Humane

The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation is dedicated to bettering the lives of our furry friends at home.

But we’re also taking the puppy love overseas, hoping to ease the suffering of animals, aide courageous individuals in their animal-saving efforts and eventually change attitudes so dogs around the globe live the lives they deserve.

There’s a mini-debate among some word lovers out there on the Web, about the phrase “It’s a dog’s life.” Originally, some experts say, the phrase meant a rough life, full of toil and hardship. Among much of the younger generation, though, the phrase now means the opposite – they’ve grown up with dogs as treasured and pampered members of the family, and see a dog’s life as a pretty great way to live.

In other parts of the world, it’s clear that a Dog’s Life still takes the older, harsher meaning. Life is hard, bitter, abusive and much too short.

Part of the foundation’s mission is to change that meaning around the world, making a Dog’s Life what it should be wherever we can.

We’ll start in July 2007, when Camp Bow Wow founder Heidi Flammang will lead a mission to Greece. The group will take supplies to workers helping dogs in desperate need; learn more about the plight of animals in Greece, where spaying and neutering are frowned upon but poisoning strays is acceptable; finally, she’ll share what she finds as a way to boost ongoing efforts, start new ones and, most of all change attitudes among the humans who can make a difference in the dogs’ lives.