A Dog I Could Love

I spend a lot of my time telling people I will never own another dog, never.  This is a borzois, and I would have a hard time saying no to having one of these dogs.  I believe I could have an intelligent conversation with this dog and it wouldn't bark all the time I was talking.

I read an article this morning that stated Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is being evaluated to see if she qualifies for this kind of dog as a service dog.
"Operation Wolfhound, which operates out of Arizona, uses borzois because the breed has the temperament most suitable to respond to stress.  Congresswoman Giffords worked with Operation Wolfhound from the beginning and her staff is very important to them."

The breeder in the article is donating 5 of her 12 dogs to Operation Wolfhound that places them as service dogs for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I think you will find the article interesting.

The pictures are from the Internet but I do not know how to give credits for them.

History Of Holiday Wreaths

History Of Holiday Wreaths

Wreaths are used since ages, examples are the ancient Rome and ancient Greece used wreaths as a headdress for the Olympic prizes, battle or military heroes, emperors and so on. It is also said that in ancient times, Romans used wreaths as a victory sign as well. Let us make a distinction here between different types of wreaths used in the past as we have some historical facts before us. In past the laurel wreaths were meant for athletes and the wreaths made of olive branches were used for military or battle heroes. The Christmas wreaths symbolize how life overcome the forces of winter. Wreaths are also used as symbol of welcome to all guests. Wreaths are mostly in circular shape without having the starting or ending point. Due to its unique design, these are considered as the symbol of faith and also represent the mercy and eternity of God during the Christmas Eve. Different colors used in wreath or the leaves represent different things. For instance, the evergreen leaves and branches in the wreath symbolize the everlasting life and the love of God. On the other hand, the green color also signifies the new life and hope and sometimes also peace.

In past, the Christmas wreaths were made of plants which were capable of maintaining their green shades throughout the entire year. Those wreaths were usually made of pine, holly and ivy. The purpose behind those wreaths was to show that the life is everlasting and the greenness of the leaves in the winter season truly symbolizes this fact.

Most of the people around the world relate the holiday wreaths to the Christmas wreaths. But in fact, there are certain other kinds of wreaths also. An important thing here to mention is that wreaths never have any special connection to any particular religion. This is a common thought of many of the people that wreaths are meant to be in connection with some specific religion. Nowadays, wreaths are made from plastic, artificial flowers and fresh flowers along with other leaves, berries and branches. Many people used them as a decoration on their doors, windows, fireplaces and even on tables.

These are now made almost the whole year and not confined to the winter season. No matter what is the purpose behind using these wreaths, they are surely a great way to express one feeling either by using it as a decoration or giving it as a gift on special events.