Sad local news

This morning as I was driving to work, I saw an odd looking cloud that immediately put me on edge. It became clear rather quickly that I was looking at smoke. It wasn't until I turned a curve in the road that I saw the huge plumes of smoke and realized that there was a major fire in town. The smoke was coming from the downtown area, and I knew that something very bad was happening.

It wasn't until I got to work that I found out that Delilah's Pet Shop was on fire. Delilah's was a local pet store that had been in Bloomington for 20 years. Unlike some of the large puppy factories, Delilah's was a locally owned store with strong roots in the community.

The fire fighters were heroic and were able to save 12 of the puppies and kittens. The building was gutted and nothing is left of the business.

Over 20 animals - pets of the owners, animals for sale and boarded animals - died in the fire. Three cats are still missing. Some good people lost their livelihood. It's a blessing that no humans were injured and that so many animals could be saved, but the loss is huge for the owners and for the community.

The 12 animals that were rescued were very lucky to have made it out with no injuries. They will soon be put up for adoption.

I can't bring back the shop, and the animals that survived will soon have new homes, but this tragedy makes me want to do something for animals in pet shops, hospitals and shelters that might be traumatized. I'm going to make some of my Kitty Lay and Play mats to donate to local shelters. This is a fast and simple pattern, and an easy way for anyone to donate to local shelters.

My heart goes out to those pets who were lost or traumatized in this fire, and for the shop owners.