Smile

One of the best parts of getting a new pet is choosing the perfect name. Of course this is just a technicality for me because I’ve always been of the school of thought that a really good pet deserves a dozen names! I often call them by a secondary name for so long that I forget what their given name really is! It’s probably a good thing my animals don’t have a Social Security card or I could be charged with identity theft!

Imagine for a minute the volume of names that must be chosen by an animal rescue group. Some do come already named, but the vast majority of them come in with no name. I have been amazed how quickly they learn the names they are given, but in an atmosphere as crowded as this, they really seem to long for an identity.

I’ve recently started volunteering at the shelter again after a 25+ year absence. My younger brother got me started back then, but honestly I had my feelings hurt pretty early on and was unable to stay. I always admired him for possessing a gene that I obviously lacked; he was a diligent and dedicated volunteer and I feel sure that he helped choose many names for the animals over the years.

I have to admit that I think of my brother often, but when visiting the shelter I think of him constantly. My brother Gus was the type of guy that a dog would approach without hesitation. Okay, they approach me the same way, but it is sometimes with a growl and fangs bared! Gus told me that the reason this happened was because I needed to smile more. He said that the look on my face (the one I deemed concentration) was a little scary to dogs and people. More than once, when I passed him driving down the road, he would call me and say one word; “smile”. I would look at my reflection in the rearview mirror, smile as wide as I could manage, and do my best to hold it for the rest of the day.

Okay, I have gotten way off course on the subject of naming pets. After all this time I still enjoy talking about my brother as much as ever and I still give myself the old rearview-mirror-check more than you might imagine. But as I rode home Saturday afternoon from a long ARF adoption event at a local business, I had no need to check my smile. I was very tired, but it had been a good day. Two dogs that had just met that day found great homes; Turtle and…wait for it…Gus! I hope you smiled too.