Depressing story in the Charlotte Observer today:  Over 90% of the animals in our region's shelters are put to death.  (Follow the photos of one dog's capture and death)  We are over twice the national average in euthanizing animals in shelters.  The reason?  In the South, they do not sterilize cats and dogs that are adopted from the various shelters. Additionally, there are few outreach or discount sterilization clinics.  (My hometown of Greensboro is one of the few cities in NC/SC that offers such options). It's part of "tradition" down here that "females keep their pups and males keep their testicles".  Case in point: when we took Savannah to the emergency hospital, a woman brought her pit bull in after it had mauled and been mauled by her other dog.  Both were male pit bulls over 1 1/2 years old, neither neutered.  It was too expensive, she said.  This was the second time her dogs had played too rough.  Dave noted that it would have been cheaper to have them neutered than to bring the dog in just once to the emergency hospital. 

I would have loved to have seen Patches as a puppy.  I bet he was the cutest thing on earth.  I can't imagine not having him now despite not knowing him in his formative years.  If you're thinking of getting a cat or dog, go to a shelter.  Want a specific breed?  Go to a breed rescue center.  Make sure everybody is neutered and spayed. 

Lighter note:  we just found a nest in our front porch Boston Ferns!  One egg has hatched and three more are waiting.  This makes up for the family that fell out of its nest in a tree in our back yard and died during the worst spring storm.  That was very sad and awful.  This is a nice and good.  I'm not going to water the fern until everybody grows up and flies away.  Cue the Lion Kings Circle of Life. 

11:03:20 AM