Do you remember thinking it was time that the kids
learned some responsibility
and scanning the newspaper ads for a cheap dog for sale? Do you remember
bringing home this little ball of shivering fur and putting her out in
the yard on a
chain that was too heavy on a night that was too cold? Of course you
don't
remember this. After all, she is only a dog.
Do you remember this baby crying because she was afraid
and alone? Do you
remember screaming at her to be quiet and finally going out there to
kick her to
drive home the lesson? Of course you don't remember this. After all, she
is only a
dog.
Do you remember the many times you noticed her water
bowl was empty and her
food bowl was covered with mold and thinking that it was the kids' job
to take care
of her? Do you remember seeing that her coat was dull and lifeless and,
in many
places, chewed away down to the skin because of the parasites no one
took the
time to rid her of? Of course you don't remember this. After all, she is
only a dog.
Do you remember her first heat and the neighbor's male
visiting her night after
night? Do you remember thinking that letting her have the puppies would
be a
good experience for the kids? Do you remember that every one of those
pups died
because their mother was no more than a puppy herself? Of course you
don't
remember this. After all, she is only a dog.
I know you remember the animal control officer coming to
the house, accusing you
of animal cruelty and taking her away because you couldn't understand
what all
the fuss was about. After all, she is only a dog.
I thought you might be interested in how this girl is
doing today. You see, once
she found a home that gave her love, attention and proper care, she
blossomed
into a beautiful, loyal companion. To these people, she is much more
than only a
dog.
She became a therapy dog and now goes to nursing homes
and hospices where
she brightens the lives of the infirm and dying. To some of these
people, she has
given hope. To others, she's given them a reason to keep living. To even
others,
she's given them the will to die peacefully, with a smile on their lips.
To these
people, she is much more than only a dog.
Just last week, she helped find a little boy that was
lost in the woods. She spent
a long, cold winter's night, lying over him to keep him warm and risked
her own life
to protect his. To this little boy and his family, she is much more than
only a dog.
What is the difference? Why did that filthy, flea ridden
animal chained in your
backyard suddenly become so important to so many? Because she never gave
up her trust in people and she never once thought, "After all, he is
only a human."
-- Author Unknown
Go on to Dangers in
Febreeze and Pot Scrubbers
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