage.

For his love of “effa-lants”
And creepy-crawlers…
For ordering the birds to spare the worms…
And simply asking,
“Mommy, why do some people hurt animals?”

And I give thanks everyday, for each one of you…

Passionate
Obsessive
Unyielding
Devoted
Brilliant
Creative
Forgiving
Patient
Merciful…

###

In unity with animals,
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle

————-

Tagged: animals animal+rights kinship+circle thanks thanksgiving brenda+shoss

I was looking for a pair of canine orphans the other day (BTW, our landlady has cleared us for parenthood - again - and we’re all set to meet a mother-daughter pair of rat terriers tomorrow afternoon…yay, doggies!) and came across this listing for Fluffy (also known as #3796196).

Fluffy’s foster home describes him as “the perfect pet”:

Notes: Fluffy is our near perfect dog for the person who wants just that. He is about 10 years old, however, looks identical to the time that he had just entered the world. His owner had surrendered him for no other reason than that he was tired of looking at him. Now I’ve heard just about every reason for surrendering a dog.

Anyway, Fluffy is nonshedding so there will not be any dog hair in the house. He never gets up on furniture unless someone actually puts him there. He never begs for food and never needs to go for a walk. Fluffy is totally nondemanding. He had never cost his former owner any money since his initial investment. He has never had any illnesses or injuries which necessitated visits to a veterinarian. Fluffy never barks, and he never dug any holes in the yard. He has never brought in any muddy foot prints, never vomited on the carpet and never made any mistakes in the house. Fluffy never left any doggy snot on the windows and he never chewed a single item. He never has a doggy odor and never needs grooming. Fluffy would never bite for any reason even in self defense, so he is the perfect pet for the person who is inclined to kick or beat an animal. We can guarantee that anyone who adopts Fluffy will have the same experience with him as his former owner.

As said, Fluffy is the near perfect dog. However, he is near perfect, not perfect. His faults are that he never greets his owner at the door to say he thinks his owner is the best person to ever walk the earth. He never looks at you when you talk and cocks his head like he is really interested in what you are saying. Fluffy doesn’t really have any sense of humor and has never done any cute things or doggy tricks. He doesn’t give a sense of warmth, unconditional love and loyalty that we get from our other shelter dogs that we have come to know. Hate to say it, but Fluffy acts pretty much like he is in a coma with his eyes open.

But, for some people, he is the perfect pet.

People never cease to amaze disgust me.

Sigh.

(If you don’t get it, click through to see Fluffy’s photo.)

She Cannot Say Good-bye

by Kathy Pippig Harris
 
It is a comfortable little place — their home — and it is paid for, cozy, and theirs alone. Just the two of them, therein, reside…an older lady and the aging canine.

Listening to the radio, as the storm grew, tears well in her eyes, upon hearing the news. She gazes at her friend, and he regards her, too. Reporters are saying everyone must now go…she was to pack only what she needed from home.

She shakes her head and wonders, Didn’t they know? That folks like her had no means to get away and no car of their own.

But officials called to say public transport would stop by; they’d take her and her things, but her beloved friend could not ride. Tears fall as thunder and lightning rent the damp air. Her friend pads over, then leans against her, there in her chair.

Sensing her sadness, the old dog wags his tail. As the wind past their porch swells to a wail he reaches up and reassuringly licks her hand. And as he has always, by her side, he will stand!

She sobs at his sweet, loyal gesture, for he does not know that on this journey, her dearest friend will not go. They had weathered life’s storms and both had grown gray. She worries as they were never long, from the other, away.

She rises slowly when she hears the knock on the door. A man takes her bags, saying, “I’m sorry, ma’am, it’s now or never — we can wait no more.”

When the old dog follows her, she says, “No, go inside where it’s safe.” His expression is one of bewilderment and hurt, as rain pelts his face. When she steps into the bus, she hears him whimper and cry. She cannot turn around to him. She cannot say good-bye.

She studies the man who holds her bags, then she steps off the bus. When she reaches her friend, she says, “No future is as important as the gift that is us.” She bends down and, happily crying, embraces her furry soul mate. “The worst storm ever is near, but alone, you will not have to wait.”

Later, as the night explodes ‘round them, and she draws him snug to her side, he lifts his fuzzy head, stares lovingly at her and she contentedly sighs.

For on this, their last journey, the two would be together always…now…and forever.

—

Dedicated to a future where, in a disaster, we will not be torn apart from our furry kin.