I've spent a lot of time recently volunteering with animal rescue groups; transporting, photographing, coordinating, and now it seems fostering. This big guy is my house guest for a yet undetermined time frame. His name is Bear (quite fitting). He was rescued from a local animal control unit after being surrendered by his owners because he was "destructive". 8 months old and 60 pounds of malamute mix (best we can guess) puppy and I wonder what they expected... For the record, yes, he is VERY destructive, but come on people, know what you're getting into. Puppies like to chew. Seems someone didn't know this. At any rate, won't go on a tirade right now about sorry pet owners. He is an absolute sweetheart; super soft and cuddly and gets along great with my dog. Their favorite game seems to be chewing on each other's faces, and they're pretty adorable at it.

I would encourage anyone looking for something to do in their spare time to look into volunteer work with animal rescue groups. They always need help, and the more help they get, the more they can help the animals. The local county animal control where I live used to euthanize over 80% of the animals it took in; usually over 2,000 cats and dogs each year; until rescue groups stepped in and started pulling animals to re-home, often times out of state where there isn't such an overpopulation problem. Georgia is one of the worst states in the nation for animal euthanasia rates, and for several reasons. Poor and poorly enforced spay/neuter laws, irresponsible pet owners, back yard breeders, and puppy mills for starters.

If you're a pet owner, please be responsible and encourage anyone you know that owns a pet to do the same; spay or neuter your pets, ESPECIALLY if they're outdoor animals and could become unwantedly pregnant, or impregnate another neighborhood pet. If you think it's too expensive, search for a low cost spay/neuter clinic, they're around.