I silently wish that all dogs could have as good a Christmas this year as mine will have, because unfortunately, many dogs spend Christmas, and every day, hungry and cold or fearful and lonely. Even rescued shelter dogs sit the day out in quiet kennels and miss out happy celebrations because they have no home and no family to be a part of. Various dogs at the shelter where I volunteer, come to mind, and the memory of one little dog who stayed there for years, remains crystal clear.
After finishing baths that day for all the dogs scheduled to go to the remote adoption, I went back to the kennel room to spend a few minutes visiting with those who would have their turn another day. Barks in every tone imaginable greeted me and tails wagged at high speed. One difficult fact of shelter life is that there's too little time to give every animal the attention it deserves, but I tried to offer at least a kind word, a pat, and a treat to as many as possible.
I had grabbed a handful of 'dog cookies' and was poking them, one by one, through kennel wires when a healthy snarl stopped me in my tracks. All the other dogs in the shelter had, enthusiastically, accepted "dog cookies" from me through the kennel wire. But not this medium sized terrier cross. Her lips curled back exposing ugly gums and teeth and her slanted gold eyes were fixed on me with suspicion. Cautiously, I pushed the treat toward her. She emitted another snarl, then snatched the milkbone from my fingers and retreated to the back of her kennel.
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