Happy Thanksgiving to you all, human and four-footed creatures alike! I trust you're having a wonderful day remembering the blessings of the past year and anticipating the year ahead.
I started out the day by taking Tess and Cowboy on a two-hour hike overlooking the ocean, joined also by a friend from church. What awe-inspiring sights we have here in the South Bay!
It was sunny and 41 degrees at 7:30 a.m. when we began our descent toward the water. Because my hiking companion and I both had other places to be later in the day, we didn't make it all the way to the shore. But even so, the two hours of enjoying God's creation and each other's fellowship -- and watching the dogs have such a grand time smelling all kinds of new smells -- made for a wonderful way to begin a Thanksgiving day.
The dogs were especially thrilled to catch sight of two wild rabbits who bounded across the trail as we hiked. We also saw (and heard) all manner of birds. The ocean views on this cool but bright sunny morning were spectacular.
Meanwhile, Annie the cat, while she couldn't come along of course, was having some fun of her own as we left the house: She was bouncing around outside around the porch, in full play mode, invigorated by the cool morning air.
So what's on your list of things you're especially grateful for this day? Did your pets get any special (but safe, we hope) treats from the big feast?
I'm thankful to all of you who do so much in the animal rescue and adoption field, caring for the animals that have no one special to look out for them. The work is hard, often heartbreaking -- and never ending, it seems.
I'm also grateful for all of the good, giving and responsible pet owners out there, making sure their animals are fed well, exercised, vaccinated, licensed and microchipped, and, well, simply loved well.
As for those Thanksgiving pet treats, here are
some ideas for how to turn some of those leftovers into goodies for your dogs in the coming days. Your dog will love you! (Lean turkey, without bones or skin, also can be "cubed" and frozen for tasty, healthy dog treats, according to my veterinarian.)
Below are some more photos from our morning hike. And I came upon this verse from the Pslams today that I especially enjoyed pondering:
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. Psalm 104:24-30
Tess was ready to go.
Oh, the sights.
Oh, the smells!
A very good day.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at South Bay Pets & the Daily Breeze.
On to Christmas!
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
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