This afternoon, my husband received a call at work from a co-worker. This guy found 7 puppies in the middle of the road.  The puppies were all healthy and fat.  It's highly unlikely that the puppies just materialized in the middle of the road.  It would also be a stretch to theorize that the mother dog left her puppies there.

  No. Someone took them there and then left them.

You might be inclined to say that the person who did this is a monster. It's certainly the easy answer. In fact, I believe the first thing I said after hearing this was "What kind of monster does this kind of thing?"

  But, the thing is, I have 3 of those puppies here with me now (the co-worker had managed to find homes for 4 of them), and they have not been mistreated.  These are happy, fat puppies who love people.  They seek people out for love and play.  These puppies have had positive interaction with humans. They've had love.  They've had food. I wouldn't even say they'd been raised outside, as they're about the best mannered 6 week old pups I've ever come across.

So, if they were loved (and they were. I've spent my entire adult life studying and working with dogs and I know them. These puppies have experienced affection and a lot of it.), then how did they come to be sitting in the road, alone?

Someone (our monster) became overwhelmed and didn't know what to do with 7 puppies. They likely briefly considered all the humane options and decided that it was simply too much trouble.  They reasoned that by placing them in the path of other humans, the puppies would most likely be picked up and cared for. And they were. 

I wonder if they knew how close to a miracle it is that none of the puppies was run over.  Or eaten by something larger (they were found on a country road and we have lots of predators larger than puppies in these parts).   Do they know how bad (and short) these puppies' lives might have been?

  How do you love something for 6 weeks and then leave it in the road?

  Maybe our monster isn't a monster, but it's certainly not quite human.

  I apologize for the lack of anything resembling funny in this post. I hope to be back with funny soon.

  Oh! I have an idea!  Tomorrow is my birthday.  I'll be very old. Everyone knows the elderly are easily amused. So, for my birthday, I think it would be lovely if I got jokes from you all.  It'll brighten my day, and the day of those who read here.   So, if you're of a mind to, please leave a joke (short, long, clean, dirty...just send em!) in the comments section tomorrow.  I might even think of a prize for the best joke! 

   Before I go (and at the risk of channeling Bob Barker) please get your pets spayed or neutered!