Irish Blessing

 

May the Irish hills caress you.

May the lakes and rivers bless you.

May the luck of the Irish enfold you.

May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

 

Thank you Jennifer Tipton Cappoen

for sharing this blessing

 

Our Wish For All

 

 

Captain Jack continues his adventure this month. 

We hope you will share with friends and family. 

We wish you all a very Happy St. Patrick's Day

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

March 2018—Episode 3

 Word of the month—Honesty

Fairness and straightforwardness of conduct and adhering to the facts with sincerity.

Quote of the month

“There is nothing so strong or safe in an emergency of life as the simple truth.”

--Charles Dickens

Recap from Episode 2: Captain Jack and the boy have bonded, but Penelope is still not so sure having a puppy along as they search for food and shelter is a good idea. Penelope’s last words to him were “…you really have lost your mind.”

Episode 3—March 2018

The three of them walked through what seemed like miles of piles of debris, pieces of houses, cars crushed like Pepsi cans, and clothes hanging from trees. It was very, very quiet. There were no people and no leaves on the trees. It was so quiet it made Penelope start to cry. “I just know we are the only survivors,” she cried. “How are we going to find our friends and family?” 

Captain Jack felt like he needed to do something, but he didn’t know what. He stopped in the middle of the street and turned in a circle three times chasing his tail. The boy looked at the dog, started to smile, put his arms straight out, and looked up at the sky and turned around three times imitating Captain Jack. He encouraged Penelope to do the same thing and was starting to laugh as the dog spun around three times again, and he did too. Then the two of them were walking and staggering around. The boy was laughing very hard. 

“Allen, stop that this instant,” Penelope yelled at him. “This is serious and you’re playing around like nothing is wrong.”

“Aw, come on, Penelope,” Allen replied. “Let’s be honest. There is nothing that says we can’t have a little fun.” 

Penelope just did not see the humor in this and did not want to play along. She was tired, hungry, and in a very bad mood. 

Allen and Captain Jack spun around a few more times. The puppy wagged his tail and Allen tried to imitate him. But since he didn’t have a tail, he looked very funny. Captain Jack smiled at him, and he smiled back at the dog. It felt good to smile and have a little fun, even though it was a scary situation. Allen knew how to make the best of a situation and apparently decided not to let Penelope’s bad mood put him in a bad mood. Captain Jack guessed it was a good thing for him to be there to help at least one of them be able to smile a little bit. 

It seemed like hours had gone by when they came upon houses that weren’t even damaged.  Everything looked normal in the neighborhood they walked into. There were children riding bikes, dads washing cars, and moms pushing strollers down the street visiting with neighbors acting like nothing had ever happened. They felt very out of place all covered in mud. Allen and Penelope stopped to talk with one of the moms pushing a stroller. She looked at them with such shock, Captain Jack thought she was going to run away. When she heard their story, she got this funny look on her face like she was going to cry and called to the man washing the car to come over.  They talked a few minutes and invited the three of them to come into their home. 

Once inside it was apparent that these were very nice people. They gave Allen and Penelope clean clothes, showed them where they could clean up, and gave them soap and towels to use. The mom put the baby in her playpen. She turned to Captain Jack with a nice smile on her face and said, “Come here, little pup.” She scooped him up and for the first time in a long time, the puppy felt very safe. She placed him in a bowl, put warm water and soap on him, and gave him a bath. Then she warmed a towel and wrapped the puppy in it to dry him off.

By the time she was done and the puppy was all dry and clean, Allen and Penelope came into the room where a table of food was waiting for them. The lady just happened to have some dog food and filled a bowl for the puppy. Oh my, they thought they were in heaven. As all three of them ate, the man and woman talked in the other room. Captain Jack could hear their voices get a bit tense and angry, and thought they were in trouble. But when the man and woman came back in, they were smiling.

They apparently had talked and had been totally honest with each other in their discussion. They decided to help the three of them, but first they had to call the police, they explained. They wanted to make sure and see if anyone were looking for them. Allen and Penelope didn’t like the sounds of that, but they were wondering what had happened to their family. They were homeless and without parents just like me. 

The police arrived and asked lots of questions. Allen and Penelope had to answer honestly to help them. They filled out forms as the boy and girl answered their questions. They were very nice to the children. But when the police said they would have to take Captain Jack away and put him in a shelter, both Penelope and Allen started to cry. The man and woman who helped them spoke up and said they would take care of the puppy while the police tried to find Penelope and Allen’s family. Captain Jack was really scared as they took Allen and Penelope away in the police car.  The children looked out the back window at him with tears in their eyes and the puppy didn’t know if he would ever see them again. 

Captain Jack’s life was about to change once again when he realized that there was another animal that lived in the house. A big black-and-brown dog was staring at him from the outside looking in.  The puppy didn’t know if he was friendly and would want to share his yard with him. But Captain Jack was about to find out as they opened the door to let the big dog in. The puppy closed his eyes and turned his head away since he didn’t know what was going to happen next.  He could feel the big dog’s hot breath all over his body. The big dog was panting and drooling all over him, but he dared not move.
 

Look for what happens next in the fourth blog about Captain Jack—Explorator™ next month.

Humane Education Point: Both animals and children become homeless for many reasons that are often not their fault. How can you help those that are homeless? Police are professional peace keepers. They are trained to help those in need. How do you feel about the police? 

Follow-up Activity: Read about the program Hug-A-Tree. Decide if this could apply to any situations in your life if you were to become lost. Think about a reason you might need a police officer. Do you know how to call an emergency number just in case you need help from a police officer? Practice doing this with an adult.

Story Discussion Tips:

1) Do you think Penelope and Allen did the right thing by taking the puppy with them? What would you have done?

2) What would you do if you were lost?

3)  How did the family decide to help?

4)  How did Allen and Penelope feel about the decision?

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

Non Profit of the Month

Humphreys County Humane Society offers programs to help offset the costs of spaying and neutering your pet for those, who otherwise, may not be able to afford the full cost. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem, please do your part, be a responsible pet owner, spay and neuter, together we can fight pet overpopulation and save lives.

Contact facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/humphreyscounty.humanesociety/

Small town rural shelters across the country suffer due to lack of funding and community support.  The innocent voiceless victims are the animals.  This humane society partners with local shelters and rescues to save more lives by collaborating and coordinating resources.  They are miracle workers.

 

 





Life has a way.......

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

 

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?

  

 Story Discussion Tips:

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

 

 

https://kcpetproject.org/

 

KC Pet Project is a 501c3, nonprofit charitable organization operating the Kansas City, Missouri Animal Shelter. We care for nearly 10,000 animals a year and work collaboratively with Animal Control and other animal welfare organizations to increase the number of homeless pets adopted, and focus on lifesaving programs promoting pet retention, identification, lost pet reunions, and pet ownership education throughout the community. The KC Pet Project (KCPP™) is creating a No Kill Kansas City – we’re passionate about lifesaving!

Today’s the day, the day we have all been waiting for. Let's see what will happen next with Captain Jack??

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Quote of the month

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.”
― 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.

 

Five Days and the count down begins - Look for the Adventures of a savvy little pup named Captain Jack - Explorator as he searches for his family

õComing to a computer near youõ

January 15, 2018 

We are pleased to announce the launch of a special BowWow-WIN™ Series, which readers can share with children to help them learn basic tenets of the values of responsible ownership of pets. Each episode in the series includes a word of the month that readers can explore along with a humane education point, a follow-up activity, and story discussion tips.

In this series, a puppy named Captain Jack is the main character. Captain Jack will bring a learning experience regarding character traits each month throughout this year.

We selected January 2018 to introduce this series and invite you to join us each month to experience The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™ as he learns how to live in the world of humans. This is a win-win for children as they learn how to have fun reading and experience the valuable skills that will help them navigate life and increase their abilities to succeed at school, their chosen extracurricular activities, and their eventual careers.

Enjoy BowWow-WIN™ for books with The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™ as you meet his friends and people who help him along the way. (Although these stories are geared toward children, they are beneficial for adults as well.)

In addition, if you would like Captain Jack to visit your classroom or library, please go to the Paws and Claws Publishing website. Click on “Our Books” and then on Hero to the Rescue—The Memoir of an Unlikely Hero by Heddie Wittlin-Leger. Click on the Speaking Engagement Request Form, and you can place your request for a visit online. Enough about us and now…

Here is a little tidbit to share before the launch on January 15th.....

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.” Who 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. 

Paws and Claws Publishing, LLC does its part in supporting and publishing quality books that focus on quality of life for all species.  I invite you to check out their webpage and start the New Year out right, by sharing the page with others, purchasing any of the books on the site for a gift, or even for yourself, or your local library or place of worship.  You will find topics of inspiration that are quality publications for all ages.   www.pawsandclawspublishing.com

 

Wish I May-Wish I Might-A New Year's Wish Tonight - Coming to a computer near you

I don't make New Years resolutions.  However, I do have a New Year wish to share.  I wish the shelters would never have to euthanize for space.  I wish for a home for every adoptable animal.  I wish for Peace on Earth, or at least in the shelters on Earth. 

I have a theory, that if each person adopted one dog from their local shelter; if each person with a dog, or cat would spay or neuter their pets, if each person treated their pets with loving kindness and formed a bond with their pet, we just might make the wish of millions of animals come true. 

õComing to a computer near youõ

We are pleased to announce the launch of a special BowWow-WIN™ Series, which readers can share with children to help them learn basic tenets of the values of responsible ownership of pets. Each episode in the series includes a word of the month that readers can explore along with a humane education point, a follow-up activity, and story discussion tips.

In this series, a puppy named Captain Jack is the main character. Captain Jack will bring a learning experience regarding character traits each month throughout this year.

We selected January 2018 to introduce this series and invite you to join us each month to experience The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™ as he learns how to live in the world of humans. This is a win-win for children as they learn how to have fun reading and experience the valuable skills that will help them navigate life and increase their abilities to succeed at school, their chosen extracurricular activities, and their eventual careers.

Enjoy BowWow-WIN™ for books with The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™ as you meet his friends and people who help him along the way. (Although these stories are geared toward children, they are beneficial for adults as well.)

In addition, if you would like Captain Jack to visit your classroom or library, please go to the Paws and Claws Publishing website. Click on “Our Books” and then on Hero to the Rescue—The Memoir of an Unlikely Hero by Heddie Wittlin-Leger. Click on the Speaking Engagement Request Form, and you can place your request for a visit online. Enough about us and now…

Here is a little tidbit to share before the launch on January 15th.....

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.” Who 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. 

Paws and Claws Publishing, LLC does its part in supporting and publishing quality books that focus on quality of life for all species.  I invite you to check out their webpage and start the New Year out right, by sharing the page with others, purchasing any of the books on the site for a gift, or even for yourself, or your local library or place of worship.  You will find topics of inspiration that are quality publications for all ages.   www.pawsandclawspublishing.com

 We encourage you this year, if you received a pet for a gift, to find a positive force free bond based trainer to help you.  Please do not drop off your pet in the country, please do not leave at the door of a shelter, please do not post for free on Craigslist or offer for free as dog fighters often look for these dogs for bait to train their fighting dogs. 

Please do call your local shelter and find a way to work with them if you cannot keep the pet.  The local veterinarian often will also help.  Please look for help and do not abandon or neglect the pet.  It is a living thing that wants to survive just like me and you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We wish you a very safe and Happy New Year

www.pawsandclawspublishing.com