1. I work for a non-profit animal shelter, and wrote this story after a difficult week. It was published in Dog Fancy Magazine, September 2013. 


    As I walked down the hall behind Barney’s owner, I watched him turn and take one last look at his beloved dog before going to the homeless shelter.  Barney’s owner had a run of bad luck, losing his job and apartment. He and Barney had been through good and bad times the last 8 years, but he just couldn't watch him go through another tough time.  He wanted to make sure he got a meal every day, something he could no longer provide. They had gotten by on love for a long time, but he wanted more for his wonderful friend.


    A few days later a distraught woman was crying in SICSA Pet Adoption Center’s lobby with a Siamese-mix cat in her lap, his fur soaked with her tears. She had left an abusive relationship and was on her way to a safe-house that didn't allow pets.  She knew the only
    way to save both of their lives was through separation.  She explained that the last few years it was her cat that gave her love, understanding and kindness.  Her cat had saved her life and given her hope and now she was saving her cat’s life and giving him hope.



    This is the irony of working in animal welfare; there is a hidden human in the heart of every homeless animal. I guess like many people, I never realized, until working here, that SICSA is helping humans. 


    Realizing this has made me a little irritated with foundations and people that only want to help humans.  On the other hand, perhaps we haven’t done a good job telling the whole story.  Yes, we rescue abused, abandoned animals, nurse them back to health and find them loving adoptive homes.  But we do something more.  For every homeless pet we rescue, we have listened to their story and their story almost always has a human in it. 


    SICSA may be called an Animal Welfare Organization but if you look closely, you will see a human in the heart of every animal we save.


    Posted by
    Labels: Animal Shelter Cats Dogs
    0

    Add a comment


  2. "...dogs don't possess a soul, but they have a spirit" Maria Simma


    

    We got Gus, a Weimaraner, from a rescue group when he was 8 months old.  Dogs called Weimaraners are gray in color and have been referred to as The Gray Ghost. I didn't know how true this nickname would be until a decade later.  My son, Aaron (then 14 years old) and I drove one hour to Cincinnati to adopt Gus.  When we first saw him he ran to us and almost leapt over our heads.  Driving back home I wondered what I had gotten us in to.

    

    Gus fit into our family just fine.  We had another female Weimaraner the same age and they became fast friends.  Gus' favorite person was Aaron.  What dog doesn't cling to a 14 year old boy?  They grew up together.  When Gus was 9 years old he developed heart disease.  Aaron, now an adult  was ending his four-year enlistment in the U.S. Navy.  Aaron was home about 6 months before Gus died.   Aaron and I were both with Gus when we had to say goodbye.

    Aaron had joined the U.S. Navy when he was 18 years old and while there was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.  He became very ill and did not re-enlist.  By this time, Aaron was 23 years old with a wife and a son. He got a job in manufacturing and had another baby.  His health began to decline rapidly.  He was rushed to Christ Hospital in Cincinnati for an operation to remove his bowel.  He was too ill to have a complete surgery so it would require two operations.  The first surgery took his bowel and left him with an ostomy bag.  The next surgery, four months later, would give him a j pouch (a new colon) freeing him from the ostomy bag.

    After Aaron's surgery, his family of four moved into our home.  My grandson was 3 years old and my granddaughter just six months old. I still had two teens in high school too.  After Aaron's second surgery he came home and everything seemed fine at first.  After a few days he became very ill.  We knew something was wrong.  His wife started calling doctors.  She was told to get him to Christ Hospital fast!  It was an hour away.  Our plan was for Aaron's wife to drive him to the hospital and my husband and I would follow behind in our car.  The other grandparents were watching the children.

    Aaron was too sick to walk to the car.  We tried to lift him to carry him to the car but we couldn't.  We put him in a desk chair that was on rollers and started rolling him to the door to the garage, then my husband was going to carry him the rest of the way to the car.  It was chaos. All three of us, me, my husband and Aaron's wife were pushing Aaron to the door in the desk chair.  We stopped for a moment in the kitchen to get him around a corner.  I looked down and there by my side, behind Aaron was Gus, who had died a year earlier.  I became paralyzed with fear.  I thought if Gus is here, he has come to be with Aaron because Aaron is dying.  I kept my composure for the moment. 

    Gus a few months before he died, with Aaron
    and Aaron's son.
    We finally got Aaron into his car.  His wife sped away with him to the hospital.  My husband and I jumped into our minivan and followed them.  I immediately started sobbing.  I told my husband that I had seen Gus in the kitchen and that Aaron must be dying.  I waited for my husband to tell me I was nuts and that it was just my imagination.  But he said something else.  "I saw him too", he replied.  In all the chaos, my husband had seen Gus standing in our family room.  We just looked at each other with bewilderment.  

    We found out at the hospital that Aaron had become septic. Everything seemed orchestrated perfectly to save Aaron's life.  Aaron's surgery was successful. Today, Aaron is 29 years old and perfectly healthy.  He doesn't have a colon but he rock climbs, canoes and is very active.  You wouldn't know he was inches from death to see him now. 

    As for our Gray Ghost Gus, we haven't seen him again, thank God.   I know there were forces from heaven saving Aaron's life that day, that is for certain.  I find it comforting to know Gus is always with Aaron.  I picture Aaron's guardian angel with a dog by his side, both of them watching over their boy.  It seems dogs are just as loyal after their death as they were in life.







    Posted by
    Labels: Angels Dogs Faith Stories Supernatural
    2

    View comments


  3. A series of mishaps and events were to define my Christmas holiday. Or it could be called a tale of three sisters.   I have two sisters, Deana and Donna.   We are very close, so I was thrilled when my sister Deana could spend Christmas with us in Dayton.  We were not happy that she was on sick leave for what we thought was pneumonia but at least we would be together.   Deana works for the airlines so she rarely can spend Christmas with the family. 

    Mom and Donna were having a big party on Christmas Eve.  Donnas' three sons would be there and their families, one of them driving in from St. Louis.  Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends were gathering to celebrate.  All my great nieces and great nephews would be there, my children and grandchildren. 

    


    There was a call from Deana's doctor that an x-ray revealed she had a tumor in her lung. She needed a biopsy soon.   On Christmas Eve morning, my 82 year old mom, my sister Donna, Deana's husband Dave and her stepson all sat in a hospital waiting room for several hours while the biopsies were performed.  Deana's son had mandatory work so he could not be there.  Afterward, we rushed home to get ready for mass and the Christmas Eve party.

    Preliminary results diagnosed that Deana had lung cancer.  She has never smoked a day in her life.  We were all shaken.  Deana has never been sick.  I mean ever.  She has over 600 unused sick days from work.  She is the one that usually takes care of everyone else. 

    Christmas Eve mass was beautiful.  Since my husband had to work until 4pm, he met my granddaughter and me there.  Mass was the opposite of how I felt inside.  There was happiness and a feeling of joy and peace.  The choir sang Silent Night.  I had a sick feeling in my stomach.  During the petitions at mass my husband reached over and held my hand.  I knew we were making our petitions for Deana.  After Holy Communion, I felt better.  

    

    Deana wasn't able to make it to the Christmas Eve party.  She had some nausea and dizziness from the procedure earlier that day.  We carried on without her.   Any party with 13 children under 11 years old is always lively.  We ate, we laughed, we caught up with each other's lives.  All of us were so happy to be with each other but there was an emptiness too.

    I awoke Christmas morning to the smell of coffee and  of sausage cooking.  My husband was making a big breakfast of biscuits, scrambled eggs, grits and sausage.  Our kids gathered for  breakfast and presents.  Later our grandchildren came to open gifts too.  In the midst of all the merriment, my mom called to tell me that my sister Donna had fallen down the stairs and broken her wrist.  "Are you kidding me?" I asked.  Christmas Day the year before, my son Luke was at the hospital getting stitches after receiving a knife from his brother.  Mom said we should reserve a room at Kettering Medical Center every Christmas.

    December 26th my son's girlfriend arrived from Florida with her two wonderful children.  They were staying with us until the 1st.  We had a house full to the brim with our daughter, my son and his 3 children and our guests.  Ten of us including 4 dogs, 2 cats, a snake and a tarantula.  We don't see the snake or the tarantula much though.

    Our Florida guests did get to see snow for the first time.  It was more of a dusting but the kids did manage to make snowballs with snow gathered from a slide at a park.  My son's girlfriend is from Puerto Rico and is a fabulous cook.  We enjoyed casseroles and cakes I can't pronounce.  Knowing I was preoccupied with thoughts of my sisters, my son's girlfriend took over cooking, cleaning and keeping everyone happy and on the go.

    On December 30th, my grandson noticed our 13 year old poodle Frost having a seizure.   She kept getting worse.  I called my husband at work and we planned to meet at the vet's office.  Frost had a series of strokes and was paralyzed on one side.  I was so thankful that it wasn't a difficult decision.  Before I left with Frost to the vet's office, I buried my face in the white curls on top of her head, something I'd done for 13 years,  knowing this was going to be the last time.  We had a nice service in our yard.  My children's friends came by to say goodbye too.  All the Christmas lights were on in the neighborhood giving a church-like glow around Frost's grave.  We lit a candle, said a prayer and buried our Frost.

    New Year's Eve was spent at Deana's doctor appointment to hear the results of the biopsies.  It looks like it is stage 3, but there will be more tests, an MRI and a PET Scan.  My sister Donna went to a surgeon about her wrist.  We're not sure but she may need surgery.  My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on New Year's Eve with Deana and her husband, Dave.  He kept us laughing with stories especially the retelling of his latest trip to the confessional that brought tears of laughter to our eyes.

    On Friday I picked up my sister Donna from work, since she can't drive.  As she walked to my car, I noticed something different about her.  It wasn't the cast on her arm; it was something else.  She seemed a little down.  As she got in my car, I noticed she wasn't downtrodden, it was her hair.  "Good Lord, mom is doing your hair!" I said as I realized.  I was taken back forty years before when Donna had a new hairstyle called a "Pageboy".  If you are too young, think of the logo for Dutchboy paints.  I wondered what new torments are in store for our family?  There is suffering and then there is your 82 year old mom styling your hair.

    The good news is, with bad news, everyone is at their best.  You realize how much you love someone and how much others love you.  This Christmas our family appreciated each other more.  We clung to God more.  We forgave more, we hugged more, we loved more --and we prayed more.  
    Posted by
    Labels: Dogs Family
    0

    Add a comment

About Me
About Me
Blog Archive
Blog Archive
My YouTube Channel
My YouTube Channel
Labels
Labels
My Blog List
My Blog List
Translate
Translate
Loading
Dynamic Views theme. Powered by Blogger. Report Abuse.