National Dog Day: Celebrating and helping our four-legged friends

Author’s note: This was published 30 days ago in the Bolivar Herald-Free Press.

Aug. 26 has been National Dog Day since 2006. According to Holiday Insights, this special day “has two goals: to honor dogs, and to rescue dogs from homelessness and abuse.” Colleen Paige originated National Dog Day. She told Urban Dog that she hopes that the day will be observed with action to aid dogs: “I wanted it to be bigger than, hey, I have this wonderful dog. I wanted it to be a platform for helping to rescue 10,026 dogs.” Why that figure? Paige believes it is realistic to hope that there could be 10,000 dog adoptions in one day and tacked 26 on to remind people of National Dog Day’s date.
Dogs are certainly a vital part of human life. As pets, they make us feel loved even as we express our love for them by petting and cuddling these furry creatures. Being around dogs pays dividends for human health. As a Blue Cross website notes, “Pet owners have reduced risk of heart disease and seem less prone to other illnesses … Stroking dogs aids relaxation and stress, and pets help children to learn caring and nurturing skills.”
Dogs serve humans in many ways. Watchdogs keep us safe as do dogs specially trained to sniff out bombs. Service dogs help the disabled. Seeing-eye dogs are the best-known service animals but there are also hearing dogs, seizure alert dogs, and mobility assistance dogs.
However, dogs have many pressing problems. Canine overpopulation means that many dogs are homeless. Some are neglected or abused.
Bolivar has its share of dogs and of people dedicated to helping dogs. The town recently underwent a change in the institutions responsible for sheltering homeless dogs, along with other homeless animals, when the management of Bolivar’s animal shelter passed from the Polk County Humane Society to the Bolivar city government. A dispute erupted in September 2007 when the Polk County Humane Society was unable to take in animals because its shelter was full. The city objected that the Humane Society was failing to euthanize animals that could not be adopted, so the Bolivar Board of Alderman voted that the city would take over shelter operations.
The Polk County Humane Society plans to erect a new facility and already has 5 1/2 donated acres upon which to build it. The humane society is currently raising funds for the new facility through special events and a thrift store aptly called the Goin’ to the Dogs Resale Shop.
“I think they’re hoping to break ground on the new shelter facility by this fall, but it really depends on the amount we’re able to raise,” said Ryan Edens, shelter manager for the Polk County Humane Society,
Edens continues that the humane society is still active and “working out of fostering homes.” The animals with which it works are “primarily smaller breed dogs.”
Animals will be kept alive by the Humane Society if it is at all feasible. “We’re a no-kill facility,” Edens said. “We don’t euthanize unless there is a medical problem or in some cases if they are very aggressive, but those would be the very few exceptions.”
How does Edens believe people should observe National Dog Day? “I think it would be a good day to look at the dogs out there that are in need of homes,” he replies. “There are a high number of animals that are homeless and it would be a good day to recognize the humane societies and shelter and either take animals in from them or make donations to them.”
Marilynn Gehrlein is director of the Bolivar City Animal Pound. How many animals does the pound take in? “It varies,” she said. “Right now we have quite a few puppies and kittens. Over percent of the animals in the pound are dogs. We decide whether or not to euthanize on a case-by-case basis. More animals are either adopted or returned to their owners than euthanized. Owners lose track of an animal because it is out running loose. Animal control picks it up and the owners find out that the animals are missing and come in to pick them up.”
Gehrlein said people should observe National Dog Day by taking active steps to help dogs. “Spay and neuter to cut down on the overpopulation,” she advises. “If more people would spay and neuter their animals and be responsible pet owners, we would have less animals ending up here or abandoned or euthanized.”
The phone number of the Polk County Humane Society is 777-DOGS (3647). Goin’ To the Dogs is at 1837 W. Broadway and its phone number is 326-3647. The Bolivar City Animal Pound may be called at 326-2489, ext. 299. It is located at 2002 E. Division St., and its mailing address is PO Box 9, Bolivar MO 65613.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 20th, 2008 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Analysis, Culture, Current Events, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Health, Media, Psychology, Science & Nature, Society, Vox Populi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. | 153 views | Trackback | Print this page |

| More from Denise Noe