September 2018

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

September 2018—Episode 9

 

Word of the month—Gratitude

The state of giving or expressing thanks. Being thankful or appreciative of someone or something.

Quote of the Month

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

―Epicurus

Recap from Episode 8: Howie suddenly coughed up some water and started to whine. His eyes looked white and wild. Stephanie, Robert, Penelope, Allen, Hero, Captain Jack, Sarah, and Amber didn’t know what he was going to do next. He lay there for the longest time and finally started to wag his tail, and then he started to pant and smile. If you have never seen a dog smile, you’re missing a treat. Howie was showing them that he was fine and actually looked very thankful, although he didn’t try to get up. But they thought he was going to be fine. All of a sudden, a pelican dropped a fish by his side. None of them were sure what to do next, so they just sat really still by the dog’s side… .

 

 

Episode 9—September 2018

They all thought Howie might get up and try to eat the fish. Boy, were they ever wrong! Out of the blue, a white-and-gray cat came streaking by and grabbed the fish. Howie saw that, jumped onto his three legs, and started to chase the cat. They had barely recovered from being terribly worried about him and his near-drowning experience. And now here he was running as fast as he could, chasing the cat. 

They had more to fear as the cat ran right out into the traffic, and they thought Howie was going to chase the cat out into that traffic. But when the dog saw a big yellow bus approaching, he stopped dead in his tracks, and that gave them enough time to catch up to him. They put a leash on him and breathed a huge collective sigh of relief that he was safe and sound once again. Boy, this dog had used up almost nine lives in the short time he had been around. Losing his leg, almost drowning, chasing a cat into traffic. They never knew what would happen next with Howie. They all said a huge thank you to his guardian angel for keeping him safe. Howie gave that silly grin again, and they all sat by the side of the road laughing and giving another huge sigh of thanks and relief. It seemed to them that as long as they had their health and people to care about them, they had everything they needed and much to be thankful for.

Captain Jack’s life so far had not been that bad. Sure, the puppy lost his home and original family in a horrible natural catastrophe, but he gained so much more. He gained a new family, friends, and a safe place to live. He got a meal every day, got out to be exercised, visited with friends, and traveled to fun places. What more could he ask of life? Every day was a new adventure living with his family. They always seemed to have something fun to do and always welcomed people and animals into their lives. They were very warm and caring people. They didn’t worry about anything and seemed to always find a positive solution for any situation that came along. If more people could be this way, dogs and cats would have much better lives. 

Captain Jack’s new family knew the importance of responsible pet ownership and taking their pets to the veterinarian once a year to make sure they were healthy. They also spayed and neutered their pets to help decrease the animal population, hoping that someday there will be no more homeless pets. They also knew the importance of taking their dogs to an obedience class so they could learn better manners. They also volunteered at the local animal shelter once a week. There they walked dogs and took them on overnight sleepovers to help them get out of the shelter setting. 

Captain Jack was very thankful that he didn’t have to go to an animal shelter. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to have survived that type of life. It was pretty scary for dogs that lived there with hundreds of other dogs, some of which were not very nice. There was barking all the time, and there were many scared and stressed dogs. Sometimes a nice dog came into the shelter, but within a month of living in those conditions, that dog became stressed too. Then that dog developed antisocial behaviors that made it hard to adopt. 

Captain Jack was very happy to live with a family that had such a balanced view of life and looked for ways to help others. They knew they had much to be thankful for and showed their gratitude in a multitude of ways, such as taking donations to the animal shelter like blankets, pet food, treats, pet shampoo, clothes detergent, and bleach. Shelters always have needs for these consumable things, and their staffs are always very thankful for people who bring donations in to help them care for the animals. 

The last time Captain Jack’s family took a donation to the shelter, the puppy went on the road trip with them and saw all the shelter animals. He heard them say there are millions of animals across the country that are in need of homes. Captain Jack was very, very thankful for his new family and friends that day and each and every day.

 

Look for what happens next in the tenth exciting blog episode about Captain Jack—Explorator™ in October 2018.

 

Humane Education Follow-up Activity: 

Create a gratitude journal. For the month of September, each day list three things that you are thankful for in your life. 

 

Story Discussion Tips: 

1)      What types of things are you thankful for in your life? Can you describe them?

2)      What are some ways you can show your gratitude? Can you tell about a time or times when you showed your gratitude?

3)      How did Howie express his gratitude for having been saved from nearly drowning?

 

4)      How did everyone express their gratitude that Howie didn’t follow the cat with the fish out into the traffic?

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

 

Our Nonprofit of the Month

MidAmerica Rottweiler Rescue (MARR)

http://www.adoptarott.org/

MidAmerica Rottweiler Rescue (MARR) was founded in March 1999. This rescue organization was formed because we saw a need for a rescue network in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. While some of these states have strong and successful rescue groups, there are gaps in area coverage and some states have no rescues at all. MARR is supported solely through charitable donations and the fundraising efforts of its members and is a nonprofit corporation, recognized as a public charity with federal nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by the federal income tax code. We are always looking for Rottweiler enthusiasts of all experience levels who are interested in the breed and a desire to help. There is something for everyone to do! 

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You Never Know What A Day Will Hold....

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

August 2018—Episode 8

 

Word of the month—Responsibility

The quality or state of being reliable and trustworthy. Holding moral, legal, mental, physical, financial, or emotional accountability.

 

Quote of the month

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

―Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Recap from Episode 7: Boy, did Captain Jack ever get a good lesson on respect from his old and new friends.  The funny thing is that respect is something that no one can really make up or force. It’s something that has to be earned. The puppy guessed he had never really known what that meant and really hadn’t had the opportunity to learn about respect for himself, anyone else, or any other dog. He found new respect for Sarah the more he got to know her. It turned out she actually had two tripod dogs. Her one dog, Amber, was very sweet and had proven herself to be heroic in Captain Jack’s rescue after the jellyfish encounter. Sarah’s other dog was very scared, nervous, and not too friendly at first. Sarah called him a “work in progress.” He seemed okay with Sarah, Amber, and Hero. But he was very nervous around other people and dogs. It seemed as though he had probably been mistreated, had never had a friend, and didn’t really know how to make friends. They all decided to show him respect, not to try to force themselves on him, and to give him the space and time he needed to heal mentally, emotionally, and physically.

 

Episode 8—August 2018

 

Well, right off the bat, Captain Jack never realized how difficult it would be to become friends with Sarah’s nervous dog. She said his name, but it escaped the puppy. Oh yeah, his name was Howie. What really made a huge impression on Captain Jack was how much Howie had been let down in the past by others he had trusted. Trust is something that cannot be bought. Instead it has to be earned. Captain Jack’s new friend, Howie, obviously was very different from Amber and Hero. It was going to take some time to get to know him.

Sarah told the puppy Howie’s story, and then Captain Jack understood why Howie didn’t trust anyone. She said the animal-shelter staff found him wandering the streets (kind of like Captain Jack, even though the puppy was found first by Allen and Penelope who were also wandering what was left of the streets). But Howie wasn’t as lucky as Captain Jack was. The puppy was found by nice people who took good care of him, acted happy to have him around, and were responsible. Captain Jack’s new friend was found dirty and skinny. And he had a broken leg. The animal-shelter staff said he was very difficult to get along with, probably because he was in so much pain. No one really knew how long he had been in pain, but his front right leg was so badly mangled that it couldn’t be fixed. It looked as though someone had done that to him on purpose. But of course—since he couldn’t talk—no one will ever know for sure.

If Howie’s original owner had been responsible and had given him proper care and treatment from the start, he wouldn’t have suffered so much. He must have been limping for a long time, because when they took X rays of his broken leg, it looked as though the bones had completely healed. Since he’d never gotten medical treatment, the bones had healed all crooked. Poor Howie could no longer walk on that leg. The shelter didn’t have the medical capabilities to fix the damage, so they found an animal hospital that had a veterinarian who could fix Howie’s leg. The veterinarian examined Howie carefully and then explained to the shelter staff that the dog’s leg couldn’t be fixed. That was how and why his leg had come to be amputated. There was no way the vet could fix it properly. 

 

During his time at the shelter, poor Howie had gone from home to home and had become ever more depressed. (Each time a shelter dog goes to a home, the dog is very hopeful this will turn out to be his forever home and family to love. When a placement doesn’t work out and the family returns the dog to the shelter, it’s very sad for the dog and usually for the family as well.) This poor dog had been returned to the shelter four times. Each time Howie had made a mistake that many dogs make. But for some reason, no one wanted to be responsible for identifying his mistakes and for helping him change. Howie was found on the streets as a puppy and lived his entire life after that in a kennel. The dog had never learned how to properly interact with other dogs or humans. Due to that, he was withdrawn, depressed, and very nervous around everyone and around other dogs. In addition, although most shelter people are very caring and compassionate, they still work in a shelter environment with lots and lots of barking and sometimes-angry dogs. Howie was not only scared and depressed, but also confused about the proper way to act around other dogs and humans. Therefore he made lots of mistakes.

In addition, he had a very hard time getting around on three legs. A dog with a missing hind leg has it a bit easier because a hind leg is not a balancing leg. A hind leg is a supporting and driving leg. A dog with a missing hind leg can do quite well. However a dog with a missing front leg will often be off-balance and will fall over a lot. A dog’s front legs carry most of the weight, including that of the head, which weighs a lot. The front legs also provide balance for the entire body.

With Sarah’s help, perseverance, and patience, Captain Jack was certain his new friend Howie was going to do well. But it was going to take time and effort. Stephanie, Robert, Penelope, Allen, Hero, and Captain Jack all decided they wanted to take responsibility for being Howie’s friends too. Then he had six more friends who were going to be responsible to help him, were going to stand by him, and were not going to give up on him. That gave him a much-better chance to be successful.

The first decision they made was where they could all go together so Sarah, Amber, and Howie could have fun with all of them without it being too stressful for Howie. They decided the beach was a good place to be and decided to go very early in the morning before other people and dogs would be likely to show up. Captain Jack had never seen anything as beautiful as the sunrise over the sand and water at the beach. Enjoying the beach together became a regular morning activity for all of them. Little by little, they could see Howie start to relax. 

 

One day at the beach, they had a real scare when a boat came too close to the shore and spooked their new friend. But instead of running away, he barked and ran toward the boat. He raced right into the water, chasing the boat. Howie kept going until he was in over his head and was trying hard to swim. But with only one front leg with which to paddle, he started to sink. His head went under the waves, and he popped back up. Again his head went under and popped back up. They thought for sure he was going to turn around and come back, but the dog went under one more time. That time, they didn’t see him for a few seconds, and he popped back up. Then Hero jumped into action, swam out, grabbed Howie by the collar, and swam back to the beach with Howie in tow, just like he had done with Captain Jack.

 

Howie lay on the beach on his side. But he wasn’t breathing. They were all very upset. Then Sarah remembered the pet CPR class she had taken and did puppy CPR on him. She did her compressions, slightly breathed into his nostrils, and then repeated. Captain Jack had never witnessed anyone take such responsibility for saving a life and was actually experiencing a flashback from his own harrowing experience. Amber came alongside Howie, pawed at the dog’s side, and barked. Suddenly he coughed up some water and started to whine. His eyes looked all white and wild, and they didn’t know what Howie was going to do next. No matter what, they couldn’t have stopped him anyway.

 

He just lay there quietly for the longest time and finally started to wag his tail. Then he began to pant and smile. If you’ve never seen a dog smile, you’re missing a real treat. A dog’s smile is one of the most genuine things you’ll ever see. Howie was showing them that he was fine and actually looked very thankful. But he still didn’t get up. They began to wonder if he were trying to say good-bye for the last time, when all of a sudden a huge pelican came walking over, dropped a fish by Howie’s side, and was flapping its wings.

 

None of them were sure what to do next, so they just sat really still by the dog’s side… .

 

 

I’ll bet you can’t wait to find out more of Captain Jack’s saga. Look for what happens next in the ninth exciting blog episode about Captain Jack—Explorator™ in September 2018.

Humane Education Follow-up Activities:

 

Visit a local animal shelter. Ask staff members about ways you can help at their shelter. Make a list of their ideas for future reference. Include on your list specific linens, pet treats, pet toys, pet foods, laundry detergent, and dishwashing detergent that they could use so you can list these in your advertising and promotions for any events you do.

Find a way or ways to demonstrate responsibility and to help animal-shelter staff and dogs in any of the following ways:

--Conducting a donation drive to get items your animal shelter most needs. Create posters and flyers to promote your drive. Get permission to post them in area businesses, and hand out the flyers in your community. Add the event to local TV, newspaper, and radio calendars of community events so more people will be aware.

--Conducting a fundraiser for the shelter. Promote your event as indicated above.

--Conducting a food drive for the shelter to get food items and treats that shelter staff requested. Again, promote your event.

--Having a birthday party at which you ask attendees to bring pet food instead of gifts. Deliver the food to the shelter.

--Bringing in linens such as towels, blankets, washcloths, sheets, comforters, or something else to make life better for shelter animals. Again let community members know what items the shelter needs. If anyone has used linens they’d like to donate, offer to pick them up. Also bring in laundry detergent for shelter staff and volunteers to use to wash linens so they can be used time and again.

 

Story Discussion Tips:

 

1)       How could Howie’s original owners have been more responsible in caring for his mangled front leg? Why do you think they didn’t do so?

 

2)       How did Sarah help Howie in this episode? How did the others help Howie as well?

 

3)       What would you have done to have helped Howie adjust better?

 

4)       Have you ever adopted a dog, cat, or other pet from an animal shelter? From the SPCA? From a rescue or foster group? What did you have to do during the adoption process? Did the pet become a permanent member of your family? 

 

5)       How did you take responsibility for helping the dog, cat, or other pet adjust to living with your family? How did the animal seem to respond? What responsibilities did you have in the care of your pet?

 

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

 

Our Nonprofit of the Month

St. Hubert’s Giralda/St. Hubert’s® Animal Welfare Center

 

https://www.sthuberts.org/

Mission Statement for St. Huberts® Animal Welfare Center

 

St. Hubert’s Giralda/St. Hubert’s® Animal Welfare Center is dedicated to the humane treatment of animals. The organization believes in and provides services that support the human-animal bond and seeks to foster an environment in which people respect all living creatures.

Founded in 1939, St. Hubert’s® Animal Welfare Center operates animal shelters in the following New Jersey locations: Madison, North Branch, the Noah’s Ark Adoption Center in Ledgewood, and the Mt. Olive Everyday Adoption Center inside PetSmart in Mt. Olive. They welcome animals directly from guardians, rescued by their animal-control officers, from overcrowded shelters across New Jersey, from disaster situations, and from distance partners. 

Their nationally renowned Training and Behavior Center, located at their Madison campus, offers specialized training classes and behavior consultations.

Additionally, St. Hubert’s provides a variety of community services, including pet adoption, humane education, a pet food pantry, low-cost spay/neuter of community cats, a pet helpline, and a professional education series. They regularly advocate for animal welfare legislation and work to engage their community to help them protect animals in New Jersey and beyond.

In addition to their role as a nonprofit organization, St. Hubert’s provides animal-control services to a number of municipalities in Somerset and Morris counties. Their animal-control officers assist domestic animals and wildlife in need, and provide educational information to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

St. Hubert’s® Animal Welfare Center is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization—Federal Tax ID 22-1627726. Their animal-welfare and community-service programs are supported by contributions, grants, and bequests for program continuation and expansion.

 

Never Give Up

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

June 2018—Episode 6

 

Word of the month—Cooperation

The act of working together toward a common mutually-beneficial goal.

 Quote of the month

“The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.”

-- Bertrand Russell

Read more about cooperation at the following: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/cooperation

 Be sure and check out our Non-Profit of the month at the bottom of the story. 

TriPawd Foundation

 

Recap from Episode 5: Captain Jack began to feel like he belonged to a family. The big black-and-brown dog turned out to be very calm, polite, and quite humorous. Horace was a big, goofy dog and Captain Jack could not believe he was ever afraid of him. Stephanie took the very first photograph of Allen, Penelope, and Captain Jack together while they were lying in the grass with their arms, legs, and paws up in the air. A candid moment in the lives of children and a puppy who had been through a number of traumatic experiences, but had come together and had found loyal caring friends to share their lives. How Captain Jack wished that moment could have lasted 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 needed help themselves, and for them having helped him find food and a safe place. He really hoped good things would happen for the children too. 

 

Episode 6—June 2018

 Stephanie, Robert, Penelope, Allen, Captain Jack, and Horace all piled into the car. Stephanie made them all wear seat belts, even the big black-and-brown goofy dog.  Boy, they had a big car. Stephanie had packed a picnic lunch, sand buckets and shovels, and four chairs. Robert was driving. They said they were going on a day trip. Captain Jack had never heard of such a thing and wondered what it meant. The car had a top that opened up, so the wind could blow all around them. Stephanie and Penelope wore hats, but Captain Jack’s and Horace’s ears flapped in the wind the whole way. Everyone was singing, talking, and laughing. Even though it seemed like a long drive, they all worked together and cooperated to make the trip fun. Their destination was the beach!

 It really was not that long a drive, because they got to the beach way before lunchtime. When Stephanie and Robert had said, “Beach,” Captain Jack had thought they meant they were going to see his mother. The puppy had heard people call his mother a bitch, but the beach was nothing like that at all. There were large white birds flying all over the place and swooping down over their heads. A roaring whooshing sound surrounded them each time the waves came up to the white earth. Captain Jack learned the white earth was called sand.

 

Stephanie took out their lunch, a big umbrella, and the four chairs. She opened up the chairs and then spread out a big blanket for Captain Jack and Horace. Everyone pulled out the sand buckets and shovels and started to dig in the white sand. The big goofy dog and the puppy started to dig in the sand as well. Sand was flying everywhere. When the dogs turned around, they saw Penelope and Allen covered in the sand they had just dug up. They were all laughing so hard, they were crying. But it was a good, fun kind of crying. The children took the buckets, got water from what they called the ocean, and started to make shapes in the sand that looked like big fancy houses. Captain Jack and the goofy dog kept digging and throwing more sand toward them. Allen and Penelope thanked the dogs for helping. They said the dogs were being very cooperative and were good helpers. Captain Jack and Horace were just having fun being dogs and digging. 

In the distance, Captain Jack could see a figure running toward them. It looked like a dog, but it didn’t run like a dog. It had a kind of a hopping motion to its walk. A woman was running with the dog and talking to her in an encouraging way. “Good girl, Amber,” she said. “Keep up the good work.” 

 

They looked like a supportive team. But the intriguing thing was that the woman had one normal leg and another leg that looked like a springboard or something. As the two came closer, Captain Jack could see that both of them were missing one leg. They were encouraging each other every step of the way. Captain Jack could see how Amber cooperated with the woman. Amber looked back and waited for the woman to catch up. Even with only three legs, the dog still had an advantage over the woman who had one real leg. Amber’s three legs gave her more stability as she ran on the sand.

The runner stopped near us and wiped her brow. It was hot and she didn’t have any water with her. Penelope and Allen noticed that she looked kind of tired, so they called to Stephanie and asked her to come over with some water for the runner and her dog. Stephanie also brought over a chair so the runner could sit down and rest a bit. The woman’s name was Sarah. She looked as though she were about Stephanie’s age, but she was much taller and had very long dark hair.

Sarah told them her dog saved her life. One day she was swimming in the ocean when a shark attacked her and bit off her leg, swimming away with it. Her dog Amber jumped into the water to chase away the shark. In fact, the dog did scare it off, but another shark proceeded to bite Amber. Though both of them were seriously injured, the dog found a way to bark and get them the emergency help they needed desperately. Sarah said the dog’s quick actions saved her life and brought people to their assistance quickly. Sarah went on to say that she didn’t want fear to rule her life after that, so she made sure that she and Amber came to the beach every day to enjoy the ocean and regain confidence in being near the place where the incident happened. Stephanie, Robert, Allen, Penelope, Captain Jack, and Horace made new friends that day.

By then, they were all ready for lunch. Stephanie invited Sarah and her dog Amber to join them. Of course, Captain Jack was not delighted about sharing his lunch. The big goofy dog definitely didn’t like it either, because eating was his favorite thing to do. But all the humans praised Horace and Captain Jack for being so kind, sharing, and cooperative, that the dogs couldn’t disappoint them. They all ate and drank just enough. Then everyone decided to fly kites since there was a very nice breeze. Penelope and Allen were really excited about flying kites.

 

As they got their kites ready to fly, Captain Jack noticed strange, clear mushy things floating in the ocean. He started barking and running toward them in the water. Those weird things looked like they’d be fun to catch and play with. The puppy heard voices behind him yelling, but couldn’t tell what they were saying. Captain Jack kept running through the waves toward the floating things. It was a lot of fun. And then he caught one! For a second, the puppy was ecstatic and excited. Then—almost  instantly—a sharp pain shot through his entire body, and he couldn’t move. The puppy blacked out. All he could hear was crying and screaming and people yelling, “Get him! Get him!”

Captain Jack was floating farther out on the waves faster than they could run or swim. The puppy was limp and couldn’t move at all. He could hear Amber barking excitedly and smelled her breath very close. The last thing that went through his mind was the smell of lunch on her breath. And Captain Jack blacked out again. 

 Are you on the edge of your seat yet? Look for what happens next in the seventh exciting blog episode about Captain Jack—Explorator™ next month.

 

Humane Education Points: There are many pets (both cats and dogs) that are tripods for various reasons. Most of them can adapt and learn how to function relatively normally in life. Some need prosthetics or carts in place of their limbs to restore their mobility. Most of all, they need patience, compassion, support, and love.

 There are children who have a wide variety of physical challenges, including vision, hearing, walking, speech, the use of their limbs, and more. Some are wheelchair bound, wear a hearing aid or headset miked to their teacher or parent, use a walker, sit in a special chair, use a white cane, wear a prosthetic, use a stylus to communicate via a computer, use a grip or a brace to hold a pencil or crayon or fork or spoon, wear a brace or braces, etc. Some of them are able to be more independent than others. Some need the help of a one-on-one, a parent, a caregiver, or a teacher. Thanks to Public Law 94-142 passed in the 1970s, these and other special-needs children must be educated in the most-conducive environments for them. If they can be educated in regular classrooms, they are. This provided for mainstreaming of special-needs children into regular classrooms, P.E. classes, music classes, art classes, and more.

 

Follow-up Activities: Watch the movies Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2. Or go to this website: www.seewinter.com  

Read about tripod dogs and cats, how they adapt to their missing limbs, and how they learn ways to function in life. You might want to check out Tripawds® at tripawds.com, dogguide.net/tripod-dogs.php, handicappedpets.com/canine-amputation-tripod-dog/, pinterest.com/cynjen/tripod-dogs/, or thebark.com/content/keeping-your-three-legged-dog-healthy.   

 

Read about physically challenged children at websites such as the following:

--teacher.scholastic.com/professional/childdev/working_with_children.htm

--lds.org/topics/disability/list/physical-disability?lang=eng&old=true

--thoughtco.com/physically-handicapped-students-3111135

--helpingchallengedchildren.org/ (Helping Challenged Children, Inc.)

--medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/physically+challenged

--neatoday.org/2013/03/28/students-with-physical-disabilities-speak-out-on-challenges-in-school/  

--cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=306&id=1874 (Women’s and Children’s Health Network on Physical Disability—Children)

Discuss ways you might be a better friend in school to someone who is physically challenged in a different way from you.

  

Story Discussion Tips:

 

1)       In what ways did characters in this episode demonstrate cooperation? Which characters worked together in each instance? How did they cooperate with each other?

 2)       How do you feel when you meet a person who is physically challenged in a different way  from you?  Maybe the person is in a wheelchair, walking with a walker, wearing a leg brace or braces, unable to use one or both arms, cannot hear well or at all and is using sign language, or cannot see and is using a white cane or wearing dark glasses. What emotions does this bring up for you? Most differently-abled people don’t want sympathy from others. Sometimes people unintentionally talk louder when they talk to someone in a wheelchair. Do you?

If you became differently abled in some way, how would you want people to feel or act around you? Why? How would you try to make people feel more comfortable around you if you were differently abled?

 

3)       In what ways in this story did Sarah’s dog Amber help her owner? How did the woman and Amber encourage one another? Why?

 

4)       Why did Sarah and Amber return to the beach every day to the area where they were attacked by sharks and suffered their injuries? How did those visits make them feel?

Have you ever done something like that to keep yourself from living in fear after something bad happened to you? If so, how did it make you feel to overcome the fear so it didn’t control your life?

 

5)       Quick actions by rescuers helped after Sarah’s and Amber’s shark attacks and after Captain Jack was stung by the jellyfish and was floating out to sea. What do you think those rescuers did in each situation to save the person and the dog? Why were quick responses very important?

Have you ever been in a serious medical situation like these? If so, what happened? Did someone rescue you as well?

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

 

Our Nonprofit of the Month

 

TriPawds Foundation

http://tripawds.org/

The Tripawds Foundation is a 501c3 charity established to help amputee pets and their people everywhere. Current projects include:

• Maintaining the public benefit Tripawds Community
• Hosting a Toll-free Support Helpline
• Reimbursement for certified rehab consultations
• Free vet patient outreach materials
• The Tripawds Rescue Fund
• NEW! Amputation Surgery Assistance Program
• NEW! Tripawds Gear Fund

 

https://youtu.be/nFqw4jU2Dig