Meghan Vogel and an inspiring gesture

I know - I usually write upbeat stories about dogs or cats and how they improve our life and perhaps make us think about our actions. Today I'm taking a break from inspiring animal stories or tips for your dog and I bring you an inspirational human story. I do so partly because they happen so infrequently.

You may have seen this on Huffington Post or another site - Meghan Vogel, a track star from Ohio carried a fallen competitor across the finish line. Meghan is obviously a special woman and obviously a true sportsman, someone who gets the concept of competition. My husband has mentioned a number of times that he thinks women are better people, in general, than men. Part of it is he realizes that he is a knuckle dragging primate with limitations. And that's okay. But he brings up a good point. Imagine a man making this gesture. I can't. And neither can my husband. We can see a dog making a gesture like this but no, no man. In fact, I also recalled a few years back a story about a womans softball team that made such a gesture as Meghan Vogel did. A girl hit a home run but injured her knee. She was unable to run to first base so the home run would not count. A couple girls from the opposing team asked if it was against the rules to carry her across and touch her foot to the bases. It wasn't and they did. I'll have to find the details and it's irrelevant if they won or lost - the point is it is an wonderful gesture, one that stands out even more in todays world. So if any readers know of any similar gestures made by males, please send me info. You can read the story about Meghan Vogels gesture here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/05/meghan-vogel-ohio-track-star-carries-runner-video_n_1570857.html?ref=mostpopular
Keep wagging everyone!

Dogs serving our Country

I want to thank all of the men and women who have put their lives on the line serving our country. There aren't a lot of people who willingly volunteer their time, energy and yes, sometimes their life to protect our country. Thank you from all of us. Here's an article on CNN that provides more insight into Memorial Day, certainly much more eloquently than I can. And I would highly recommend this CNN article profiling Karl Malantes and his struggles (which most soldiers will face) after returning home. Most people never think that once you participate in a war, it never ends.

I'd also like to take a moment and say thanks to all of the dogs and their handlers out there that also serve their country. Dogs, by and large, go unnoticed in the war against terrorism but rest assured they do their part and many have given their lives doing so. Take a moment and visit http://www.uswardogs.org/id2.html
And the dog training secret.com site is really awesome as well detailing the contributions that dogs make and have made.
There are so many special dogs and trainers out there that deserve our thanks and recognition for the difficult work they perform on our behalf.

Thank you again for serving our country. Stay healthy and happy and keep wagging everyone!

Monique
noseprints.net

A friend sent me a link to a video and I was reminded how a little gesture can have far reaching implications and underscore what is really important in life. I bring this up not to pat myself on the back but because I think it is important to realize that no matter how small the gesture, you can touch someones life and not even be aware of it. We created the "Keep Wagging" slogan to remind people to take a lesson from dogs and keep a positive attitude in spite of anything and everything life throws at them. This stems from watching too many seriously injured dogs that wagged when I approached them on an exam table. Here's a dog with a broken leg and in spite of his pain, he's wagging because he's happy to see me. That is a valuable lesson and I would learn that it can get you through really tough times.

Flash forward to a gentleman (Florida Highway Patrolman) who bought a couple of Buddy Belts from Noseprints.net and shortly thereafter was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that resulted in him being in a coma. His recovery was slow and painful and undoubtedly a very low point - I can only imagine struggling though the pain, rehab and depression, wondering if he would ever get better. I am very proud that a Keep Wagging greeting card that we sent with his order profoundly impacted his life, lifted his spirits and helped him turn a corner.

I watched this and cried because when you touch someones life, really reach them on a level that you never even though of reaching someone, you realize that this is what we seek in life. I found myself in a place where I was giving instead of taking and I would think we should all aspire to that. To give someone hope and help them through a tough time - well, it doesn't get any better than that.
Keep Wagging everyone! Monique

CNN story on Horse "big lick" training

Seriously? I watch stuff like this in horror - and the first thoughts are always about the welfare of the animal. But the larger question is always "What the hell are these people thinking?" I'm so sick of animals being abused for entertainment or something that is considered a "tradition"... I'm wondering what positive contribution comes out of this sort of thing. If you genuinely care about your horse, you would be mad as hell and prosecute. Watch at your own risk.