My flowers today are these white flowers that belongs to our neighbor. I do not know its name. I would like to dedicate these nameless flowers to the dogs around the world whose stories made me both happy and sad this weekend . . . .Please click on the links to read their stories.
Who can forget the Heroic dogs of 9/11? Eight years ago, more than a hundred dogs came to assist in the rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center in New York, USA. They came to sniff through the rubble to help rescue trapped people in the collapsed building. When dogs are properly trained, we can provide excellent assistance in rescue operation because our strong sense of smell can easily locate our subject . . . The heroic dogs of 9/11 worked on shifts for almost a month! These flowers are my tribute to them . . .
. . . but in Washington, a tragedy occurred when a group of dogs attacked some horses that were rescued and being rehabilitated in Maple Valley! The dogs belonged to a man who just moved into the neighborhood and ignored the warnings about a broken fence where his dogs escaped and eventually attacked the neighbor's horses! This sad story was echoed by some of our dog friends around the world especially in communities where people do not take responsibility for their animal friends! I offer these flowers for the horses and also for the dogs because instead of bringing comfort and help, they were provoked into a situation which can be avoided if only people were more responsible . . .
. . . and in Beijing, "dog beating squads" will roam the street to kill dogs that are not registered or vaccinated, to prevent the spread of rabies and reduce dog population in their area! Oh, what a sad, sad time for dogs like me!. . . My human companion Lui was so heartbroken since she felt powerless even if she has been signing petitions for us. I offer these flowers for all unwanted animals around the world . . .
So while other dogs were beaten, abused and not properly trained in other places, I am proud to say that in our house Heaven, we are doing our part in bringing animal care and protection issues to our community leaders. My playful little brother Sweepy is our community icon and he helped campaign for free anti-rabies shots for all dogs in our neighborhood! We may be scared of roaming our own streets because of stray dogs owned by irresponsible owners but in due time, our community will learn that we, people and animals, have to care for one another if we wanted happy stories around us . . .
Now these flowers have slowly fallen to the ground and Lui said that the flowers are not there anymore! I am glad we were able to take pictures before it happened . . .
I hope that with the fading of these flowers, the sad stories will also come to pass and all the pain and hurts will soon be greeted with new buds, new beginnings, and bitter lessons learned. . . so the next time I can only share happy stories with my happy flowers!
I am sure there are more happy flowers and happy stories at FlowersToday site. So go and visit them now . . .
