I got an especially moving message from Susan, who lives in Oregon,  asking if I could consider putting up a Dog Sharing request for dogs we have lost. Her Lab Thunder died a few years ago, and she thought it would be wonderful to share the photo of her beloved dog with other people who loved dogs and had lost them.

She knew that I had lost some dogs I loved, and would soon lose Red, so she thought this might have some meaning for me. She understood I had my own ideas about extended grieving, but she liked my idea that remembering our dogs is not the same as grieving for them without end.

That struck me as a good and appropriate idea, especially as Dog Sharing seems to be so healthy and positive a thing for people in these days of division and hatred.

Thanks for the idea, Susan, let’s do it.

This a perfect thing to do over a hot and humid weekend, against a backdrop of so much anger. I am learning a lot from these posts and images, thank you. I’m not sure I ever brought so much pleasure to so many people on my blog.

Let’s celebrate the lives of the dogs we loved who are gone, and not just mourn their passing. What I will do is recall the times my dogs made me laugh and smile and kept me company and brought me joy and understanding.

My lost dogs will never be a misery to me, but something to appreciate and be grateful for. One of the many wonderful things about dogs is that when one dies, we can always get another one.

It makes me sad to hear people say they can’t bear to “go through it again” when they lost a dog. That isn’t about the dog. I am very happy to go through it again and again. people who love dogs will always want to have one if they can.

To me, this Dog Sharing idea is joyous, not in any way depressing. It will lift me up, not bring me down. To participate, please post  your image on my Facebook Page, that is the only platform available to me that we can use.

I’m looking for ways to do good in conjunction with this new and very popular feature on the blog. There is a gifted young immigrant child applying to the Bishop Maginn High School, she has a perfect academic record and Mike Tolan says she would be a tremendous asset to the school. I’ll be meeting her on Wednesday and will take her photo and talk to her. Her mother cleans office buildings, she needs $3,000 to be admitted (the Albany Academy Tuition was $29,000), the school has reduced its normal fee, and I just received a $1,000 donation today from a member of the Army Of Good for the school.

She says the school can do what it wishes and I know Mike Tolan’s top priority right now is some tuition aid to get these very gifted children into his school.

I’ve suggested we apply it to her reduced tuition.

So I hope we can raise the  $2,000 we need to get her in.  The donations for this are tax-deductible. You can send them directly to the school: Mike Tolan, Principal, Bishop Maginn High School, 75 Park Avenue, Albany, N.Y., 12202.

If you would rather contribute to some clothing, personal effects and clothes for the refugee children, you can send a contribution to me, Jon Katz, via Paypal, [email protected] or by check, Jon Katz. Bishop Maggin Fund P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

You can also support the Bishop Maginn High School Wish List.

The Dog Sharing project is free, these contributions are completely optional, and thanks for being here either way.