Our blog theme "Beyond the Looking Grass" hopes to encourage you to look at life from the dog's point of view. If you have a particular topic you would like to see addressed, please place your request in the comments section.
Finally, January 15, 2018, and friends of Captain Jack will find out what happens next in his journey to find his family. Please share Captain Jack's adventures and feel free to comment. It is the hope of this humane education series to inspire and encourage pet owners and non pet owners alike.
Each month Captain Jack will feature a non-profit organization that helps animals/people in some way. Learn about the wonderful things that are going on in our world to help animals and people. Each featured organization will be at the end of the blog. We encourage you to visit their site and learn about their efforts. The world is full of good people, unsung Heroes, and little miracles of good are happening every day. It is the goal of this blog to share some of those miracle moments.
Happy Trails and Tails to you and yours,
Captain Jack-Explorator🐾🐾
Word of the month
Perseverance
õContinuing to give your best
effort, even when faced with obstacles or rejectionõ
― Helen Keller
Captain
Jack sat—wet and shivering—in the dark box, not knowing where he was. His
MawMaw had taught him not to bark since it made most humans mad. He always
listened to his MawMaw because the others in the barn called her the “Wise One.”
Whom was he to doubt the “Wise One”? He and his brothers and sisters never
really had lived in a home, but did have a nice barn that was warm and smelled
sweet from hay. He loved the smell of the horses and cows. But now all he could
smell were things he didn’t even know how to describe.
“Where
am I?” Captain Jack asked himself, curling up in a little ball to keep warm. “Where
is my MawMaw, and why didn’t she come back?” he wondered to himself.
He
didn’t like being all alone in the dark with nothing to eat or drink and no one
to keep him warm and dry. He missed his brothers and sisters. He was hungry and
thirsty, but the little bits of food and water that had been left in the box were
all gone. His MawMaw had taught him that if he remained calm and didn’t panic—even
when he was scared—eventually something good would happen. He didn’t doubt that
her words were true. He could hear her voice in the darkness that surrounded
him, and it made him feel safe inside:
“Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the
lock. When the world says, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’ ” MawMaw had told him this the time he fell
down into a big ditch and couldn’t get out. Eventually he did get out, but only
after many hours of trying over and over again. He never gave up hope and
persevered in his efforts to get out of that ditch.
All of a sudden there was a loud bang
sound that shook the ground. Then a puff of black, putrid smoke wafted into his
box, making him cough and choke. That brought him back to the reality of where
he was. He couldn’t breathe and wanted
to run away, but didn’t know where to run. He tucked his head under his tail, closed
his eyes, and hoped this was all just a bad dream. He fell asleep whimpering
and shivering, but hopeful that when he woke up, his MawMaw would return and he
could get out of the box. He remembered her words once more: “When the world
says, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’ ” He went to sleep
peacefully, believing that he could persevere and survive.
Coming February 15, 2018.....Look
for what happens next in the second blog about Captain Jack—Explorator™ next
month. Find out if and how he gets out of the box?
Humane Education Point: Millions of
pets are abandoned every year. Many—if not most—meet with a sad ending. Please
be responsible. If you cannot keep your pet or don’t want it, call a local
rescue group or animal shelter. Someone is almost always willing to help if you
will ask. Please don’t abandon your pet and leave it helpless to fend for itself.
Follow-up Activity: What three actions can you take if you find
you cannot keep your pet?
Story Discussion Tips:
1)
What are your favorite smells? While Captain
Jack was stuck in the box in paragraph one, what do you think some of the
smells that he couldn’t describe actually were? Did you change your mind as you
read more of the story? Why?
2)
How do you think Captain Jack felt when his
MawMaw didn’t come back?
3)
What do you do when you’re scared?
4)
Do you have someone who has given you wise words
to help you whenever you’re scared? What did that person say that helped you
when you were scared?
5)
Can you remember a time when you did not give up when you wanted to? How did it
feel?
©2017 Heddie
Wittlin-Leger
Organization of the month: www.paws-effect.org
Take a Moment - Make a Difference
Our Mission
We raise, train, and place service dogs with disabled veterans and children. The majority of our recipients include children with autism and combat veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and mobility issues. Paws & Effect is approaching its 10 year anniversary with a hard won optimism and enthusiasm. With a continued dedication to Pet Partners, Paws & Effect intends to more fully develop its volunteer base and support its handlers with ongoing education, regular evaluations and a more diverse selection of volunteer opportunities. Paws & Effect is proud to continue to place service dogs at little to no cost to recipients, while covering all the veterinary and training expenses associated with raising service dogs.
