Hey kids, want a pet? No time like the present! Put on your best doe eyes and get ready to plead with mom and dad to bring you to Wally Pets (4411 C Wallingford Ave N.) this weekend, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. The Humane Society will be on hand with Max Mobile, their bright yellow school bus for animals, offering the possibility of on-site adoption.
Now, if your folks are mean old grumps who refuse to allow you the basic human right of owning an animal, we encourage you to use the excuse that Max Mobile will also feature a certified dog trainer to talk about pet safety. It’s educational!
Is mom allergic to cats? How about a dog? She’s allergic to dogs? Despite the the fact that they smell worse than the weasels they resemble, ferrets are hypoallergenic!
Very cool! Anyone who knows Paul Brown (WallyPets owner) knows that he loves all animals (he’s visited the “gorillas in the mist” while in Africa, has great pix in the shop of his visits to Borneo to help care for orphaned orangutans). He’s sort of like Wallingford’s own dog whisperer. It’s great that his shop will be the focus for pet adoptions this weekend.
And for us mean old grumps, there’s the consolation of the occasional songbird that escapes the cats foraging in our back yards. Could be a Beweck’s wren, or the towhee I was seeing back in the winter – these birds often come to the ground, so they’re especially at risk. Know what a little wren sounds like, in full song? Can you love something like that, without needing it to love you back particularly? I’m a mean old grump, how about you?
maybe a mole?
“this weekend” – can we assume both Saturday and Sunday?
It’s this Saturday, from 11 to 3PM.
And, all kidding aside, let’s remember that sometimes, when parents are being “mean old grumps,” they are making the right choice.
It’s sad enough when a family loses its house, has to move to an apartment, and can’t take the family dog.
It’s more sad that some of the animals the Humane Society is trying to place are there because people may have taken in animal companions when that was not a good choice. Let’s teach our children well: there’s no basic human right to owning (and all-too-often, subsequently discarding) an animal. I see the MaxMobile as representing the rights of the animals themselves…as well as our hope that they can have good homes, and responsible owners for the future.
Thank you, Donn.
Folks, if you adopt a cat this weekend or already have one, keep it inside. It’s safer for the cat (no cars, no aggressive dogs or other cats, no exposure to unknown toxins, no feline leukemia) and safer for the birds. Yes, you’ll miss those special gifts of dead prey on your pillow, but it’s worth it.
Good for Paul to try and make his store a community resource for the people and pets of the area. This is just an opportunity for those who may be looking to adopt. No one has to adopt. It is not a political statement. Thank you, Paul, for turning this store into a spot all of us pet owners now call a destination. Thank you for your support in taking care of us and our pets and providing educational opportunities. And thank you for your good heart.