This weekend is Tom’s birthday. My gift to him is as it has been for the last few years at his request: a donation to an animal charity. I chose to donate to my local animal control because that is where I got Carmen. So long as it goes to help these wonderful creatures we call pets, Tom is good with it. A donation for animals in lieu of presents is his thing.
Years ago Tom adopted an adorable dog named Heather.
She was predominately Cocker Spaniel. That is a breed that normally tries to bite me, but not Heather. She was a sweetheart.
Heather was definitely Tom’s dog. He was her primary caregiver, and he was the one that took her on car trips (her favorite). They even did a road trip to Canada for Tom’s annual fishing adventure.
Heather was found as a stray. As a result of her not having a proper care for a while, she developed heart worms. Unfortunately that decreased the amount of time she would have to spend in her very loving home.
Tom is a huge advocate of adopting animals from shelters and breed-specific rescues. I fully support his beliefs in finding loving homes for all the wonderful animals already here rather than buying a pet from a breeder.
All my cats I’ve had as an adult have been adopted, and I can’t imagine any other way for me. Even before Tom started requesting donations, I sent a check to our local animal control once a year. I love donating to them more often and bigger sums now that they are in Tom’s honor. It makes my heart happy thinking of all the animals we’re helping.
Have a wonderful birthday, Tom. Know that you are making a difference in this and many other ways. I love you.
Grown Up, Now What? 