Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 7, 2014

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 7, 2014 8 JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 7, 2014 8 JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS 
Happy Tails 
THE CULTURALLY 
CORRECT CANINE 


I have always been amazed at the many ways that a dog 

can change a human being’s life for the better. There 

are various and sundry reasons why the family dog has 
earned the age-old title of “man’s best friend”, and rightfully so. Among the many virtues that the 
canine shares with his two-legged human companions, most amazing to me is that fact that the dog is 
capable and more than willing to bridge the gap between humans of differing ages, cultures, lifestyles 
and languages. 

The idea that a dog is actually capable of bringing people together who would otherwise most likely 
not even bother to share the time of day, really hit close to home for me during one of my walks with 
a canine client. I am a person who has always fostered some semblance of diversity in my life. I have 
an eclectic collection of friends including people of various colors, shapes, sizes, ages and walks of life, 
but I must admit that I am only human, therefore I do still notice the differences between myself and 
others. No matter how hard I try to ignore or even erase thoughts and preconceptions that may come 
to mind when I cross paths with people who look or act different from myself, there are times when I 
do automatically and presumptuously profile a person based on appearance or behavior. 

When those preconceived notions come to mind, I try very hard to suppress them, but the thoughts 
are there, regardless. I realize that my mind works this way because I was raised in a culture that 
inherently encourages the identification of others according to the color of their skin, racial origin, 
behavioral patterns, or even financial status, and I think that is very unfortunate. If I could change that 
about my culture, I most definitely would. But, it is what it is and all one can do is live one‘s own life 
the way they know they should. I said all that to say this…Thank God for dogs! 

During a recent walk with two of my favorite canine client companions, we were trekking up Grand 
View towards the Arcadia highland community, when we happened to cross paths with an older 
couple walking two darling silky terriers . Because the two dogs I was walking are always very cordial 
in dealing with other dogs that we meet along the way, I was not concerned about a potential canine 
confrontation, so we stayed steady on our trail rather than crossing to the other side of the street. 

As we drew closer to the couple who were walking in the opposite direction, I looked up at them, gave 
them a wide, “happy to meet ya” kind of smile, and said “good morning!”. Initially, they both looked 
away in what may have appeared to be embarrassment or loss of words. My thought is that they were 
not completely comfortable with my greeting, simply because they are not completely comfortable 
with their skills in speaking the English language. 

Apparently, however, my two four-legged friends did seem to speak the same language as the two little 
pups that they were walking, so they greeted each other with nothing but confidence and appreciation 
and within a moment’s time, we humans followed suit and stood and watched the dogs interact and 
socialize with intent vigor. By the time we parted ways, having observed such kind and reciprocal 
social behavior between our pets, I felt that I had made a couple of new friends that I hope to bump 
into again in the near future, and I would like to think that they felt the same way.
See what I mean? How cool is it that our pets can play a part in bridging a gap between ourselves and 
our neighbors? That is what prompted me to write this short (yet, hopefully effective) article about the 
value of a dog’s social virtues. Perhaps we humans can learn from the canine’s willingness and ability to 
behave in a culturally 
correct manner. So, 
I encourage us all 
to remember to be 
thankful that God 
created creatures such 
as the canine to help 
we humans with our 
social skills. Who 
knew the dog could be 
such a valuable asset in 
our human lives? 


SATURDAY JUNE 7th & SUNDAY JUNE 8th 
SIERRA MADRE 
GRAND OPENING! 
LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND? 

Molly is a sweet, friendly 
female terrier mix estimated 
to be 9 months old. When 
she arrived at the shelter, 
her skin was not in very 
good condition and she lost 
most of her fur during the 
course of treatment. She is 
doing great now, and her fur 
is growing out nicely. She 
is mostly white with black 
spots. Her face is black with 
tan highlights. 


 While Molly was under 
treatment, she was kept in 
our clinic area and had little 
interaction with volunteers 
or other dogs. In spite of 
that less than ideal start for 
her, she is well adjusted now 
and gets along beautifully 
with both people and other 
dogs.



Molly is full of puppy energy and loves to play with toys and other dogs. She has a happy, bubbly 

personality that will make you smile and laugh at her antics. She and her kennel mate play well 

together and enjoy each other’s company.

 Molly loves going on walks and for a young dog, she does very well on leash. She’s a smart little 
girl and will do well with training. She loves mingling with other dogs as well as people. She is very 
affectionate, and will sit happily in a lap until her energy gets the best of her and she has to get down 
and play.

 Molly would do best in an active home where she is an important part of the family and gets a lot 
of playtime. She would be happy with another dog, and they would be sure to entertain each other. 
Molly would love to be your new best friend, so please stop by to meet her and see if she would be 
a good fit for your family. 

 She currently resides at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue in 

San Gabriel. We are located off San Gabriel Blvd., north of Mission and south of Las Tunas. 

To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Molly, please stop by any time from 10:00am to 4:30pm 

Tuesday thru Sunday. Her adoption fee is $120 which includes her spay surgery, a microchip, first 

vaccinations and a free wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at (626) 

286-1159 for more information on Molly. 

 See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos of all our available pets. 

PET OF THE WEEK: ATHENA 
Animal ID #A4712251 
Meet a lovely lady with 
endless charm, the very sweet 
and happy Athena! Athena 
(A4712251) is an entertaining 
2-year-old white-and-brindle 
female Boxer/Bulldog mix 
who was found in Baldwin 
Park on May 21st and brought 
to the Baldwin Park Animal 
Care Center. Weighing 60 
lbs, Athena is a goddess in an 
adorable doggy package. Social 
and happy-go-lucky, she gets 
along with both people and 
other dogs. Sweet and loving, 
her tail is always on the wag, 
and she loves to sit in your 
lap. With her funny strut and 
comical half mask, she has 
such unique good looks, too. Athena will make an adoring and rewarding indoor pet for any 
individual or family with children old enough to play fetch with her who live in a single-family 
home. To see a video of Athena, please visit the following link: http://youtu.be/RjeB4vrtxqw 
To meet Athena in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, 
Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is available now. For 
any inquiries about Athena, please reference her animal ID number: A4712251. The shelter is 
open seven days a week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. This 
is a high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. For more information about Athena 
or the adoption process, contact United Hope for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator 
Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.org. To learn more about United Hope for Animals’ 
partnership with the Baldwin Park Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, as well as the 
many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for adoption in local shelters, visit http://www.
unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/shelter-support-program/.