Her Birthday Has Gone to the Dogs

Jan Cranston's family decided she didn't need any gifts for her 60th birthday.

Instead, they decided to indulge Cranston's love of animals and help out some cats and dogs in need. Jan's husband, Ken, son, Tim, and daughter, Cindy Junkala held a surprise party for Jan on April 5. Instead of gifts, the guests were asked to bring pet food. The family plans to bring it to the food bank.

"I work for a social service agency and I see a lot of clients with pets. I know that some of the clients can't feed themselves, let alone their pets," said Jan's daughter, Cindy. "It's usually one of the things that they would skip over if they could in order to buy food for themselves or their kids. In the invitation, I put : 'What do you get the woman who has everything? Absolutely nothing. Just bring a donation of a bag of dog or cat food' ".

The guests thought it was a great idea. The family collected more than 30 items, such as large bags of dog food, treats, cat food, toys and a leash.

When Jan showed up at her party, she was delighted with the idea. "I guess I'm the woman that's got everything," she joked. "I thought it was a wonderful idea. Hopefully, it will become a thing that other people will consider doing."

The kind gesture has inspired Jan's children, especially seven-year-old daughter Annelie. She said she is planning on doing the same thing when she celebrates her next birthday.

Source: thesudburystar