The Circle of Kindness

My last post was about Kate Titus's company, A Loyal Companion. She provides canine massage and she's recently branched out into prosthetics for canines. While that might seem like a bit of a luxury, for working dogs or very active dogs, it can be a solution that brings new joy, life and most importantly, restored activity to a dog who otherwise would be sidelined. But that's not the point of this post - keep reading...

Kate texted and said to set my DVR to record an early morning local news show on Sunday morning she was appearing on. I did so and watched one of the most moving segments I've seen in a long time. Kate and her dog are part of a group called Gabriel's Angels (www.gabrielsangels.org). The organization is dedicated to changing the circle of violence and neglect by bringing everyday dogs to visit children at risk - those in shelters, domestic violence shelters and juvenile detention, among other places. The volunteers are trained to understand the situation but beyond that, they are everyday people with their dogs (dogs are certified through the program). Gabriel's Angels believes that the bond between a therapy dog and a child is strong enough to break the cycle of violence. Those of you who love dogs know the power of that bond.

The founder, Pam Gaber , was interviewed (as was Kate and her companion pup, a gigantic Great Dane mix named Harley). Pam talked passionately about the impact these dogs have on the kids. Her explanation was quite moving - she talked about the importance of developing trust, compassion and empathy in these kids and that more often than not, these dogs do the trick. In fact, the organization has sponsored studies to validate their result - that these children are forever changed and healed by experiencing the unconditional love dogs offer.

In this season of giving, consider giving to the charity of your choice - funding has been severely cut in this economic climate; non-profits are struggling under the burden of being tasked with ever larger work loads with continually dwindling funding. Help fill the gap by making a generous donation of whatever size to an organization in your neighborhood that makes a difference, touches your heart and contributes to the circle of kindness.

This year, I'm going to stretch a bit more than usual and make sure I help the organizations that make a difference. I hope you'll consider helping out as well.

One by one and all together, we can make a difference.

Happy Holidays from all of us at shopOrganic.com. And remember, during the holiday craze, you still gotta eat. We've got plenty of healthy, organic food for quick and easy meals for you - and yup, we've got some great green and organic gifts for your last minute shopping as well.

Here's your reward for reading the whole post - watch this really fun dog video on YouTube - it will make your day! Now go out there and enjoy your day!