“Come On Down!” by Geoff Reed

When I was a kid in the 1970’s, The Price is Right was my favorite game show and Bob Barker was The Man. I liked it how the contestants would jump and down and the ladies kissed Bob as the bells and ringers went off and the lights flashed. I liked the models, the big wheel, the fabulous showcases and the audience shouting “higher!” or “lower!” at whoever was on stage trying to gage the price of an item. I loved it how Johnny “O” would call out a name to “Come on down,” and how the contestant would leap up and run down the aisle to be greeted by Bob. He hosted the show from 1972 to 2007 and closed each show by telling the audience, “Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.” Even back then, I remember thinking that was pretty cool. These days, host Drew Carey carries on the tradition as well.

I like to think that Bob still watches at home sometimes and that he is proud of himself for all the work he has done to help animals in general and using his platform to educate impressionable minds like mine. He is ninety years old, still involved with animal welfare, a vegetarian who likes to drink Margaritas at his Los Angeles home that he shares with a pet rabbit. The cost of an average spay or neuter is about a hundred dollars, which I know is a lot of money for some people, but for me, the price was always right.

(Quick note from The Farnival: If you live in the Middle Tennessee area, please click here for a list of low-cost spay and neuter clinics. Like Geoff, we think Bob’s The Man too. Good news: since the picture above was taken, Benny’s balls have been removed.)