Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Santa Claus is coming to town and I am personally getting VERY excited!  Worse than a child, some say.
 
Of course, there is always the chance that one can get a lump of coal if one has not been good over the past year, or worse, ashes and switches. It seems that I have been threatened with this at one time or another.

But I am a GOOD dog, and just like good children, I hope Santa will leave  me something nice under the tree this year. Think FOOD, Santa!  What would I do with a lump of coal?  And for darn sure, I have no need for ashes or switches!

I have given it my best shot this month, knowing that Santa was checking his list. I have worked really hard and, thanks to my humans, I have even worn antlers that light up, a Santa hat (No, Santa, I was not mocking you!), a red garland, and other appalling articles of clothing.  I even submitted, rather graciously I do believe, to having my picture taken while wearing the hat.  Santa, are you listening?

I have really gotten into the holiday spirit and have been visiting several places around the county.  At Tryon Estates, Miss Caroline tried to make off with my light-up antlers (run, Miss Caroline, run!); at Polk Middle School, three young ladies actually climbed on top of their desks because they were so afraid of  me.....ME......you know who you are..... but now you can say you have petted me, and found me to be a real softie!  I also got to visit some of the students at Polk Central School, and I would like to repeat, I am NOT a horse, so no, you cannot ride me, first graders!  I do enjoy beinng patted, though!   I think everyone enjoyed these visits, but none more so than me.

We are really trying to get the point across at the schools that there are simply not enough homes for all the dogs and cats, and that it is a good thing to spay and neuter your pets.  Ruth, one of my co-workers, asked the students to do the math to see how many animals can be born when they are not spayed or neutered. Even the first graders could do the math!  I won't belabor the details, but the bottom line is that if you start with an un-spayed female and an un-neutered male, with neither of them nor any of their puppies ever spayed or neutered, in six years you find yourself up to your neck in 67,000 dogs!  It is worse with cats, because the number increases to 420,000 cats!  Yikes!  At least those are the numbers that the folks at Spay USA use.  That's not just scary, that's unbelievable!  No community in the world can take care of that many animals!
So please, spay and neuter your pets!

Ahem, back to the subject at hand, and thank you, Santa, for letting me digress, this is the time of year for believing in Santa and in the spirit of goodness in all of us.  It is the time of year for giving, and even I can appreciate the joy that goes along with giving to others!  (Except, maybe, my dinner......sorry Santa!)  During this beautiful holiday season, we can all believe in our fellow beings, and the hope that one day we can all live in peace. And during this joyous and holy season, please remember those who are less fortunate, both two-legged and four-legged, even if all you can give is a kind word.

In closing, I want to say to Lenny, no apology necessary.  Monty was, indeed, a champ!  Oh, if only all owners would feel that their dog is a champ!  I am grateful beyond words to know that Monty had such a good life with the folks who loved him so well.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Woof!

Champ