Jellyfish and respect

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

July 2018—Episode 7

 

Our Nonprofit of the Month

Reading Education Assistance Dogs

http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html

 

 

Word of the month—Respect

(1) To feel or show deferential regard for or esteem and value of another, allowing them the dignity to validate themselves.

  

(2) To avoid violation of or interference with another.  

 

(3)  An act of giving particular attention to show consideration of another.

 

Quote of the month

“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”

--Bryant H. McGill

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

 

Recap from Episode 6: Sarah shared her harrowing experience with a shark and how Amber had saved her life. Stephanie, Robert, Penelope, Allen, Captain Jack, Horace, Sarah, and Amber were having a great time. Then Captain Jack swam out into the ocean to play with a jellyfish. For a second after he caught one of the jellyfish floating in the ocean, he was very happy 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. He could smell Amber’s breath very close to him. The last thing that went through his mind was the smell of lunch on Amber’s breath. Then Captain Jack blacked out again. 

  

Episode 7—July 2018

 

It turned out the big, goofy black-and-brown dog that Captain Jack had thought was named Horace also had another name. The puppy found out the dog’s real name that day when he blacked out after encountering the jellyfish. The big dog’s name was actually Hero.

 

That fateful day as Captain Jack floated farther out to sea, Hero saved him. Hero jumped into the water and swam faster than he could have run. He was an excellent swimmer. Since Captain Jack had a harness on, the big dog grabbed the harness with his mouth and swam valiantly back to the shore with the harness held tightly in his mouth, dragging the puppy along to safety. Amber had initially been the one to swim to Captain Jack’s rescue, but it was Hero who actually dragged the paralyzed puppy back to the beach.

 

Once Hero, Captain Jack, and Amber were back on the beach, Sarah immediately performed puppy CPR on Captain Jack, and the puppy began to breathe and move normally again. Captain Jack checked to see that all his limbs were still there and working. They were, and his tail was still in place too. The puppy wagged it just to see if it still worked, and it did. To all who were watching, it appeared that no great harm had been done.

 Everyone talked at once about how glad they were that Sarah had taken a doggy CPR course and what a good job she did reviving Captain Jack. All the while, Amber and Hero stood by Captain Jack’s side, never leaving him for a second. Everyone complimented Amber and Hero for their efforts in Captain Jack’s rescue. Everyone hugged and petted both dogs.

 The big black-and-brown dog that the puppy had thought was so goofy had another side to his personality. Apparently, in the past he had won an award for having saved a child’s life. And he had actually survived some sort of catastrophe himself. He had truly earned the name Hero. Captain Jack gained a new respect for Hero that day and never again referred to him as a goofy dog. 

 The funny thing is that respect is something no one can really make up or force on anyone. It is something that must be earned. Captain Jack realized he had never really understood what respect meant. He had never had the opportunity to learn about respect for himself, for anyone else, or for any other dog. It had always made the puppy nervous when he was being challenged by a dog bigger or faster than he was. He was never sure enough about himself when he was around others of his species. Maybe that stemmed from his bad experiences as a young pup. Anyway, things were about to change for Captain Jack in a big way.

Earlier at Stephanie and Robert’s home, Captain Jack had made one friend that was both a hero and a survivor: the big black-and-brown dog named Hero. Today he had made another friend named Amber. Like Hero, she was not only a hero, but also a survivor. In the puppy’s eyes, they were both amazing dogs. Amber could do anything any dog with four legs could do. She could run, jump, swim, and play catch. And she loved to play Frisbee. It was pretty amazing how she had learned to adjust to her life with only three legs. She was really an inspiration, and Captain Jack found that he respected her in another way as well. The puppy respected the ways she carried herself, never gave up, and never thought less of herself just because she had lost a leg. In fact, it was almost something she was proud of. She definitely didn’t feel any less capable than any other dog. And you know what? Sarah, her owner, was the same way. They were the perfect human-animal companion bonded pair. They both inspired others and gained respect wherever they went. 

 

Captain Jack’s harrowing, experience turned out to be nothing more than having tangled with what humans called a jellyfish. It looked like something that would have been fun to play with in the water. Boy oh boy, was the puppy ever wrong. Nothing could have been further from the truth. It turned out the jellyfish puts out a toxin whenever it is touched. The toxin causes great pain and temporary paralysis. Well, guess which puppy will never go near another jellyfish. You guessed it: yours truly

Sarah and Amber had one more surprise in store for all of us. She had another dog. They all went back to her home to meet him.  He was also a tripod. But he was not quite the same type of dog as Amber, who was missing a back leg. Instead he had come from an abusive situation where he had been severely injured. The injury had necessitated that his front leg be amputated. His personality was not nearly as friendly as Amber’s. In fact, he was not very good at socializing with other dogs or people. Boy, someone must have been really mean to him in the past. Sarah told us he was a “work in progress” and said he had already improved greatly since he had come to her home and spent time around Amber.

He was a nervous type of dog and because of that, he made Captain Jack nervous too. The puppy decided he wouldn’t bother with Sarah’s nervous dog and would just focus on Amber and Hero as friends for now. Sarah’s other dog didn’t seem disappointed by that at all. In fact, it seemed as though he had never had a friend before and didn’t really know how to make friends. All of them decided that maybe he just needed to be around some nice dogs and people. He could watch them for a while until he became more comfortable. The dog could learn by watching them as they played and enjoyed being with each other. They all decided it would be best to show him respect and not try to force themselves on him. They gave him all the space and time he needed to heal mentally, emotionally, and physically.

 

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

Humane Education Follow-up Activities:

 

Make a list of things people who are respectful say to others. Examples include the following: “Please.” “Thank you.” “Excuse me.” “May I hold the door for you?” “I’m sorry if I offended you.” “Could I help you by carrying that?” 

Make a list of things people do to show respect. Examples include the following: listening carefully without interrupting, picking up after themselves, holding a door open, putting trash outdoors into receptacles, following the rules of the road when riding a bicycle, not cutting in line in front of someone, using appropriate voice volume for the environment, following classroom rules, being on time for classes or games or practices or events, turning a cell phone’s ringer to silent in a bank or store checkout line or hospital, being silent during a concert or play or program or speech or church service, placing flowers or candles or letters at memorials, writing a special story to honor someone, attending a graduation ceremony or an awards ceremony for someone, or telling a military person or a veteran thank you for their service.

What would you do if someone were disrespectful to you? How would you act? What would you say? Role-play a situation when this happened to you. Then role-play it in a different way.

Keep a journal of actual times when you showed respect for someone or for a pet and when someone showed respect for you. Include the date when each event happened. Keep this journal to read later to remind you of these meaningful, positive, inspiring times that illustrate the meanings of the word respect.

Story Discussion Tips:

 

1)       In what ways did characters in this episode demonstrate respect toward one another?

 

2)       How did Hero help Captain Jack in the story? Why did Captain Jack respect Hero and Amber much more after what happened in the ocean?

 

3)       What did Captain Jack find out about Hero’s past that showed ways in which the big black-and-brown dog really was a hero?

 

4)       How would you feel if you ever became physically unable to function on your own? What do you think you would do? How would you react?

5)       Have you ever witnessed a person or an animal being saved from a life-threatening situation? What happened? What emotions did you feel while it was happening? What emotions did you feel afterward?

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

 

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

Every Day Is A New Adventure

 

 

 

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

May 2018—Episode 5

 Word of the month—Gratitude

The state of being grateful. Thankfulness.  An example: He expressed gratitude for support.

Quote of the month

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings.”

--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?

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

http://dogscouts.org/base/

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.

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.

 

The Adventures of Captain Jack—Explorator™

April 2018—Episode 4

 

Word of the month—Courage

Mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Quote of the month

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

--Ambrose Redmoon

 

Recap from Episode 3: The police have taken Allen and Penelope away in a police car. Captain Jack was worried he might not see them again. There was a big black-and-brown dog. Captain Jack didn’t know if the dog was friendly and would want to share his yard with a puppy. But the puppy was about to find out as they opened the door to let the big dog in. Captain Jack closed his eyes and turned his head away since he didn’t know what was going to happen next. The puppy could feel the big dog’s hot breath all over his body. He was panting and drooling all over the puppy, but the puppy dared not move.

 

Episode 4—April 2018

Oh my goodness. Good golly, Miss Molly. Captain Jack sat there shaking so hard his teeth were chattering. He could feel this little grumbling in his chest that he couldn’t stop. And his hair started to stand up on end like a million little pins sticking out. 

The big black-and-brown dog kept sniffing him. The puppy’s head was soaked with the big dog’s drool. It seemed like forever, and then the puppy felt the big dog nudge him gently. Captain Jack opened one eye just a slit so he could see what the big dog was doing. The puppy was sure he was going to eat him, but then the big dog wiggled his whole butt, as though he were trying to wag his tail. (He didn’t have a tail, which was odd.) Then the big dog bowed down to Captain Jack as though he were some sort of prince or something. The puppy didn’t know what to do, and then he remembered his sister had done that same thing when she wanted to play. But he was so-o-o-o-o-o-o big. Captain Jack was petrified! 

The puppy kept whispering to himself, “Don’t be afraid. Have courage. Don’t be afraid.” 

Captain Jack wanted to run away, but there was no place to run. Then the big dog did the most amazing thing. He made himself very, very small by lying down next to the puppy and rolled over on his back. The big dog looked at Captain Jack with a big old smile, eyeball to eyeball. The puppy could see the cloudiness in his eyes and that the big dog couldn’t see him, but knew he was there. The big dog rolled over on his back again and didn’t move until the puppy slowly sniffed him all over. He was still lying there without moving. Captain Jack remembered his mom also doing this and thought, Hmmmm, maybe he wants me just to nuzzle up to him, so he did. The puppy sniffed his ears and then laid his head on his big old neck and fell asleep. In fact, they both fell asleep, just like that. Captain Jack made his first friend that day. He was no longer afraid. 

The puppy dreamed of his mom and brothers and sisters warm and safe in their barn filled with sweet-smelling hay, but then he noticed other smells in his dream. They smelled like bacon cooking and other yummy things. He could hear muffled voices talking and couldn’t tell if he were dreaming or if this were real. 

Then the big dog got up and shook himself off. Captain Jack’s head dropped to the floor with a thud, waking him suddenly. The puppy jumped up and yelped. What he found was that the big dog had gone into the room where there really was bacon cooking and there were people talking. This was not a dream. It was real. The big dog sat all nice and pretty by the feet of the lady cooking, and she smiled down at him. Captain Jack wanted her to smile at him also, so he went over next to the big dog and imitated what he was doing by sitting nice and pretty. 

The lady said, “Well, look at that. This puppy is trained.” 

Captain Jack didn’t know what she meant, but he sure liked the way she looked at him all warm, happy, and smiley. Right then and there, he decided to do whatever it took for her to look at him like that again. Then she reached over and stroked him on the side of his face, shoulder, and back and said, “What a good pup you are. I wonder if you have a name?  I think I’ll call you Captain Jack."

She looked over at the big black-and-brown dog and called him Horace. At that moment, Captain Jack realized what it must feel like to belong to a family and to be loved, and he so wished for that. So the big guy had a name: Horace. 

The next day, the lady took Captain Jack to visit Allen and Penelope at their new home. It was called a foster home, and there were tons of children there jumping all over the place and making a mess. Allen and Penelope sat in the corner looking very scared and sad. They all went outside and started talking about finding the children’s parents. Captain Jack wished someone would help him find his mom and brothers and sisters, but somehow deep inside he knew it was not going to happen. The puppy figured that most people would spend more time trying to help a human child than a missing pup. Besides, he had it pretty good right now. 

Allen and Penelope started to cry. They missed their home and parents. (Captain Jack knew how they felt.) he snuggled up next to them and it seemed to help them. All of them were petting the puppy and talking about what their next steps would be to find Allen and Penelope’s parents. They got permission to take photos, and they included Captain Jack in the photo with them to help them feel better. The lady told Allen and Penelope to be brave and have courage. But it seemed to Captain Jack that they already had been since they had survived a horrible storm, found a way to stay safe, and saved him in the process. 

Then they all talked again with the police and were told that there were people out in their neighborhood helping people from there find their belongings and look for loved ones. Surely someone would find Allen and Penelope’s parents. They all exchanged phone numbers and filled out some forms for what they called permission—whatever that means—and then the police left. 

Allen and Penelope started to cry again because they didn’t want to go back into the home with all the kids who were noisy, crazy, and disrespectful. But they were told they had to go back inside.

Then the lady started to cry also as she walked away and got into the car to go home, but at least she took the puppy with her. She hugged Captain Jack as she sat there crying. Then she put him in his seat belt and started the car to drive home. 

He could hear her whisper to herself, “I’m going to help those children, no matter what.” 

Captain Jack thought she was the nicest, most beautiful lady he had ever met at that moment. She looked like an angel to him.

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

Humane Education Point: Read a book to learn more about courage as a virtue. Suggested books about courage include The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Polar Bear and the Brave Little Hare by Hans de Beer. Pretend to be the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz or the brave little engine in The Little Engine That Could. Discuss with someone how it would feel to have courage and not to have courage. Discuss why we need courage and ways we show that we have courage. Talk about how we can still be afraid, even when we have courage.  

Follow-up Activities: Create your own book about courage by writing and/or illustrating your own story about a time when you demonstrated courage, such as a time you were faced by a bully in school. Search through magazines and/or newspapers for stories and pictures of brave men, women, and children who exhibit courage in different ways.  Discuss with family or friends. 

Story Discussion Tips:

1) How did the pup show courage in this episode? How did the puppy help himself be less scared as the big dog got to know him?

2) Have you ever been so scared you wanted to run away, but could not? Share this experience with someone.

3) How do you calm yourself when you are very scared?

 

4) How did Captain Jack think that Allen and Penelope had already shown courage in three different ways?

 

©2017 Heddie Wittlin-Leger

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