Giving Back in 2018 – Joe Norton

They say dogs are man’s best friend, and I think that’s exactly right. Dogs are capable of so much love and loyalty, and they have such innocence – they really depend on us to live. They are not like cats, by-and-large the average dog is completely dependent on its human(s) to survive. I think dogs really add to life, but the other side of this equation is it’s also a huge commitment to own a pet as demanding as a dog – and often people realize too late they are not up to the task/can’t handle the responsibility. It really breaks my heart when I see homeless or abused dogs that aren’t able to enjoy life the way a dog with a home and a family can. I think dogs have so much to give us humans, but we have a duty to them as well.

I can personally only do so much (I’m pretty tapped out with 1 dog to be honest!), but there are many shelters and other organizations out there whose entire focus is to help these puppers.

That is why I decided to donate my $500 to the Greenhill Humane Society, which is an animal shelter in my area. I used to visit and play with the dogs there from time to time, back before I got my house and my dog Moose, it is a nice place that takes good care of a lot of animals. Mainly dogs, but also cats and more unordinary pets. I think places like this are essential to helping dogs survive a tough time and find a family that is a good fit for them. That is why I wanted to support the Greenhill Humane Society.

I was very fortunate that at the same time I went to make my donation, they were running a Holiday Drive Matching Challenge – which means my $500 donation will be matched by another donor, making it end up being double the gift to Greenhill. I was thrilled to see that my gift will be magnified and hopefully make more of an impact at the shelter.

While making the donation I was given the option to dedicate it to somebody, I made it ‘In Honor of Moose Norton’, my best bud 🙂

written by Joe Norton