August is County Fair month.  I mean to go every year. With all that intention, it’s been a long time.  This year I went.  4-H nostalgia washed over me. The cows, the pigs, the rabbits.  The cookies, the pies, the veggies. This week, I’m interviewing two blue ribbon exhibitors for newspaper feature articles.  The 11-year-old scone baker, started 4-H when she was six!

Maybe all that nostalgia is my eyes stopped  National Geographic’s “Why Animals Make Us Better People.”  Dr. Pol is a 73-year-old veterinarian and star of The Incredible Dr. Pol television show. He grew up in the Netherlands, but lives in rural Michigan.  Hey, that’s where I grew up.  He is a big fan of 4-H.  [tweetthis]Maybe I should drop in and “chew the fat” with this fellow.[/tweetthis]

He thinks 4-H helps kids learn how to take care of a living being other than themselves. They learn about nutrition, vaccinations, grooming, and other needs of the animals they raise. Children work together, with leaders, and toward common goals.  I think learning all those things help a child learn commitment, compassion, and camaraderie.

 

Dr. Pol  believes in the hereafter.  So it’s natural for him to believe [tweetthis]”there should be a heaven for animals, too.”[/tweetthis]

The Incredible Dr. Pol airs at 9 p.m. ET/Pt, Saturdays through September 25.  You can also follow Dr. Pol on Facebook  or subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

About cats, Dr. Pol says they are very social, so the best way to fight behavior problems is to get them a companion. Our two, Sasha and Misha are litter mates. They love to play with each other.  Sasha adopted me, and loves to sit on whatever it is I’m working on, or right on me, if I’m reading or watching TV.  And they love to bring us gifts, which Dr. Pol says is their way of saying “I love you.” Sasha and Misha stay inside, so their gifts are Beany Babies or slippers, or other small toys they hunt up from some remote area of the house.  We play right back, by finding a new place to “return” the toys.