Must Love Dogs

What's a Jewish girl in Indiana to do on Christmas? Well, yes, sleep of course (a much needed 12 hours to be exact). But also visit The Humane Society of Indianapolis because if you're a shelter dog, you don't know Christmas from any other day of the year.

If you know me and my family at all, you know the prerequisite to hanging out with us: must love dogs. Coincidentally, we started this sort of trend where all our dogs' names start with a "B." My current dog is Bubba. Before him we had Barkly. My aunt Debbie's former dog was Baxter. My sister's dog is Buster. On top of that, all our dogs have human-like qualities: Buster is "handsome" and "loves kids," Bubba is "a foodie" and "needs lots of one-on-one attention."

The most wonderful thing about a dog is their reaction when they see you walk in the back door: no matter if it's been an hour since you've been away or a minute, they are thrilled just by your presence. Bubba even gets excited when he sees a Jeep drive by because he thinks it's me inside the car. Melt my heart. When he saw me today, I swear I heard a few moaning sobs. Of joy.

My mom, an avid IndyHumane volunteer who puts in well above the required 8 hours/month, signed us up for the Christmas shift. When we arrived, we were happy to see that there were lots of other volunteers there, all working together to make sure each dog got out during those two hours (the volunteers have a very efficient system in place where each person writes in a special booklet noting the dog he or she walked and the time). I applaud the mother and daughter pair who had the floors in the puppy room almost sparkling by the time we got there (the puppy room, by the way, is worthy of a post in itself).

We started with Chiquita, a large boxer mix who was quite happy to get out of her kennel and into the great outdoors. We walked Barbie Kickstand, another boxer mix, who got her name because her front leg sort of bends out like a kickstand. This dog loves her tennis balls and is quite content fitting three in her mouth at the same time. The description on the website says she was found living outside near an alley for an extended period of time until some wonderful people finally gained her trust and brought her to safety at the shelter. Probably the most difficult part about volunteering at IndyHumane is overhearing stories about the animals' past lives, stories about the abuse and the abandonment before they became shelter dogs. And then with each uniquely sad story, realizing all over again that animal neglect and abuse is common.

Barbie Kickstand at IndyHumane

Next up was a beautiful clumber spaniel mix with a fluffy apricot coat appropriately named Christmas. She was an adorable dog who, like all the others, deserves a warm, cozy home with lots of toys and lots of love. We ended the evening with sweet little Foxy, a short coat Chihuahah who was so small, she could fit in one of my palms. Her miniature-sized sweater kept her from getting chilled in the brisk 33-degree weather (we joked that what Foxy really needs is a hot pink sweater and a pink diamond studded collar so she could hit the town Paris Hilton style).

Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua Tinkerbell, aptly dressed in a pink sweater

I love what IndyHumane does for our city and my family and I are happy to support their mission in any way we can. In 2011, they helped over 2000 cats and dogs find homes through adoption, reuniting pets with their owners and rescue transfers. The animals there don't have an expiration date - there is no predetermined time limit for how long an animal can remain on the adoption floor. Animals are not put down for time or space.

Their vision that "all Central Indiana animals are treated with dignity and respect and live free from cruelty, harm and neglect" mirrors my own belief that all animals deserve a loving, happy life.

Me and Foxy both dressed in layers

Love me, love my dog. -Latin proverb