Enjoy these beautiful lyrics by Pearl Jam -Just Breathe - and then download the song on Itunes and enjoy its tantalizing melody

Yes every life in the world must end. Father's Day is a brutal reminder to me each year of a life I loved that is gone. And as I continue to write my series of adventures with Todd Thorn, I am pulled into too many areas of lives that end early. The pit bill killed in a fight, the beagle who died in horrific conditions in a puppy mill, and now as I write my third book, the magnificent whales that are slaughtered in the name of research. 

Each time I finish a chapter, each time I finish a book, I can feel a small part of me has suffered and died in the process. Each time I watch a video of a whale being harpooned, a part of me wants to turn it off, to pretend its not happening. But it is. And without people who care, without people who sacrifice, it will never end. 

So I resign myself to accepting that I will continue to write in the hopes someone will hear. I will continue to hurt in the hopes of healing. And today on father's day, when my husband deserves a day of joy, he will be undoubtedly be drawn into the pain of a daughter who misses her father and writer who bleeds each time she watches a life end before its time. 

Just Breath - Pearl Jam -


Yes I understand that every life must end, aw huh...
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw huh...
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands
The ones I love...

Some folks just have one
Others they got none, aw huh...

Chorus 1:
Stay with me
Let's just breathe

Verse 2:
Practiced are my sins
Never gonna let me win, aw huh...
Under everything, just another human being, aw huh...
Yea, I don't wanna hurt, there's so much in this world
To make me bleed

Chorus 2:
Stay with me
You're all I see

Bridge 1:
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
As I come clean

Verse: 3
I wonder everyday
As I look upon your face, aw huh...
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take, aw huh...
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave

Bridge 2:
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
As I come clean

Outro:
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Hold me 'till I die
Meet you on the other side

What is a puppy mill?  It is a dog breeding operation where the owners only care is how much money they can make and there is very little regard for the health or happiness of the puppy or the parents.
I'm guilty of passing the pet store in the mall and going inside to see the adorable puppies and kittens. In my heart I would love to take each one of them home. But also in my heart, I know that supporting stores that buy from puppy mills only supports these heartless operations. Buying one means an order for another.

What happens in a puppy mill?
Females are breeded over and over again until they can no longer go on or become ill. Then they are put to death. Puppies are kept in overcrowded cages, not allowed to run, and miss the affection so important to their well being. Often facilities are unkept, unclean, and unsanitary. Because these facilities do not remove sick dogs from their breeding schedules, many puppy mill dogs are born with heart problems, kidney ailments, eye issues, etc.

So how can you help?
First:  Don't buy a pet from a pet store, or any facility that doesn't allow you to see the mother & father. This includes buying from websites. There are lots of pretty pictures that can be posted with a click of a finger. This dosn't mean what the site looks like is really where the puppies come from. Animals are long committments - take the time to meet the breeder, understand the characteristics of the breed, and meet the parents. 

See a video on puppy mills  /must-see-videos.html

Visit the ASPCA's site on Puppy Mills for ideas on how to help: http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/10-ways-you-can-help-fight.aspx

Support organizations that fight puppy mills - North Shore Animal League, Best Friends, CAPS, etc.  /links.html
Look for legislation in your town or state  for protecting dogs and cats from mills. http://caps-web.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=228&Itemid=150

And when you or a friend are going to buy a dog or cat, go to the amercian kennel club:  http://www.akc.org/puppybuyerinfo/index.cfm or a local shelter. Remember when you adopt from a shelter you save two lives: the one you adopt and the one waiting for a spot to open.