We have more modern conveniences and technology to make life easier; yet, life still has a way of being crazy and hectic. Unexpected occurrences take place no matter how carefully we plan. Life just seems to have its own way. Especially in the world of dogs. Captain Jack can attest to that in this month's series.
The non profit of the month is the Kansas City Pet Project. Look for their information at the end of this month's adventure episode to learn about the amazing things these folks are doing to save more lives.
The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™
February 2018—Episode 2
Word
of the month—Self-discipline
The
ability you have to control and motivate yourself, stay on track, and do what
is right
without being directed by another person.
Quote of the
month
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams
come into reality,
it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
—Jesse Owens
it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
—Jesse Owens
The ending of Episode 1 in
January 2018—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 Captain Jack 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.
Episode 2—February 2018
Captain Jack could hear the birds chirping, which he thought
must have been a good thing. He no longer heard any of the banging, clanging,
or loud noises. He pushed his nose into the little slit in the top of the box
and took a deep breath. The air smelled like rain. He loved to play in rain but
didn’t like thunder and lightning. They scared Captain Jack. His MawMaw had
taught him to be honest so he could admit he was scared by the thunder and
lightning going on outside his box. Each time he heard the thunder, he wanted
to run and hide. He was terrified of the lightning. Today he didn’t feel safe
inside the box because every time it thundered the ground shook and he could
see flashes of lightning through the little slit at the top of the box.
Suddenly the box started to move, and then it got very wet
inside. The puppy tried to crawl to a dry spot. But within minutes, the entire
box was soaked and starting to get soft. The wind sounded like a loud roar, the
box lid flew open, and he was getting pelted by little balls of ice. He could
see trees going by very fast and figured the box must have been floating on
water. Very fast, scary, rushing water. It took everything in him and all his
self-control to stay in the floating box. He wanted to jump out. But he was
afraid if he did, he might drown.
All of a sudden the box fell apart and Captain Jack went
flying through the air. He kept swirling around and around and could see the
tops of the trees. He closed his eyes, thinking he would never see his MawMaw
again. While his eyes were closed, he could feel himself falling, falling,
falling. Then—with a thud—he landed in a huge pile of leaves and mud. Captain
Jack opened his eyes and could see nothing but leaves, mud, and broken-down
trees. He could hear a faint cry that sounded like nothing he had heard before.
He saw two small, muddy and dirty children: a boy and a girl. They were
wandering around and crying.
The puppy let out a small whimper and they stopped. The girl
was going to run away, but the boy looked at him and convinced her to wait. The
boy slowly walked over to Captain Jack and sat down in the pile of leaves and
mud with the puppy. They were a fine pair. Both soaked to the bone, muddy, and
dirty. But the boy had a smile on his face and the puppy quit whimpering.
“Look, Penelope,” he called. “It’s a puppy and it needs our
help.”
Apparently the little girl was in no mood to think of
anything or anyone but herself. She yelled at the boy and told him to leave the
stinky, dirty puppy alone.
“Boy, I’ll bet you are hungry,” the boy said.
Captain Jack really didn’t know what to do. Should he run away and hide or snuggle up to
the boy? He decided to snuggle up because he was really cold and wet. The
boy lifted the puppy up, gave him a hug, and promised the dog he wouldn’t leave
him there all alone. Then the boy scolded Penelope for being unkind.
Penelope responded, “We can’t even find food for ourselves
and you want to try to feed a puppy?” She was actually yelling at him. At least
you could say that she was being honest about her feelings.
But the boy showed such incredible patience and self-discipline with her. He didn’t yell back and wasn’t mean to her in return. He seemed to understand how miserable she was and also how much the puppy needed help.
Kindly he told Penelope, “We’ll find a way and work it out. The
pup can share my food, and you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”
“Wow,” she responded, “you really have lost your mind.”
The boy assured her all three of them would be fine. However Captain
Jack could see the worry in the boy’s eyes as he walked silently and he and
Penelope continued to look for food and shelter of some kind.
Look for what happens next in the
third blog about Captain Jack—Explorator™ next month.
Humane Education Point: People often help find pets during a storm
or disaster. What do you do to prepare your pets for a disaster so they don’t
get lost? Or if they do get lost, how do you help them get back home to you if they
are found by a stranger?
Follow-up Activity: What three actions can you take if you find a
lost pet during or after a storm or disaster? What three actions can you take
if you cannot find your pet after a storm or disaster?
1)
How did Captain Jack feel before the storm
started? How do you feel about storms? Rain? Thunder? Lightning? Wind? Hail?
2)
How do you think Captain Jack felt when
the box he was in fell apart and he went flying through the air?
3)
What did Captain Jack hear while he was
lying in the leaves and mud?
4)
What kinds of attitudes did the girl have?
How would you describe her? What qualities did the boy demonstrate in his
actions and words? How would you describe him?
5)
What did the girl think of the boy and his
actions and thoughts? How did he respond to her? What would you have done if
you were the boy?
©2017 Heddie
Wittlin-Leger
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