Notes from the Editors
Janice Brown,
Founder and Editorial Director
True love. It’s what everyone seeks: taking long walks on the beach, cuddling together on a cold winter’s evening, waking up with kisses and puke on your pillow.
Yes, you read that correctly. Just the other night I was shaken out of a sweet slumber by the all-too-familiar sound of my cat Jake, who minutes before was sleeping on my head. He suddenly began dry heaving and then throwing up what seemed like a week’s worth of food just inches from my face. Generally, excitement between the sheets is something people look forward to. This, however, was not a good scene.
Did I still love him in the morning? Of course, how could I not? It wasn’t his fault. And he was purring so loudly at me, I could tell he was sorry.
Think about it—how many people would you allow to throw up on your pillow and then sneak back into bed with you acting like nothing ever happened? I’m guessing none. But that’s the thing about these long-term love affairs we have with our animals. Once their souls are embedded in your heart, they are there to stay.
Somehow pets have the ability to eat an entire dinner off the table just minutes before 15 people are supposed to be at your house, without receiving more than a minute or two of “bad-dog” chastising. By the time your guests arrive, you’re petting them and laughing, asking them (in baby talk, of course), “How come I can’t stay mad at you?” all the while dialing your favorite Chinese restaurant to order carry-out.
Most of you, I’m sure, can relate to this, and may recall your own version of a similar story. When it comes to our animals, we are pushovers. These four-legged love machines just seem to bring out the best in us.
And let’s be honest. Considering I’ve known Jake since my college days, it’s quite possible that he has seen me throw up and slide back into bed, pretending like nothing happened…and he still loves me in the morning.
Let’s hear it for true love—
Jason A. Heidemann,
Executive Editor
Periodically, the editorial department will schedule shelter outreach days. These are days when we’ll block off a chunk of our workday and head out to local shelters and rescue groups for an impromptu visit.
We do this for several reasons. For starters, we like to play with the animals. Yes, all of us live with pets at home, but that doesn’t seem to stop us from taking joy in petting and mollycoddling a number of cats, dogs, and rabbits who aren’t our own. On these occasions, some lovable guy or gal almost inevitably catches the eye of one of our staff members, and the temptation for that co-worker to add just one more animal to his or her fold is hard to resist.
A second reason why we visit local shelters is to stay in touch with them. We like to remind everyone to continue sending us information and updates about upcoming events, adoption fairs, low-cost microchipping or spay/neuter days, galas, and so forth (all of which we gladly list in the magazine for free).
But mostly, we come by to gush and show our appreciation. The staff members and volunteers at these organizations work so hard to ensure that the adoptable pets in their care find permanent, loving homes and that difficult-to-place animals have the opportunity to live out the rest of their natural lives in an environment where they will constantly receive love, affection, and nourishment.
If you’ve never taken a tour of a shelter, I highly recommend it. The work these nonprofits do is truly remarkable, so much so in fact that it prompted us to create our first inspiration issue. As the media continues to barrage us with stories about natural disasters, pet-food recalls, and dogfighting atrocities, we thought it was time to dedicate an entire issue to all that is good and wonderful in the animal community.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day. We’ll see you next month—
Founder and Editorial Director
True love. It’s what everyone seeks: taking long walks on the beach, cuddling together on a cold winter’s evening, waking up with kisses and puke on your pillow.
Yes, you read that correctly. Just the other night I was shaken out of a sweet slumber by the all-too-familiar sound of my cat Jake, who minutes before was sleeping on my head. He suddenly began dry heaving and then throwing up what seemed like a week’s worth of food just inches from my face. Generally, excitement between the sheets is something people look forward to. This, however, was not a good scene.
Did I still love him in the morning? Of course, how could I not? It wasn’t his fault. And he was purring so loudly at me, I could tell he was sorry.
Think about it—how many people would you allow to throw up on your pillow and then sneak back into bed with you acting like nothing ever happened? I’m guessing none. But that’s the thing about these long-term love affairs we have with our animals. Once their souls are embedded in your heart, they are there to stay.
Somehow pets have the ability to eat an entire dinner off the table just minutes before 15 people are supposed to be at your house, without receiving more than a minute or two of “bad-dog” chastising. By the time your guests arrive, you’re petting them and laughing, asking them (in baby talk, of course), “How come I can’t stay mad at you?” all the while dialing your favorite Chinese restaurant to order carry-out.
Most of you, I’m sure, can relate to this, and may recall your own version of a similar story. When it comes to our animals, we are pushovers. These four-legged love machines just seem to bring out the best in us.
And let’s be honest. Considering I’ve known Jake since my college days, it’s quite possible that he has seen me throw up and slide back into bed, pretending like nothing happened…and he still loves me in the morning.
Let’s hear it for true love—
Jason A. Heidemann,
Executive Editor
Periodically, the editorial department will schedule shelter outreach days. These are days when we’ll block off a chunk of our workday and head out to local shelters and rescue groups for an impromptu visit.
We do this for several reasons. For starters, we like to play with the animals. Yes, all of us live with pets at home, but that doesn’t seem to stop us from taking joy in petting and mollycoddling a number of cats, dogs, and rabbits who aren’t our own. On these occasions, some lovable guy or gal almost inevitably catches the eye of one of our staff members, and the temptation for that co-worker to add just one more animal to his or her fold is hard to resist.
A second reason why we visit local shelters is to stay in touch with them. We like to remind everyone to continue sending us information and updates about upcoming events, adoption fairs, low-cost microchipping or spay/neuter days, galas, and so forth (all of which we gladly list in the magazine for free).
But mostly, we come by to gush and show our appreciation. The staff members and volunteers at these organizations work so hard to ensure that the adoptable pets in their care find permanent, loving homes and that difficult-to-place animals have the opportunity to live out the rest of their natural lives in an environment where they will constantly receive love, affection, and nourishment.
If you’ve never taken a tour of a shelter, I highly recommend it. The work these nonprofits do is truly remarkable, so much so in fact that it prompted us to create our first inspiration issue. As the media continues to barrage us with stories about natural disasters, pet-food recalls, and dogfighting atrocities, we thought it was time to dedicate an entire issue to all that is good and wonderful in the animal community.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day. We’ll see you next month—
