Molly came home from camp today. She had a wonderful time at Canyon View Ranch for dogs. If you are interested on visiting her camp, they have tours or you can go to their website for pictures and a video of this 8 acre "garden of eden for dogs." I asked her about her first camp experience and she told me that she could not talk to me until she made an important phone call. After talking to her camp counselor, Manuel, I learned that Molly had a wonderful time running at the speed of light over the eight acres of pools, tubes and retrieving balls for eight hours non stop. Now I can remember what is was like to be young with youthful energy and unbridled enthusiasm. In light of feeling very tired after a strenuous week of non- stop play with her new friends, I was puzzled why she was so insistent on making a phone call. I started to ask Molly about her best friend knowing about Georgia, the farting Boxer. For obvious reasons, most of the camp canines did not want to befriend Georgia despite knowing that flatulence is common for Boxers. Molly stuck by her friend encouraging her to go swimming despite the visible bubbles that certainly were not from the Jacuzzi. Our sweet Molly! She is so innocent and thought playing with bubbles in any form was great fun. Georgia was humiliated at night and cried because the popular campers would not include a flatulent Boxer in their group. Molly screamed at Morris, an elderly White and narcissistic Standard Poodle who she felt was treating her best friend unkindly by excluding Georgia from meeting a potential boyfriend. Although Molly is a stunning Setter and was pursued by males of every breed and color, Morris had the nerve to gossip about Georgia despite the fact that he kept the campers awake by his loud and disruptive snoring and incontinence. He could have been more empathic since the camp director was kind enough to rent a respirator to treat Morris' sleep apnea. I told Molly that sleep deprivation could have added to his irritable disposition. She replied by saying that maybe there was another camp for older canines with sleep disorders. Molly hoped that he would not spread rumors about anyone due to the clique mentality of the uppity canines. Bridgette, a snooty Bichon Frise was a particular problem and Molly was alarmed that such a small and self absorbe dog would not talk to dogs of color. Georgia was black and lived for many years in the Bayou and knew the history of her ancestors, the cruel treatment perpetrated on dogs that do now fit into a white society. I received one call from Molly and she told me that the values of some of the campers were unbearable. She was not raised to condemn others because of the color of their coat or religious upbringing. Mutts were fine in her book and often were more interesting and multidimensional than the pure breeds. She knew that many people are “mutts” in the sense that they came from different walks of life including different heritages and religions. I told my daughter about the religious wars in her native country, Ireland. She was alarmed that religious beliefs could be the cause of wars dividing people into opposing factions. Molly accepts all religions and faiths and prefers to refer to herself as a spiritual canine and not to confine herself to One religion. She visits Maya, her best friend who like her mother is a Buddhist. Since Molly is a bird dog, the Buddhist birdhouses have influenced her spiritual life. I am proud of her for having an open mind and for sticking by Georgia no matter what odors she emitted. This is particularly noble given that Irish Setters are sensitive to smells unlike her friend Olympia, the Italian Greyhound who is a sight dog.You can meet Maya and Olympia in my portfolio in the subcategory dogs. Molly’s values have also been influenced by Mikey, a therapy dog who worked on the oncology ward at Children’s hospital. His story is told in my photographic narrative, Dr. Mikey, Therapy Dog. It is very touching and I am glad that he has a generous and big heart that has influenced Molly’s value system. When I walked into the room, I noticed a sad and somber expression on her face. Who could she be talking to and why does she look so sad? After Molly hung up she told me that one of her cousins had been in a car accident and thankfully survived after driving on a road in the rain and losing control of the car as it plunged toward the murky waters of the bayou. Her aunt Joanna was comforting her by telling her that her dear cousin Jacob had survived the crash and is on his way to recovery. If you don’t know that a very kind and wonderful artist and mother, Joanna Jungjohann is the relative that I am referring to, she has posted the story about Joshua on her AW website. Although this narrative is written in a comic style, I was profoundly impacted by the crisis with which Joanna and her family are courageously coping. I believe the many friends of this group will help give her and her family the necessary support to deal with her son’s recovery.