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Barbaro: why loving him made sense, and still does

Barbaro and his vet, Dr. Richardson, in happier times. Photo credit: http://www.timwoolleyracing.com

The past few weeks have been tough for those of us who loved a very special racehorse named Barbaro. I was one of those fans you’ve been reading about in the news – during Barbaro’s eight-month fight to recover from a broken leg at the Preakness, I checked for updates on him daily, and followed every report with hope. My dream, like the dream of many others, was that Barbaro, who was only three years old, would heal and go on to live a happy, peaceful, and long life in green pastures.

People are debating in the media whether or not it makes “sense” that so many people cared about Barbaro. After all, there is so much pain and suffering in the world, why care about the loss of one horse, a horse you never even knew?

I would ask a different question: does it ever make sense not to care when any animal, whether it’s a champion racehorse or a newborn kitten, is injured and fighting for its life?

We are all inspired, every day, by courage or greatness. An Olympic athlete who wins a gold medal inspires us to exercise a little harder. A person who rises from poverty to achieve great things makes us believe a little more in what we can accomplish. A cyclist who conquers cancer makes us feel braver in the face of illness.

We are also touched by innocence. Why? Maybe because we were all innocent once, and time tends to take that away from us.

Barbaro was both a great, courageous champion and an innocent young horse. We wanted to see him conquer what turned out to be insurmountable odds, and live. Perhaps if Barbaro had walked triumphantly out of the hospital one day, whole again, something in each of us would have felt whole again, too.

We wanted a miracle, a happy ending. And we were heartbroken for Barbaro when he – and we – didn’t get one. But we did get something else -- a chance to care.

And that makes perfect sense to me.

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And now, on to read about, and smile about, the animals we care about everyday.


In this issue:

“Shabby” the Tabby, a most puissant puss, submitted by Wolf G. in Framingham, MA

Shabby guards the equipment warehouse of Shaboo Productions, Connecticut's largest musical instrument rental and back line company.

A south Georgia woman bloodied in a car wreck says she owes her life to a German shepherd who — thankfully — just wouldn’t stay in his yard (from www.msnbc.com).

Shannon Lorio says that after her car careened down an embankment, the wayward dog found her bruised and battered on the vehicle’s trunk, pulled her by her shirt collar, dragged her about 50 yards through briars to a highway and let her lean against him so she could flag a passing motorist. Read on!

Molly has been using her maternal instincts after lambs Lucky and Charm were born with complications on a farm.
Read on!


It's time for Punxsutawney Phil to share his moment in the sun - or shadow (from omaha.com).
At least that's the goal of a Denver-based conservation group that wants to make Feb. 2 a celebration of the groundhog's smaller, Western kin, the prairie dog.

So far, the Forest Guardians group has persuaded four communities - including Boulder, Colo., and Sante Fe, N.M. - to designate Feb. 2 as Prairie Dog Day.
Read On!

Have you ever wondered why your water bill is so high?…you might want to check with your cat. You won’t believe this until you see it!

It's making the rounds online, and we just had to bring it to you. From Scottie Tails: "My Date with Barney." Someone REALLY wants a date with the white house pooch!
See it!

Oh, and here’s a picture of one of our columnists, Daisy, testing it out for her next review!

The Vermont Addison County Humane Society works to foster the humane treatment of animals in their Vermont community. They do this by operating a shelter that takes in strays and unwanted animals and places them with new families, educating the community about issues important to the welfare of animals and facilitating the process of investigating animal cruelty in their county.

The society will be hosting The Fur Ball, a dinner and dance to Benefit Homeless Animals, on March 17. If you’re local, attend and enjoy! It looks like fun, and it’s for a great cause.

Is that a wasp I see?

Dear Editor, I have a great photo of a wasp ( I think) building a nest in our outdoor thermometer. As you can see, it uses bits of dried grass and twigs and stuffs them in the base of the thermometer. It followed this up by stuffing what looked like a dead bug inside too. Can any of your readers identify this critter for me?

--Puzzled in the Berkshires.


Have a response? A comment or question for other readers? Write to faye@ourplacetopaws.com.

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"There are stars to light the way and ways to light the stars." - Richard Wexler

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