My pharmacy-free mood lifter is going to explorer.org and looking at some of their live web cams. At present my favorites are the toddler pandas from China and the Great Dane service dogs. There are two sets of puppies there now along with some adults. They are trained to be service dogs, with preference given to veterans. The dogs are donated to the disabled, free of charge. The Great Danes' size and strength make them valuable for people who have balance issues.
Watching puppies being born and seeing them grow is sure to bring a smile to my face on even the worst days. They switch the cameras between the month-old pups (ten of them!) and the three-month old pups (small litter--only three of them).
To see how to help the organization, look below the fold.
The Kuranda company (makes very sturdy dog beds) has a monthly contest where people can vote and the winner gets five beds donated to a shelter, rescue, or other non-profit group for animals. The Service Dog Project has already won this month's contest because of the huge support of the viewers of the web cam, but there is another prize out there that you can help with. Carlene (in charge of the organization and a funny, feisty woman) is in talks with some dog food companies to get donations to help with expenses. We (the viewers and blog posters) at the site have set a goal of 20,000 votes for the month to get the attention of the dog food companies. We are very close, but this is the last day of the month. The site is not political, but champions helping the dogs and the disabled. This month pink envelopes were sent en masse to a school district in NH that was not enforcing rules for a sweet middle school student and her service dog. The dog was being teased and amazingly, the adults were not stepping up. After receiving a visit from Carlene and follow-up mailings in pink envelopes (for visual impact), respect has been restored and rules are being followed.
If you have time and feel inclined, please vote to try to get the vote count up.
Link to vote (19678 votes at the time of writing) : http://kuranda.com/...
Link to indoor puppy room web cam (with blog underneath): http://explore.org/...
Link to the Facebook page for the group: https://www.facebook.com/...
Link to site for the organization: http://www.servicedogproject.org/