Riding The Kindness Bicycle past a truck stopped at a red light, the driver after seeing the signs said, “and don’t hit dogs either.” I couldn’t agree more! Most dogs in homes where Domestic Violence is prevalent are abused. There have also been studies that show children who are cruel to dogs are predisposed to being a Domestic Violence perpetrator. Dogs are meant to be helpful to people, they are not to be hurt.
I remember hearing in the early stages of The Kindness Bicycle Tour from Lynn Rosenthal, President Obama’s White House Advisor on Domestic Violence, about the therapeutic powers of dogs on Domestic Violence victims. Having a canine companion as a pet can help to hasten the recovery of a person hurting inside.
Before I left Manhattan today, I stopped at the T. Russell Reitz Regional Animal Shelter to donate most of the many boxes of dog treats given to Bogart. He must have had a 3 year’s supply of treats and I was running out of storage space. I met with Angela, a shelter tech and Honey, a very well cared for Pug. She embraced the goal of One Million Acts Of Kindness and how it would help people be kind to animals.
Today’s 32 mile ride was through the side streets of Salina, I met many friendly people and dogs as well.