The Adventures of Captain
Jack—Explorator™
May 2018—Episode 5
Quote of the month
--William Arthur
Ward
Recap
from Episode 4: Captain
Jack demonstrated courage in meeting a huge scary dog and in calming Allen and
Penelope, even though he was scared too. When visiting the children at their
foster home, the puppy got a very bad feeling about the place where they were
staying. He wanted to help them be brave and tried to encourage them the best
way he knew how. After he and the nice lady left the foster home, he heard her whisper,
“I’m going to help those children, no matter what.”
Episode
5—May 2018
The next day Captain Jack could hear the lady arguing
with the man who also lived in the house.
They usually were very nice to each other, but not on that day. Captain
Jack heard her say she couldn’t believe she had lived with the man for so long
and they still didn’t have any children. It turned out that Horace, the big black-and-brown
dog, was the only other one living in the house besides me. The lady was crying
and upset. She kept saying she wanted to go and get Allen and Penelope so they
could have a nice home. The man seemed to be more logical and insisted they
needed to make sure and do things the right way. The man remained calm and
tried to reason with the lady. Captain Jack found out the lady’s name was
Stephanie and the man’s name was Robert.
Stephanie and Robert left together in the car and sped
off. It kind of scared Captain Jack, because he didn’t know if they were going
to come back. Of course, they had a very nice house so there was no reason why
they would not do so. The puppy decided to lie down and take a nap. Captain
Jack didn’t know how long he slept before he heard the car’s engine from a
distance. He went to the window to see if they were coming home and didn’t see
the car. But he could smell it and hear it. He sat there quite a while and then
saw it. The car was driving slowly up to the house and into the driveway. The
puppy could see two other people in the backseat, but couldn’t see whom they
were. But they smelled like Allen and Penelope. The four people sat in the car
quite a while talking. Captain Jack could see they were smiling. Stephanie and
Robert were no longer angry or yelling at each other, so his guess was that
something good was about to happen.
Lo and behold the doors of the car opened and out
stepped Stephanie and Robert. They turned to open the back doors and out jumped Allen and Penelope. Captain Jack
started jumping up and down and barking, running back and forth. He was so-o-o-o-o-o-o
happy. Had they come to get him, were they
going back to find their parents, or were they going to stay? They all came
into the house, and Allen and Penelope said, “Boy, we’re starving. The food in
that place was horrible, and we hardly ate any of it.”
Their clothes were kind of wrinkled and a little bit
dirty, but they looked happy and healthy. Boy, was it good to see them. As the
puppy ran to them, they sat down on the floor and had a “hugfest.” Allen and
Penelope were so happy to see Captain Jack, and he was just as happy to see them.
It was the happiest day of the puppy’s life.
In the kitchen, the puppy could hear Stephanie and
Robert talking. They were discussing paperwork and court dates, medical care,
and schooling. They never once got mad at each other and seemed to be at peace
as they discussed these things. Captain Jack went running into the kitchen
where they were talking and was showing them how happy he was. They said, “Yes,
Captain Jack, we’re happy they are here too.”
“Is this what a family feels like?” the puppy asked himself.
It sure felt good to all be together again.
Allen and Penelope ran outdoors, and Captain Jack ran
out the doggy door after them. There was a big tree in the backyard, and they
were sitting under it eating cookies and drinking milk. They were discussing
how much better it was here with Stephanie and Robert and how they wished they
could stay. They said something about fostering people and a temporary home,
but the puppy didn’t want this to be temporary. He wanted this moment to last
forever.
From around the corner, the big black-and-brown dog
came lumbering over to them. Captain Jack thought he was going to grab a cookie
right out of Penelope’s hand, but he sat down next to them all polite and calm.
Horace had drool hanging down from the corner of his mouth all the way to the
ground. He looked so funny, they all started to laugh uncontrollably. Then he
rolled over on his back and stuck his big paws up in the air. He was a big,
goofy dog and Captain Jack couldn’t believe he was ever afraid of Horace. He lay
there in that position just looking at them for a long time.
Allen and Penelope finished their cookies and milk and
decided to join him. They lay down beside him on their backs and put their
hands and feet in the air. It looked like so much fun that Captain Jack did it
too. They lay there like that for quite a while. Then they could hear
snickering and laughter at the door, followed by a click and a flash. Stephanie
had seen them and had decided they all looked so funny lying there together,
she took a photo. It was their very first photograph all together. A candid moment
in the lives of people and a puppy who had been through some traumatic
experiences, but had come together and had found loyal caring friends to share
their lives. How the puppy wished that moment could last forever. He was so
thankful for his new friends. He wanted to find some way to show them how
grateful he was for having met them, for Allen and Penelope having helped him
when they had needed help themselves, and for them having helped him find food
and a safe home. Captain Jack really hoped some good things would happen for
them too.
Look
for what happens next in the sixth blog about Captain Jack—Explorator™ next
month.
Humane
Education Point: There are many children in
foster homes for various reasons. Some foster-home situations are good ones.
Others are challenging. There are countless things that foster parents must do
on behalf of their foster children, including paperwork, court dates and
appearances, medical care and appointments, education, and providing for the
children’s basic needs. You may want to read more about foster care online. A
number of websites offer information.
Follow-up
Activities: Make a gratitude journal. Each day of this
month, list at least five things for which you are thankful.
Write a thank-you note to someone who has done
something nice for you. This could be a note to a brother, a sister, a mother,
a father, an aunt, an uncle, a friend, a bus driver, a teacher, a coach, or
even the grocery bagger who helped at the grocery store. Every single person
you know likes to feel appreciated. Your thank-you note might just make that
person’s day.
Do you have someone in your life who has shown loyalty
to you? Write that person a thank-you note letting him or her know how much that
means to you.
Story
Discussion Tips:
1) How would you define loyalty? Can you give examples from your life?
1) How would you define loyalty? Can you give examples from your life?
2) When Captain Jack greeted his friends upon their
return, what emotions was he showing? How did he show those emotions?
3) There are many different types of friendships and
family units. Discuss with someone how these friendships help everyone feel
connected and supported. What are all the ways you define a family unit?
4) Captain Jack was grateful to Allen and Penelope for several things. Think about ways
you have been grateful to different people. Talk with someone about what you
have been grateful for.
©2017
Heddie Wittlin-Leger
Our
Nonprofit of the Month
Dog
Scouts of America
DSA Mission & Vision
To improve the lives of dogs, their owners, and society through humane education, positive training, and community involvement.
We envision a future where dogs remain in happy, lifelong homes with responsible owners. In this vision, all dogs are seen as a useful and welcome part of the community, because people take responsibility for socializing, training, containing, and caring for them.
To improve the lives of dogs, their owners, and society through humane education, positive training, and community involvement.
We envision a future where dogs remain in happy, lifelong homes with responsible owners. In this vision, all dogs are seen as a useful and welcome part of the community, because people take responsibility for socializing, training, containing, and caring for them.
Any dog can become a
Dog Scout!
DSA
is an organization which does not discriminate against any breed. The only
requirement is that the dog and owner must be able to pass a test, proving that
the owner is responsible and the dog is well mannered and not a danger toward
humans and other dogs. The owner will receive an embroidered merit badge. These
badges can then be displayed on the dog’s backpack, Dog Scout uniform, crate
cover, or travel bag.
