In Other News: Puppy pipeline runs from Georgia northward to adoptive homes; Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship

Published 12:07 pm Friday, November 27, 2020

Editor’s note: “In Other News” is a list of state, national and global headlines compiled by Daily Citizen-News staff from Associated Press-provided stories. Click on the headlines below to read the full stories.

Puppy pipeline runs from Georgia northward to adoptive homes

MACON — Packed in a dog crate, a 3-year-old boxer mix named Sky took flight earlier this month. She was one of a half-dozen dogs who got the ride of their lives flying from Macon to new homes in Virginia. Kim Williams, who volunteers for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation of Arlington, Virginia, tells WMAZ-TV he has tapped into a puppy pipeline to bring some of Georgia’s homeless pet population to the mid-Atlantic region, where demand is outrunning the number of dogs available for adoption. “We have had the most incredible outpouring of people in the D.C. suburbs that have a strong desire to rescue dogs and cats during this pandemic,” Williams wrote in an email.

Many turn to real Christmas trees as a bright spot amid the virus

PORTLAND, Ore. — Ani Sirois, a respiratory nurse, has spent months caring for coronavirus patients at a Portland, Oregon, hospital, and she’s only getting busier as infections — and hospitalizations — surge before the holidays. But on a recent sunny day, COVID-19 seemed far away as she, her husband and their 2-year-old daughter roamed a Christmas tree farm in search of the perfect evergreen for a holiday season unlike any other. The family was tree-shopping nearly a week before Thanksgiving and, for the first time, they were picking their own tree instead of buying a pre-cut one. “It’s nice to have home be a separate safe space away from the hospital, and whether we can have a gathering with family or not, I know we’ll have our own little tree with the purple lights, and that’ll be something small to look forward to,” she said.

In Santa’s mailbag, a peek into children’s pandemic worries

LIBOURNE, France — Jim, from Taiwan, slipped a face mask inside the greeting card he sent to Santa and marked “I (heart) u.” Alina, 5, asked in her Santa letter written with an adult’s help that he please use the front door when he drops in, because the back door is reserved for Grandma and Grandpa to minimize their risk of contamination. And spilling out her heavy little heart to “Dear Father Christmas,” 10-year-old Lola wrote that she is wishing “that my aunt never has cancer again and that this virus no longer exists.” “My mother is a caregiver and sometimes I am scared for her,” Lola explained, signing off her handwritten letter with “Take care of yourself Father Christmas, and of the Elves.”

Holiday trends to watch: Adult Play-Doh; stores that ship

The pandemic is turning this into a holiday shopping season like no other. Toy companies are targeting stuck-at-home grown-ups with latte-smelling Play-Doh and Legos that turn into Warhols. Those who added a puppy to their family during the pandemic will see tons of gift options for their new furry friend. And with more people shopping online, stores are doing double duty as shipping centers try to get gifts to doorsteps as fast as possible.