Where paid subscriptions go

They go to humankind's most loyal friends

Hello dear readers,

I wanted to let you know how excited I am to attend the American Humanist Association’s annual conference this year. None of the cost was paid for by those of you who are generous enough to support my work with your hard-earned dollars. I get on a plane on Friday, and I will be sharing what happens.

Rather than using my subscription proceeds for other purposes, I pay your generosity forward to help dogs and cats in need. The two primary recurring donations go to my local Humane Society and Grey Muzzle.

I was a bad pet owner the first time around, and I’ll never stop trying to atone for keeping Monkey in a crate while no one was home. She was a lovely creature, and she died in my arms after being with me for about five years. I think she had a brain aneurysm. I miss her still. She taught me about myself, and about why dogs are in many ways better than we humans. Mostly, though, she taught me about love.

A dog’s love is precious, and yet so many of us take our dogs for …