Every Fourth of July, a California animal shelter invites volunteers to read to anxious pets
As one of Northern California’s largest open-admission shelters, Bradshaw Animal Shelter never turns away an animal in need. And every Fourth of July, as fireworks light up the skies, hundreds of dogs and cats in their care brace for one of the most stressful nights of the year.
That’s why, for the past six years, the shelter has invited the community to celebrate a little differently. Volunteers are asked to spend the evening reading stories, softly playing guitar, or simply sitting with shelter pets to help them stay calm.
“While many of us spend the Fourth of July looking up at the fireworks,” the shelter wrote in a social media post, “our shelter pets are hoping someone will simply sit beside them.”
Why is this good news? The unpredictable sounds of fireworks can overwhelm pets’ senses, triggering a fight-or-flight response. Dogs, especially, can experience pain from loud noises because they hear higher frequencies than humans do. Animals that are calmer and less stressed are more likely to display their natural personalities, helping potential adopters see them at their best.
An Australian man spent three decades replanting and restoring a subtropical rainforest in New South Wales
The Big Scrub in northern New South Wales was once 75,000 hectares of thriving subtropical rainforest filled with figs, vines, palms, and more, reduced to about 1% of its original expanse.
To restore it, Tony Parkes and his wife, Rowena, not only planted tens of thousands of trees on their own land, but they also co-founded the Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy to unite critical stakeholders to restore the rest of the rainforest over the course of decades.
Parkes left his successful investment banking career to make it happen, and he’s helped protect what’s left of the forest, planted millions of trees, and made restoring Big Scrub a core part of civic life in the region.
Get ready to dive in — the Water Edition of the Goodnewspaper is here!
As so many around the world face droughts, lack clean drinking water, or worry about rising monthly water bills, water is clearly an intrinsic part of daily life. After all, it is one of the planet’s most basic essentials.
The Water Edition of the Goodnewspaper is filled with stories and resources that will remind you why humanity’s relationship with water is so important. Even if you’ve never thought about it before, you’ll be astonished by all of the good news waiting to be discovered just below the surface.
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