Another year is quickly coming to an end. This is the time when most people sit and reflect on the year’s progress, setbacks, and accomplishments. We’ve seen record breaking floats, dogs winning over hearts everywhere on Valentine’s Day, and heartbreaking reports of abandonment. But how did the middle of the year turn out?
There are always good causes to support and great fundraisers to participate in each year. This year’s noteworthy campaign came from The American Cancer Society. Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 1 out of every 3 woman and almost 1 out of every 2 men in the U.S. will develop cancer in their lifetime. And 1 out of every 9 dogs in the U.S. dies from cancer each year. Organized and run completely by volunteers in the community, The American Cancer Society Bark for Life™ is an opportunity for individuals and their dogs to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer as well as honor cancer survivors, the many service dogs who assist cancer patients, and those who have passed away from cancer (human and canine). A Bark for Life walk event was held in Riverside County (Corona) and Orange County (Costa Mesa) this year, with great turnouts and amazing fundraising results, all benefiting the fight against cancer. Simply Fur-nominal!
GOP Congressman, Jason Chaffetz, of Utah, calls for more dogs in the airport rather than body scanning machines. Most of us know how inconvenient and annoying it is to travel by plane anymore due to airport security measures and the invasion of privacy that comes with the body scanning machine. Well, Republicans like Congressman Chaffetz are irritated at the amount of money being spent on such machines when there are more useful, capable, and reliable alternatives, such as a well-trained bomb-sniffing dog. And while Congressman Chaffetz is certain that bomb-sniffing dogs would do a better job and be more cost effective than the body scanning machine, the dogs do not have lobbyist pushing for them like the machines do. While TSA says it sends out more than 800 bomb-sniffing dog teams in more than 80 airports (like LAX) around the country they do not seem interested in replacing the body scanning machines with these dog teams. Will we ever see the end of body scanning machines? Only time will tell if this one will go to the dogs.
Who can forget the adorable race held each year to name the annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener champion? This year marked the 16th Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals held in Los Alamitos, benefiting the Seal Beach Animal Care Center. Each year thousands of fans come to watch the wienies race, and this year they came to see 98 participants compete for the gold. The participants were broken into 12 heats, running a distance of 50 yards, and the winners of each heat went on to the championship race. But of 98 Dachshunds, only one could be the winner of the prestigious title “Fastest Wiener in the West”. This year’s title goes to wiener #2, Penny Lane, for the second year in a row. Way to go Penny Lane!
It’s been a busy year in the dog community, and it’s still not over yet! Check out ‘Part 3’ to find out how one dog was honored for her bravery, a group of dogs broke another world record, and how other dogs were blessed this holiday season.
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