I tend to be drawn to those that love animals as much as I do, so it's no surprise that one of my BFFs responds to her pets as her children, and that they are included on my annual Christmas gift list. The gifts are typically the same thing each year: a small toy for Pixie-kitty, and a new bully stick for the Doberman, affectionately referred to by me as "puppyface".
This year, the gifts for the four-footed children were the last I needed to get before packing everything into a mailing box. Rather than going to a "regular" pet store, I stopped in at the store located inside our shelter (the same shelter I volunteer at, conveniently). While prices can sometimes be a little higher because they deal only with the highest quality products, the purchases send funds directly back into the functioning of the shelter, helping to pay bills, medical care, food, educational programs...all the things that make adopting more preferable to shopping when it comes to bringing a new member into the family. This alone would make a nice RAOK, thought I.
My effort at this RAOK paid off in spades because I found something that puppyface has needed even more than a bully stick: a rain jacket. Because of his size, standard "pullover" type clothing doesn't work well with him, but his age and his short hair are making keeping him dry and warm more important as time passes. Machine washable, slick on the outside and warm and fleecy on the inside, and secured by two heavy-duty Velcro straps around his body which will make it possible to help keep him more dry, warmer, and without the added pain of trying to stuff arthritic joints through the standard dog clothing. And the extra comfort and care, though it may mean nothing much to puppyface in terms of understanding, will pay off tremendously in terms of his human mother's peace of mind.
That's definitely an act of kindness I'll appreciate passing along.
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