Foley Monster Reflects on the Online World, the Onfoot World, and Peace Love and Understanding

When dogs are born we are clear of our mission:  To serve man (and no, it’s not a cookbook, well, for most most of us.)  But, like the servants in The Help, we don’t just aid, we observe our humans, certainly the most complicated of creatures we have encountered.

This is a dog’s philosophy:  See something out of the ordinary, charge at it, and deal with it, unless we are corrected by those we serve.  But humans, they see what is right in front of it, and analyze it to such an extent they don’t even notice it.

I am not sure where this Internet thing came from, who invented it, or why, but I hear lots of debating if it is a good thing or not.  Humans debate too much.   We know what things are when we see them whether they be good or bad.

For the most part I declare the Internet a good thing, even though it’s like a Pit Bull, a wonderful beast that can be corrupted by those with ill intentions.  Because the Internet has rekindled the fire in humans igniting two long list skills.  The first is to use the written word to communicate in short, well thought out (for the most part) sentences.

But also it has recreated the idea of a community, or, better yet a village, where everyone is your friend, watches your kids (meaning pups) and no one locks the doors because everyone is trusted.  What is great about an online community is that you choose your neighbors which you can’t do in an on foot community (the term on foot community is trademarked by Foley Monster, don’t mess with me on this) or family. I often hear complaints about our friends’ neighbors but seldom about online friends.  And let’s agree not to get started on family.

But over the Internet we have created our own village where we care, we trust, and everyone knows our names, both human and pup.

I have never seen a better example of how a village can pull together, how a family can provide support, then the way people and pups rallied to sweet Mollie’s side.  It began with a post on Tanner Brigade stating the she had taken ill.  The old cranky DS machine wasn’t cooperating with her Mom so we copied the post for her.  And we copied it on Facebook, and the sub groups, Doggyspace Moms and Doggyspace Groups.  On Tanner Brigade we set up a vigil for her in our events section (an event section would be a great addition to DS.)  Although it’s a small group the vigil, along with her blogs, quickly filled with comments, some from members we barely hear from.  And on DS a multi member candle lighting for Mollie was held.

Our DS blogs filled up with even more comments, friends praying, asking what they could do.  And on Facebook those Moms who have guided their pups through the same similar illness were there ready to help and to provide advice and a strong shoulder.  I shouldn’t say I’m surprised by the response I saw because I know what a wonderful community we have.  But I was still awed by it, by the love, by the caring, things that seem so hard to come by in our on foot community.

So from this dog’s perspective this Internet is a really cool thing.  Because it has allowed us to create little villages filled with people who realize that us dogs are your angels, who love you, and fill your heart with joy, and we should be celebrated.  And in this village we have so many wonderful, caring, living people.  They are truly the finest kind.

We may not be able to live with people who share our interests or are as caring as we are, but we can build one in the cyber world, where no one pops in during your favorite show or tracks mud on your carpets.  The compassion shown here is beautiful, while in the on foot world compassion is considered a weakness.

The reaching out to help here is seen a thousand time a day while in the on foot world reaching out to help is frowned upon because those in need should help themselves.  I would much rather live with my wonderful friends in my online world than with the rude, mean people with those annoying signs on their yard in the shape of a dog squatting and a no thru it (but I never see one with one dog humping another with a no on it so they are discriminating against certain bodily functions.)

We all love Mollie, our hearts ache for her and her Mom and all we want is for her to get better.  And it’s so wonderful that her Mom can find all this support right at the end of her own fingertips.