Maybe it’s not how you ask but who you ask?

Who says that the sense of community is dead? Well, I can reassure everyone that the Internet has not killed off human (and animal) relationships but positively enhanced them. How can I be so sure? Because the news is full of stories of random acts of kindness, often facilitated through modern technology.

Take a little pug called Buck, who lives in America. Last week Buck was hit by a car and broke three of his legs; unfortunately, his owners could not afford the $3,000 surgery required so they decided the only alternative was to have him put to sleep. (It’s a disturbing tale so far but does have a happy ending so read on…) Buck’s Mistress belonged to a pug-lover’s website and regularly wrote about her dog. The night before Buck’s imminent demise was no exception and after she updated her details, lo and behold someone from Australia – all the way from the other side of the world – stepped in and offered to donate cash towards Buck’s treatment. Buck also touched the hearts of owners in France and Alaska. Buck is now recovering and his owner has no doubts that so-called fellow geeks and Pug lovers saved her dog’s life.

Maybe other dog owners would have been sympathetic but perhaps they would not have been so compelled to support Buck directly. So it’s a Pug thing? Well, sort of. Maybe what it’s really about is whom you ask, not how. If Buck had been living in the UK, there is every chance his owners could have approached one of the animal charities that support owners facing financial hardship. But there would have been no guarantee.

All over the world, thousands if not millions of virtual communities are set up all the time. People are looking for a connection that they don’t have with their own friends and families; a virtual community can give you that something else that is hard to define.

The Mistress has joined a couple of dedicated doggy sites (on my behalf, of course); they’re wonderful because people will wax lyrical about why they love their pets. I can’t imagine a human equivalent but they always make the Mistress smile.

And clearly, when someone (human or canine) is in need, there’s a whole community out there just waiting to help.

Woof Woof

Comments

[guess]

I liked this one. VIM. I can't be anonymous, I see.