The joys of having a dog, or two or three.....

Have I mentioned how great having a dog, er, two dogs is? I am unabashedly in love with my pooches Paulie and Vinnie. They are both rescues, obtained through a local shelter after seeing their pix on petfinder.com, where they ended up after goodhearted humans brought them north from high kill shelters in Kentucky.

These guys are hound mixes, adopted as puppies, both four months old when they came into my life. The unconditional love from a pet can not be overstated. It feels like they throw a dog-party for me each day when I get home from work. They are overjoyed to see me, and they display that through a series of enthusiastic kisses and tail wags, and occasional barks of happiness.

It's in this context I have a hard time understanding how any human being can mistreat dogs, whether it is abuse, abandonment or, like some of our overpaid celebrities and athletes, putting them to work (and ultimately death) in the so-called "sport" of dog fighting. Each day, there's a new story about some heinous human mistreatment of dogs, or some other innocent and trusting animal. I am not sure whether I was more horrified by the Michael Vick story, which made headlines all over the world, or this story out of Guadalupe TX where three teens kidnapped a neighbor's puppy and tortured it to death. I can only hope that those boys will receive the punishment they deserve and the psychological help they obviously need.

Please consider supporting your local animal shelter or the Humane Society of the United States. If you're considering bringing a pet into your home, DON'T go to a pet store. Don't go to a breeder. Start with the animal shelter, or a rescue group. As a country, we put down over 5 million unwanted dogs and cats a year. Consider saving a life and adding more than a little joy to your own. You won't be sorry.