The Bethel Special, Please.

Bethel is many things. It's a cold, frozen land with few restaurants, little night life, and few people. Homes here, for the most part, look like shotgun houses that have seen many a winter. Pipes burst, cars rattle, and unlocked doors are common things. We have one traffic light, which turns out to be nothing more than a caution light for the hospital crosswalk. The months of November through March are very cold. Temperatures drop into the negatives during the day; the wind makes it even colder. Needless to say, it's a harsh environment to survive day to day life.

For the most part animals here are treated with kindness and respect. Many dogs here are sled dogs used for mushing. You have your common house pets and then you have your outside kennel kept dogs. Most of the K-9's housed outside are provided adequate shelter, but there are the few that are tethered to posts and treated poorly. Some are even housed in cheap five gallon buckets with a handful of hay provided for warmth. Dogs treated this way are frowned upon, but little to nothing is done about it. There's no animal control officer and no dog catcher. We do have a vet that is flown in once a month. However, because vet care can be expensive a vast stray dog population exists. Husky's breeding with Labradors is know as the Bethel Special. And it turns out, we were adopted by one.

The Husky/Lab mix showed up in our arctic entry one cold day. Past history revealed she was a bucket dog. She found a new home, complete with an eight foot ceiling and base board heating. She is a devout Redskins fan, taking over my official teams blanket for her very own. What she lacks in coordination and manners, she more than makes up for in unconditional love. Her name is Grace.