{"id":801,"date":"2013-08-25T18:04:34","date_gmt":"2013-08-25T18:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=801"},"modified":"2013-08-21T18:04:53","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T18:04:53","slug":"national-dog-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/08\/national-dog-day.html","title":{"rendered":"National Dog Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of worradmu\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 26 has been named “National Dog Day,” and it’s a fine time to remember all the wonderful ways our furry friends enhance our lives, whether we have chronic pain and illness or not.<\/p>\n

I’ve known some remarkable dogs. There was Kolya, a\u00a0Great Pyranees that served people at UCLA Medical Center by visiting the sick, young and old. One day, I did rounds with Kolya and was amazed when the small-pony-sized canine gently stepped up and onto more than one patient’s hospital bed, stretched out, and relaxed, bringing a palpable sense of calm to the patients and a smile to all who watched.<\/p>\n

There was the Scottish terrier that was our family pet for many years, feisty and stubborn, but fiercely loyal.<\/p>\n

There was the “hearing helping” dog at the pharmacy I used to go to, a companion to another customer who was audibly challenged and who relied on the little dog with the big ears to alert her when important noises sounded.<\/p>\n

The seeing eye dog, a German shepherd, that I saw recently that prevented its companion from stepping onto a busy street was more than remarkable, he\/she was a true hero.<\/p>\n

And the many household dogs that are constant reminders of the importance of the simple life, a life of play and napping and humor and care. These dogs, too, deserve a kind word and a nod.<\/p>\n

I hope that you have a fine National Dog Day, and that you take a bit of time to give a pat or a scritch or, perhaps, a treat, to your favorite pooch. Or, perhaps, if you’ve been thinking about it, but have hesitated, perhaps you might adopt a dog today.\u00a0 Many are waiting for good homes!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":805,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions\/805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}