Let's call these the dizzying Dog Days. The hounds of happiness. The canine connection of contentment.
Everyone loves dogs. Well, everyone other than cats.
Jay GreesonThis is a tribute to the power of pets.
It's a power that binds.
Heck, my wife went to Georgia. I went to Auburn. We have an English bulldog who looks just like UGA, the mascot for the Georgia Bulldogs. We named him Bo Jackson, after the Auburn legend.
The pet power that binds, right?
Well, let's go next level. Meet Emma Mertens, a precious 7-year-old from Wisconsin who has an inoperable brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. She and her family are staring at the absolute nightmare no family never imagines facing.
But Emma's puppy love has become a viral sensation.
This is not about a crush or a celebrity. Emma's puppy love is puppies, and the grownup versions of them.
Emma, as she is faces the certainty of death, wants to see as many faces of her furry friends as possible.
Since her diagnosis on Jan. 23, Emma has made it known that she wants pictures, letters or emails from dogs from all parts.
Her wish has been granted. And then some.
"We're getting about 2,800 emails each hour and mail by the truckload," Geoff Martens, Emma's daddy, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week. "I think that says a lot about dog lovers, that they want to take care of more than just themselves.
"I've stopped counting, but we were at 20 different countries at one point and every state. We've gotten [pictures] from Australia, Venezuela, Japan, Italy, Russia - and actually a lot from Scotland and the Netherlands for some reason."
Stories like this make me proud of who we are and the extended community we want to be.
Stories like this make me hope that while our differences are pronounced, we can find common ground.
Stories like this make me hope Emma enjoys the picture of Bo Jackson that is already on the way.
"You should see her smile or giggle," her father told reporters. "She's a huge fan of larger dogs ... but she loves the pictures that come up with just funny and cute dogs. When a dog is doing something silly she just lights up."
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.