I was snooping the web for some good dog tails when I came across this great blog from Kipp, a black German Sheppard who is on an amazing journey with his owners, John and Diane Eckstein. They are traveling 3,500 miles coast to coast to raise money for Citizenship Counts, a group founded by the inspiring Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein to promote becoming an active citizen in our country. It was funny because it reminded me of my Cypress colleague Meghan Almaas. Meghan recently became an American citizen after living in our beautiful country for 20 years — almost her whole life! Born in Canada, she always felt like an American, and was finally able to become one by taking the oath of citizenship at a special ceremony.
This got me thinking, what exactly is “citizenship” and why is it important? I was born in Ohio, so I know I’m an American, but what does that really mean? I’m a dog, and we don’t care about voting, speaking or paying taxes (I’m completely fine with that last one). But I think I would be bothered if I wasn’t able to play fetch or eat my favorite doggie treat. So I guess that’s what I think this is all about…freedom: the freedom to express your opinion, the freedom to participate in the community, and even the freedom of catching a Frisbee mid-air with my (at-times) slobbery chops. I think I can speak for the whole Cypress family when I say that I am proud of Meghan and her accomplishment! I am also looking forward to following the rest of Kipp’s journey with his family, and hopefully one day we can meet so I can hear all about it straight from the dog’s mouth.
To learn more about Citizenship Counts and its inspirational founder Gerda Weissman Klein, visit citizenshipcounts.org.
