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.

 

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.