Pawing-It Forward

If you think about it for a moment, the expression "you can't keep it unless you give it away” is ever so true! This especially applies when getting support from others, since the circle of giving must always be completed for the gifts one receives to be truly effective.  

It seems that our good friend Ricochet, the SURFice dog I wrote about almost six months ago, is at it again. This amazing canine, whose heart is as big as the great outdoors, is a nominee in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards in the category for “emerging hero dogs."

Initially Ricochet asked her supporters to vote for her, along with her good FURriend Stacey Mae (a nominee in the "therapy dog" category) with an initiative called the "Teddy Bear Project." Both of them rose quickly to first place in their respective categories.

But once again, Ricochet has found herself in almost the same situation as she did when she was a nominee back in December 2010 in USA Today's Hero Dog Awards. Running neck and neck with Target, the Afghanistan dog that saved soldiers' lives and tragically losing hers due to erroneous euthanasia, Ricochet turned her votes into voices for Target, the dog she considered the epitome of a hero.

But after about 12 hours into the voting for this contest, Ricochet realized that a pit bull named Patrick was a nominee. Ricochet learned that Patrick was horrendously neglected and starved to the point of appearing mummified and tossed into the garbage chute of a 22-story building by his owner. He was miraculously discovered by a maintenance worker cleaning out the trash who thought the dog was dead. Incredibly, Patrick was still alive.

The Humane Society officer of the City of Newark Animal Control was contacted, and Patrick was taken to the Humane Society and then brought to the Garden State Veterinary Specialists for emergency care. Happily, Patrick not only survived, but is thriving.

His true gentle and trusting nature now gives hope to abuse victims everywhere. He has become an exemplar and inspiration for those who are on the road to recovery from the wounds of victimization. Visit his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/notes/stacia-gurr-osborn/the-patrick-miracle-faqs/195941273777912.

So in line with the adage, “you can’t keep it unless you give it away," Ricochet wants to use this opportunity as another way to raise public awareness for Patrick and animals like him. But we’d like to see Ricochet stay in second place (where she is now) since it carries a prize of a $500 gift certificate to a pet store, which she will be donating to a rescue/shelter to help the animals. Join Ricochet on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SurfDogRicochet.

So Patrick and Stacey Mae can win their hero dog categories with a generous $5,000 donation made by the AHA on behalf of the winning dogs to the American Veterinary Medical Association, and Ricochet can win second place, visit http://www.herodogawards.org/view-entries.html to vote and for more information.

You can’t blame me for falling in love with Ricochet!  Let me know in a comment.