I received this email from a caller friend, and feel very strongly that it is a story worthy of sharing:

"Since you have "held my hand" during the recent losses of several of my pets (angels with fur) I'm excited to tell you about the "gift" I received a week after my birthday.  I was driving home during a sleet storm just before dark when I spotted two small dogs near the highway.  They were in great danger from the traffic and the extreme falling temperatures.  I made a quick rescue so they would not get hit by a car or freeze to death.  They were so filthy and their hair so matted I couldn't tell much about them.  After a hot bath and several hours of cutting the mats from their hair, I was shocked to discover I had rescued a tiny pekingese and a very small cocker spaniel!  Convinced that they must belong to someone I did all the normal "lost/found dog routine"...contacted the vets and animal shelters, put an ad in the paper, listed them on all the free internet sites, etc.  No response!  I've since come to believe they were "put out" by someone who either didn't want them or could no longer pay the expense of keeping them.  Wherever they came from they were not accustomed to physical affection...whenever I would reach for them they would "freeze" and "flatten out"....with almost a month now of good food, warm home and lots of physical affection they have really BLOSSOMED!!!  So the newest members of my family are Sofie (an adorable, very small black and white cocker spaniel) and Cupcake (a tiny blonde pekingese princess).  My big dog Jordan is a laugh riot with them...he's 90 pounds so compared to them he looks like a Great Dane, but they have a great time together.  Sometimes he gets a little rough, just because he's so big and wants to play, but they all seem to be finding their own place and comfort zone.  I can't save all the dogs, but I'm happy I could help these two little angels!

I wanted to suggest a topic for your blog...with the economy in the dumps so many people are giving up their animals and not always in a loving way.  In the past month my neighbors around here out in the country have reported seeing at least a dozen dogs wandering the roads, many are pure bred expensive dogs...some have been lucky enough to find homes but others have not...a few were hit by cars, shot by farmers or froze to death.  It is just so sad!!!  Please encourage those in the heart wrenching position of having to give up their pets to PLEASE do it in a HUMANE WAY..not just toss them out!!!  Yes, Craigslist is loaded with ads for pets needing homes and yes many shelters are full, but to just dump them and expect them to fend for themselves, especially in the winter is just down right cruel!!!"

Why would people do this sort of thing to expensive pets? Well, not all people who do it are cruel, just misguided. It's a version of "magical thinking." They cannot face the reality of surrendering their animals to the humane society knowing they will be put down, so they turn them loose in the hope that they will adopted by someone like my caller with the big heart. But as the email says, the reality is much worse. They are killed by traffic, or starve or freeze, a much worse fate than a simple injection.

It may feel terrible to front up to the humane society and tell those there that you can't even afford the donation to take your pet off your hands, but it's the last act of kindness you can do for your loyal friend. Only one animal in a thousand encounters someone as special as these two did. So PLEASE, put the word out that it's kinder to euthanase than to rely on magical solutions.

I have never before added these words to an email or Blog, but I'm adding them now:

"Please send this to all of your friends."

Happy New Year to all the Creator's creatures.