editorunleashed
Photograph by Laura Allen Studios.
“I'm a mog. Half man, half dog. I'm my own best friend.”
John Candy, as Barf, from the movie, Spaceballs.
Anna with Zoe, Chloe, Dougie and Rita, at Honeymoon Island.
As the world folds this year’s worries and problems up, we look forward to unwrapping a fresh new one that holds endless possibilities. And, like a new year, this issue of The New Barker is about hope, and moving beyond ourselves to make life a little better for someone else, be it human or dog. Many of the stories touch on the lengths people will go to save the life of a dog, whether or not the dog is part of their own family. Every story displays unabashedly, the undying love we humans have for our dogs. We will introduce you to pilots who volunteer their time, planes and fuel to fly animals to safe havens. Scared to death of flying myself, I nevertheless had the extreme pleasure to fly with three of those pilots, one of whom has flown more than 1,000 animals to a better life. Two things brought me to a place where I really wasn’t afraid to be in the air in a four-seater plane. First, while strapped in tight, headphones on, and my face two feet from the windshield, I simply lived in the moment, kind of like a dog does. I did not think about the what if's waiting for me in the future. And I certainly wasn’t thinking about anything that happened in my past. Hearing and feeling every bump and jolt of the plane kept me right in the moment, yes sir. It was good, head-clearing therapy. The second thing that kept my fear at bay was the chance to be part of a mission that transported 300 homeless cats and dogs to waiting shelters, sanctuaries and rescue groups across the country. So many of our dogs are being diagnosed with cancer, and while that is a scary thought, it is not necessarily the
6 THE NEW BARKER
death sentence it used to be. We have several stories about dogs whose families found them the best possible care to treat their different cancers. While one family traveled to North Carolina for treatment, several families were able to find help for their dogs right here in Florida. As dog lovers living in Florida, we are fortunate to have innovative companies seeking out a cure for cancer. You’ll read about them in this issue as well. Thanks to a foundation started by Lisa and Harry Posin of Palm Beach County, tec ????Y\?\?H?Z[?? ?\? H[\ ??Y[? ?X]Y[?\?[?H ?XY[ H]?Z[X?H ? ] \?[? ??H]?H Z\????]?H ? [???? ] ?Z?HX[?H? [?KH?[Y]?HH???&\? \???H\? ?XZ?H Z\? [X[???] \??Z[???[?H ?[YY] ??YH? ??H????[???\? ][? \?\??YK????[???\?Y?H \? ? ?? ?] ?x?&\?H?[?? ?]\?]8?&\? ???Z[??X??] ??Y][?? ?H]?H???? ???\?
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