B.A.R.K.

Or Belzoni Animal Rescue Kennel is a place on a mission. Find homes for dogs. Great homes. Older dogs, puppies, playful dogs, lethargic dogs - all dogs. All breeds, all colors, all creeds.

Belzoni is a small town. For me, it will always be home; but the way the entire city treats dogs is completely unacceptable. Thank the Lord for B.A.R.K!!! Without them; all the pups in the below photos would not be here, waiting for you to adopt them. Imagine this scenario:  Before B.A.R.K. was established, your lovable household dog Rufus gets out of the fence while you are on a mini vacay. The person who checks on Rufus while you are out comes by, but can't find Rufus. Rut Ro Scooby! The City of Belzoni picks up the dog. The dog has a collar and everyone in town knows that Rufus is your dog. The City would take the dog to the pound - and then not check on him. Did I mention that they wouldn't call you (even though your number is listed on Rufus' collar) and let you know they picked up your dog? Nope. They would throw ole Rufus is the puppy slammer and if he wasn't claimed in a few short days......(I'm not going into more detail.)

A few years ago at the Catfish Festival, I spied Belzoni's dogcatcher (at the time) beating a Golden Retriever endlessly. Dogs are NOT allowed within the festival gates; but somehow this Golden slipped in. The dog catcher apparently was not an authority on dogs because in his mind, he thought the best way to get the dog to cooperate was to yell at it and beat it. I'm not sure about y'all, but if you want a Golden to come to you, squat down, and say "Who's a good dog? Come here, I got a biscuit!" Normally, that will do the trick. If not, show the dog a tennis ball. Easy as pie. Upon seeing the above scene, I did what I always do, complained to my mama, who said, "if you think there's an issue, do something, don't just complain and wait for it to resolve itself." I did. I wrote a nice little editorial for the Belzoni Banner and would you like to know what happened, the dog catcher was fired. Good riddance.

Folks, dogs are on this Earth to serve us. Not in a 'yessa massa' kind of way; more in a way, you look lonely, do you need a lick to the face? Hows about I just sit next to you on the couch while you watch TV. Dogs are domesticated. They are our responsibility. The rely on us. The rely on us for food and water and shelter - but more importantly, they rely on his for fun and love.

If you have or know someone who has a big heart and/or still has some love to give, consider a dog. Consider adoption. Adoption has so many perks: 1) you get a dog 2) the dog gets a loving home 3)normally, they are already fixed 4) they are housebroken for the most part 5) Did I mention that you get a loving companion?

I've adopted dogs in the past. If you've never done it, at least consider it. If you think you want to buy a dog, at least, go to your local shelters and look to see if a dog there will fit you. If you're scared about temperament; ask the handlers. These people have gotten to know all the dogs and will be able to help you. You can never predict the way a dog is going to act, but they way I see it is simple. Treat a dog with love and respect, and he'll do the same thing. Beat your dog and act an ass; you'll get what you deserve, either from the dog retaliating against you, or the big man upstairs. Your choice. And please remember this, dogs do NOT forget.

My last rescue, Moses, was a victim of Katrina and was beaten to a pulp when Southern States Mastiff Rescue got him. When we finally met Moses in person, he was kind and gentle and all he wanted was to show you some affection. When Mo got to our house, he was frightened of my brothers. He was frightened of males in general. After a few months, my brothers learned to not speak so loudly when the dog was around, and Mo learned to trust them. And we all loved Mo! And miss him dearly :(

Take a gander at some of the pups up for adoption. You can see all the pups on Facebook at B.A.R.K. or Skelton Photographie.

 About to attack me with sugar!

 Being playful and enjoying the sunshine

 Puppy breath!

 This baby was sweet and gentle and loved it when I rubbed her nose

 Howling for no reason

 Looking a little unsure of the tennis ball :)

If you don't want to add a dog to your family, at least donate money, donate food, donate leashes, donate time. Do anything. I gave them flat tennis balls when I was there. Just do something. No excuses.