On occasion you can drive past a Vet clinic and see a car parked out front, doors open, maybe bedding falling out, and no one in sight. If you go into the clinic you will run into a person clutching a pet to their chest, not willing to relinquish the burden to a tech. That was me today. In stirrup pants (fist thing I found) and a stained sweatshirt. Ratty hair, old Crocs. It’s not an uncommon sight at a clinic, so many of us only worry about dog, keys, car, GO. Hold it together until the techs come to help.
He was a silly dog, handsome but more likely to play than get to work in the show ring. 
One of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known, he was friendly to any of the other Salukis except his brother. He purely loved to irritate his brother. Grumpy Old Men, they wore their thirteen years well. Until today when those years came crashing down, and I took Kerovan on his last car ride.
I realize when I got home, this is National Purebred Dog Day. Or as it’s become, National Bash the Greedy Breeders Day by the people who think we do this for the fame, glory, and the big bucks. Yeah, right.
How many of those nasty minded people are next to us when we hold our friends for that last act of caring? How many offer a shoulder as we lose a dog whose main goal in life was to make us happy…and who exceeded that goal every day. Yes we breed and sometimes sell our dogs. We make careful decisions prior to those breedings to ensure their next home has a healthy, friendly, lovely companion for many years to come.
If we were doing this for the big bucks we be total failures. Since few of us are, we have succeeded beyond our wildest expectations.
Hug your dogs, your cats, your horses, young or old. It’s a good day when you can.
Mona Karel Author 