editorunleashed
The Dog, by Spanish artist Francisco Goya, is said to be part of his so-called Black Paintings, a series of murals he painted on the walls of his country home. The painting (shown below), from around 1820, has been described as a frightful picture of “dream-like helpless- ness and despair” and as the dog “trying to keep itself above water.”
advocacy. No matter how desperate the situation, the resourcefulness and tenacity of these people can be extraordinary. Even the model for our cover art is
a testimony to second chances. Having been plucked from the bowels of what’s known as an overcrowded, high kill shelter in Polk County, into the safety of Canine Estates Rescue in Palm Harbor, our cover dog has since been adopted. So, what empowers a small group of
Anna with Zoe, Chloe, Dougie and Rita by Laura Allen Studios. d VETERINARY ADVISORY BOARD
We have added a Veterinary Advisory Board to our editorial team which
will help us provide important content that many of our readers have been asking for, including more informa- tion on overall health issues and diet. This group of professionals will provide important oversight and
advice on our editorial as well. I want to personally thank them for their
continued support of The New Barker and the time they are taking to assist. Dr. Mark Brown
Central Animal Hospital
St. Petersburg - 727.521.3518 Dr. Eddie Garcia
Urgent Pet Care of South Tampa 813.289.4086
Dr. Shawna Green
Medicine River Animal Hospital Madeira Beach - 727.299.9029 Dr. Steven Lewis
Davis Island Animal Clinic 813.251.4384
Dr. Douglas R. Metzler Metzler Veterinary Hospital 727.669.7221
Dr. Kenneth Newman
Care Animal Hospital of Seminole 727.954.3994
Dr. Gregory Todd
Animal Hospital of Dunedin 727.733.9351 Dr. Tallon
Gulfport Veterinarian 727.384.4413
6 THE NEW BARKER Actually, Goya never intended for
his Black Paintings to be seen by the public, so no one really knows what the artist was thinking when he painted The Dog. At age 73, perhaps he was con- cerned with his own mortality. Goya, who was deaf, named his Madrid home “Quinta del Sordo” — Villa of the Deaf. He was embittered by the conflicts that had engulfed Spain, leading up to the Spanish Civil War. The beauty of art is, of course, in the
eye of the beholder. Personally, I find this piece to be more reflective of being hopeful than anything else. If anyone can find a way out of a dire situation, certainly a dog will. And waiting on the other side? A caring human being, open to giving someone else another chance. Second chances, unwittingly seems
to be the theme of this issue of The New Barker.We have several stories on how dogs have given new life and meaning to their humans, and countless other stories on humans giving new life and meaning to dogs. I continue to be touched by the devotion of people who work in, and volunteer for, animal
people to do what many of us may find too daunting? I will never forget what Pam Perry of Hillsborough County Animal Services said to me a few years ago about the high rate of owner surren- ders and abuse cases they were seeing. “We take on, and deal with the sins of an entire community.” In other words, HCAS and other animal service agencies take in any and all unwanted animals. Unfortunately, it is a problem
throughout Florida and across the country. More dogs are being surren- dered and/or abandoned for various reasons. More hoarding and/or abuse cases are being reported. And all of this means that more unwanted animals end up at what many refer to as high-kill shelters. Not an endearing term, especially to those who work at these shelters, trying hard to make a difference. Some of the luckier dogs may be transferred to no-kill shelters or placed with a breed- specific rescue group. As one who believes in the glass-
half-full theory, the fact that more people are aware of these situations than ever before is, to me, a step in the right direc- tion. The fact that under a newly passed Florida law, the public will now be able to obtain information it has never had access to, is another step forward. While government-owned shelters in Florida have been required to reveal the statistics of how many dogs and cats are taken in, and how many are euthanized, private shelters have not been required to do so until now. I suspect many more of us, while staring at the dark abyss of what these numbers represent, will become enraged and empowered to do some- thing that will positively affect these animals. Our society as a whole may well depend on it. U
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