Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FRI-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell

With all the bad news from Uvalde and Buffalo, we need to think of the good in this world.

Today’s good news comes to us from iheartdogs.com.

Here is the story as written.

First-Graders Create Sweet & Silly Kennel Cards To Help Shelter Dogs Get Adopted

by

 

Right now, animal shelters all across our beautiful country are experiencing a crisis. There are continuously more strays and surrenders in need of care than they have room to comfortably accommodate. There are simply more dogs than adopters.

So when some first graders found out that the current lack of space was affecting their local Texas shelter, they did what came naturally to lend a helping hand – they broke out their crayons!

Popeye
Facebook photo – Austin Animal Shelter

Smile-inducing sweetness is practically second nature to a child. So when the Austin Animal Center made it known to the public that they desperately needed help making space in their shelter, long-time dog lover, volunteer foster mom, and first-grade teacher, Dr. Victoria Zolli, felt inspired to share this with her students. Naturally, they were all extremely excited to help.

Douglas
Facebook photo – Austin Animal Shelter

So, drawing inspiration from a teacher she heard about on the radio, Dr. Zolli helped her class create kennel cards to entice prospective dog parents to adopt or foster one of their long-stay pooches.

Her creative class wrote from the perspective of the dogs, and using their newly acquired persuasive writing skills, they combined characteristics from the pictures and short bios provided by the shelter.

Angus
Facebook photo – Austin Animal Shelter

The kennel cards turned out to be colorfully eye-catching, and the kids’ clever, candid writing was incredibly enticing. Hung above the kennels of the adoptable dog they described, the cards have delighted everyone lucky enough to lay their eyes upon them.

Their amusing childhood candor, combined with the apparent love shown for these sweet pups, made for an extremely endearing endeavor.

Fredo
Facebook photo – Austin Animal Shelter

It would be incredibly hard to walk away from a kennel with one of these cards above it without giving the pup a second look or even a meet and greet – which is exactly what these students, and their teacher, had in mind.

Sometimes, the dogs that have languished in shelters the longest can find their forever homes after spending some time in the spotlight. These pups have been overlooked long enough. The adorable kennel cards are giving them the attention they so rightfully deserve, which increases the odds that they will finally find forever homes!

Moby
Facebook photo – Austin Animal Shelter

Great job, first graders from Chaparral Star Academy, and thanks for caring so much about the fantastic dogs waiting to be adopted at your local shelter.

The good news here is that children were able to relate to those animals who need a forever home which had to have enriched their perspectives on life. Today’s JohnKu talks about life perspectives. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Aware by John W. Howell © 2022

Do you look around?

For those who need to be helped . . .

Or mind those blinders?

 

95 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FRI-Yay/Good News”

  6. This brings tears to my eyes. Happy tears for the student’s endeavors and sad tears for the dogs that have been there a long time. Thanks for sharing this, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Great story, John, though I’m frankly stunned the shelters are having trouble adopting their dogs out. Not so long ago, they were fairly empty as everyone wanted a Pandemic Puppy. I suppose, now that the Pandemic isn’t “a thing” anymore, they’ve turned dogs back in. Some of us knew that was going to happen, and it breaks my heart.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Thank you for sharing this story, John! I hope those cards do help the pups. You know, we’ve found three to be an ideal number for fur babies. You all could get a pup that’s between Lucy’s and Twiggy’s size 😉 Just sayin’ … lol. Have a great weekend, John.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We have a senior and junior pup. I’m not sure a third would be welcome to each for different reasons. When Lucy goes over the rainbow bridge, Twiggy will need a comfort animal. I think a puppy at that time would be perfect. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Me too but she is showing signs of age. She is healthy but a little unstable.(Like me) We have to take it very slow with her. The plus side she has a healthy appetite and loves to play. Not as much as she used to but she is still “with it” when it comes to a ruckus.

          Liked by 1 person

  25. Boss

    This is just what I needed to read after this week. What a beautiful story, and it speaks to something I think should be happening more. Giving kids a role in their community, something . . anything. Letting them feel empowered. It works wonders.

    As did this beautiful story. Thank you for it.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Now that is a beautiful thing! And I agree with Marc. The kids need to feel part of their community and this is a wonderful way to do so.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Excellent story, John. One can’t help but to be moved to emotion when visiting a kennel. Daisy is our 4th rescued dog and each has been a wonderful addition to our family. But, then again, all pets seem to fill a special spot. Enjoyed your haiku. Nice message.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Thanks for always keeping these feel-good stories coming, John. I’ll bet the kids feel so good about helping.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. I went diving through 5,876 Spam messages, liberated 19 from friends, but could not find your poem. It wasn’t in the Trash either. 😦 Did you save a copy somewhere?

        Liked by 1 person

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