"Every dog has its day" is another way of saying that everyone has a moment of triumph or success. The implication is that even a lowly dog has one time when everything is going its way. The expression is a semi-quotation from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "and dog will have his day".
Most of us have had or still have a very special dog or two in our lives.
View four very special and loved dogs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/click-ka-ching/sets/72157630012561950/show/
Let us not forget those that still need homes............
Beauty with a Paw-pose
– SPCA Mutt of the Year - the Star newspaper reported this week:
Cats and dogs battled it
out at the annual SPCA Royal Canine Mutt and Meow of
the Year competition, where SA’s premier dog and cat were crowned after six
weeks of intense competition. This year
a rescued dog named Bear was selected as Mutt of the Year, and the Meow of the
Year prize went to an adopted cat named Rabs.
Bear’s owner, Lee-Anne
Curtis Cox, says it’s a dream come true. “I want to have other people understand what
you can get from the SPCA – really incredible dogs.” Bear, who was adopted from the SPCA in 2002,
also won the Pup of the Year Award in 2003. Rabs’s owner, Carrie
Rossouw, says her cat has brought her much joy. “People underestimate the value
animals have in people’s lives,” she said.
Oscar, the globetrotting dog sat on the panel of judges
The contest
was given some star power with former Mutt of the Year, Oscar, the
globetrotting dog, on the panel of judges, accompanied by owner Joanne Lefson. The celebrity pooch was the 2004 winner of the
Mutt of the Year competition and hasn’t looked back since.
Oscar has become a champion
for dog adoption with his adopt-a-dog campaign that went countrywide this year.
Lefson says his travelling show saw a
spike in doggie adoptions. Oscar was
adopted by Joanne just before he was to be put down, and he had the same start
as many of the Mutt and Meow of the Year contestants. He is now the poster-dog
of adoptions for the SPCA, and travels the world to spread the message that
it’s better to adopt than to buy from a breeder.
Another judge, Tarryn Day,
said the panel was looking for “that extra special connection” between an owner
and pet. And that connection was
certainly there for Rossouw’s husband and Meow of the Year, Rabs. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease when
Rabs arrived at their home. The family eventually adopted her, and Rossouw said
she provided so much comfort for the family.
Besides the grand prize
winners, animal lovers donated online by voting for their favourites. The pet
with the most votes will receive the Top Fundraising award as the “fan
favourite”. The competition ultimately raised more than R20 000.
While the typical pet
competition rewards animals based on their pure-bred characteristics and
pedigree, this competition celebrates all animals. It also raises awareness
about abandoned and homeless animals. For the past 15 years, the SPCA has
sponsored the Mutt of the Year competition. This year the competition moved
online, which allowed for many more participants. It’s also the first year of
the “Meow of the Year” category.
Joanne Lefson said she was
encouraged by how the number of adoptions had increased in recent years.
About
1 000 animals are adopted from the SPCA every year. The numbers dropped off as
a result of the economic slowdown, but are now increasing. Sarah Scarth, the Cape of
Good Hope SPCA communication and resource development manager, said: “In the
past year we put a tremendous amount of effort into the campaign and increased
adoptions by about 25 percent.”
Sandton SPCA
Tel: 011
4447730 for enquiries regarding animals available for adoption
