THE ANIMALS' SAVIOR
Copyright- Jim Willis 1999
I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry. "God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?" God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly. I have done something," He replied. "I created you."
Now that I am
home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,
I'd like to open my baggage, Lest I forget.
There is much to carry, So much to regret.
Hmm...Yes, there it is, right on top.
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss.
And there by my bed hide Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave--
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me.
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage? Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things-- And take me right back?
Do you have time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, and never repack?
I pray that you do--I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage-- Will you still want me?
TODAY WE RESCUED YOUR DOG
-By Pat Colsher
Today we rescued your dog. We don't know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don't know much about how you cared for him, either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
The way we heard the story, you moved out of state and didn't want to take him
with you. You left him at your grandparents. Maybe you thought a lively,
handsome dog was just the thing for them, and under better circumstances it
might have been. Maybe they ha been cleaning up your messes for your entire life
and an unwanted dog was just another mess to clean up.
Did you know they were going to keep him outside? At least it was a pretty mild
winter. There were no heavy snows, not much heavy winter rain and only a few
days of bitter cold. But for all of those weeks he had no companionship, no
care, no love.
For some reason, your grandparents took him to the shelter. Maybe a neighbor
complained about him or maybe their own health gave out or maybe they just got
tired of him. You know the local shelter is a kill shelter, don't you? You know
that their own statistics indicate that about half of the dogs that enter are
killed, don't you?
Maybe your grandparents thought he would be adopted quickly. He is a purebred,
after all. No one was interested in him, though, maybe since he's an adult dog
and not a cute little puppy. No one contacted the purebred rescue group either.
They probably would have placed him quickly, since he really is a great boy.
The shelter is a clean place and they take good care of the dogs. They get good
food and they're bathed and brushed. It's still a shelter, though and is noisy
and chaotic and frightening. He spent two months there in that confusion, away
from everyone and everything he had known.
One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The
shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to
bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why
they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He
didn't know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he
felt that, so he knew something was wrong.
All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was
he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this
was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we
all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has
his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it's almost like watching one of those
old Lassie movies, seeing how well they've bonded. He's got good food and his
own toys. He's taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is
taken to the vet for needed care. We'll be with him always, even if we have to
make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are
his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that's to be expected.
He's probably forgiven you and, with a dog's grace, doesn't even remember you
dumped him. He'd probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge.
But you know what? He'll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he'll
be with us forever, because he's our dog and we're his family.