My patients, My life

     I guess it would make me feel better if I started this entry with another apology.  I realize that when you folks tune into my blog you would appreciate a new story now and then.  There have been a number of things that consume so much of my time but one of the most important to me happens to be the subject of this entry. 

      You may recall that at the end of my previous entry I made mention of something new in the works that I was really excited about.  It is precisely this “something” that I wish to share with my readers today.

Cecil following me 4th of July Sopchoppy, FL

      I have the privilege of driving one of my great friend Cecil’s beautifully restored antique tractors in the parades that we have around here several times a year.  As I drive and toss candy to the kids I enjoy the excitement of the children so much.  Of course they enjoy the candy but I also love the way they look at that old tractor. It is that wonder and excitement that we lose as we grow old and jaded to things around us. As I slept the night after the parade, I couldn’t help but remember how touching it was to see those children enjoying, not a video game, but a parade.

       About that same time we were struggling mightily with an outbreak of canine distemper virus at our local animal shelter.  The more I became involved in the tragedy of all those hopelessly sick dogs the more frustrated I became.

      I donated vaccine to the shelter as we tried to vaccinate any dog prior to admission to offer some protection. We cleaned, isolated and cleaned some more.  The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine provided, free of charge, sophisticated PCR studies on samples that I submitted to definitively identify the virus.  Sadly, many dogs lost their lives before we finally brought the problem under control. There were many wonderful and kind people who suffered through this seemingly hopeless ordeal. We finally won the battle but at a terrible cost.

      Like so many, I suffered with this tragedy.  I honestly believe that, as I slept after the parade that my subconscious mind tried to comfort me with thoughts of the joy on the faces of those children at the parade.  It was then that I woke up with the crazy idea of a parade of dogs.  Not just any dogs but the multitudes of formerly homeless dogs that survived the horror of homelessness and now have happy, loving homes.

      If we could somehow organize a parade of dogs with their families and kids to celebrate this wonderful human-animal bond we could have a win-win scenario on two counts. One, we would bring kids and dogs together into one parade. Two, and even more importantly, we would raise awareness and possibly money to better the lives of the many, many homeless dogs still in shelters and rehab throughout our area.

      I was successful at infecting some great folks with my notion and we all sat down one evening and started to flesh this idea out.  Over the course of about 2 months of hard work, I am proud to announce the birth of The Big Bend Barkfest.

     The nocturnal notion of a parade of kids and dogs has evolved into regional extravaganza.  In a rural area such as this, there is some kind of “festival” most every weekend in the spring and again in the fall.  Most have similar themes; food, crafts and music.  We believe that Barkfest will be the grand daddy of all of them. 

         On the first Saturday in March, the event will be hosted in our high school football stadium.  Our opening ceremony we will feature the parade that I dreamed of.  Dogs, all formerly homeless, accompanied by smiling, big eyed kids will proudly walk around the field wearing the special Barkfest bandana.  Then, throughout the day, we will showcase police dogs, herding dogs, racing terriers, retrievers, wiener dog races, Frisbee contests, and dog costume contests.  We keep coming up with new dog ideas to show off. 

      And secondly, every nickel that we are fortunate enough to raise will be spent to better the lives of homeless dogs throughout the area.  We hope to provide vaccines, antibiotics, pain medications, heartworm medications, mange treatments any other critical needs of these “throw away” dogs.  It is my sincere hope that we can make a significant difference in the lives of many of these homeless dogs and thereby make them more adoptable.

      With the help of my great friends and committed volunteers we are determined to make this happen.  I would appreciate your help.  If local, you might volunteer for a committee to participate in raising our Barkfest baby.  Of course, we need financial support as well.  The costs are staggering.  I try to be stingy but we need to advertise this event to make it a success.  Printing costs are a big part of advertising and they are substantial.  I humbly thank you for any dollar you could spare to this cause. 

     I have started a Website to keep everyone updated and informed about the Barkfest. I will give you the link at the end of this post.  I also encourage your comments.  I am hard to discourage as my Board of Directors will tell you. In my heart this may be the greatest idea I have ever had.  Smiling kids and barking dogs. Perhaps that is the common denominator that can bring us all together for one great spring day.

Big Bend Barkfest Logo

                                       BigBendBarkfest.com