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Prayer Of A Stray
Dear God,Oh please send me somebody who'll care!
I'm tired of running, I'm sick with despair.
My body is aching, it's so racked with pain,
dear God this I pray, as I run in the rain.
That someone will love me and give me a home,
with a warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone.
My last owner tied me all day in the yard
Sometimes with no water, and God that was hard.
So I chewed my leash, and God, I ran away.
To rummage in garbage and live as a stray.
But now God, I'm tired and hungry and cold,
and I'm so afraid that I'll never grow old.
They've chased me with sticks and hit me with stones,
while I run the streets just looking for bones!
I'm not really bad, God, please help if you can,
or I have become just a "Victim of Man!"
I'm wormy dear God and I'm ridden with fleas,
and all that I want is an Owner to please!
If you find one for me God, I'll try to be good,
and I won't chew their shoes, and I'll do as I should.
I'll love them, protect them and try to obey....
when they tell me to sit, to lie down or to stay!
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
cause I'm getting so weak and I'm so all alone.
Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry,
cause I'm so afraid God, that I'm gonna die.
And I've got so much love and devotion to give,
that I should be given a new chance to Live!
So dear God,will you please answer my prayer,
and send me someone who really will care..
That is, dear God, if you really are there!..
author unknown
Of Dogs and Angels
By Roger Caras
Reprinted with permission from "Chicken Soup for the
Cat and Dog Lover's Soul."
During my years in animal welfare work--I served as
the president of the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals--I have heard
wonderful stories about the power of the human-animal
bond. One of my favorites is about a girl and her very
special dog.
When the girl was born, her parents were stationed
with the U.S. Army overseas. The tiny baby spiked a
fever of 106 degrees and when they couldn't help her
at the military base, the baby and her family were
flown home to the United States where she could
receive the proper medical care.
The alarming fever kept recurring, but the baby
survived. When the episode was over, the child was
left with thirteen different seizure causes, including
epilepsy. She had what was called multiple seizure
syndrome and had several seizures every day. Sometimes
she stopped breathing.
As a result, the little girl could never be left
alone. She grew to be a teenager and if her mother had
to go out, her father or brothers had to accompany her
everywhere, including to the bathroom, which was
awkward for everyone involved. But the risk of leaving
her alone was too great and so, for lack of a better
solution, things went on in this way for years.
The girl and her family lived near a town where there
was a penitentiary for women. One of the programs
there was a dog-training program. The inmates were
taught how to train dogs to foster a sense of
competence, as well as to develop a job skill for the
time when they left the prison. Although most of the
women had serious criminal backgrounds, many made
excellent dog trainers and often trained service dogs
for the handicapped while serving their time.
The girl's mother read about this program and
contacted the penitentiary to see if there was
anything they could do for her daughter. They had no
idea how to train a dog to help a person in the girl's
condition, but her family decided that a companion
animal would be good for the girl, as she had limited
social opportunities and they felt she would enjoy a
dog's company.
The girl chose a random-bred dog named Queenie and
together with the women at the prison, trained her to
be an obedient pet.
But Queenie had other plans. She became a
"seizure-alert" dog, letting the girl know when a
seizure was coming on, so that the girl could be ready
for it.
I heard about Queenie's amazing abilities and went to
visit the girl's family and meet Queenie. At one point
during my visit, Queenie became agitated and took the
girl's wrist in her mouth and started pulling her
towards the living room couch. Her mother said, "Go on
now. Listen to what Queenie's telling you."
The girl went to the couch, curled up in a fetal
position, facing the back of the couch and within
moments started to seize. The dog jumped on the couch
and wedged herself between the back of the couch and
the front of the girl's body, placing her ear in front
of the girl's mouth. Her family was used to this
performance, but I watched in open-mouthed
astonishment as the girl finished seizing and Queenie
relaxed with her on the couch, wagging her tail and
looking for all the world like an ordinary dog,
playing with her mistress.
Then the girl and her dog went to the girl's bedroom
as her parents and I went to the kitchen for coffee. A
little while later, Queenie came barreling down the
hallway, barking. She did a U-turn in the kitchen and
then went racing back to the girl's room.
"She's having a seizure," the mother told me. The
girl's father got up, in what seemed to me a casual
manner for someone whose daughter often stopped
breathing, and walked back to the bedroom after
Queenie.
My concern must have been evident on my face because
the girl's mother smiled and said, "I know what you're
thinking, but you see, that's not the bark Queenie
uses when my daughter stops breathing."
I shook my head in amazement. Queenie, the self-taught
angel, proved to me once again how utterly foolish it
is to suppose that animals don't think or can't
communicate.
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MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
What would I do without you
My precious, furry friend?
Part mischief, but all blessing
And faithful to the end
You look at me with eyes of love;
You never hold a grudge..
You think I'm far too wonderful
To criticize or judge
It seems your greatest joy in life
Is being close to me...
I think God knew how comforting
Your warm, soft fur would be.
I know you think you're human,
But I'm glad it isn't true...
The world would be a nicer place
If folks were more like you.
A few short years are all we have;
One day we'll have to part...
But you, my pet, will always have
A place within my heart.
Hope Harrington Kolb
A MESSAGE FROM MAX:
My name is Max and I have a little something I'd like
to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead
busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to
raise.
It always seems like you are running here and there,
often much too fast, often never noticing the truly
grand things in life.
Look down at me now, while you sit there at your
computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at
yours? They are slightly cloudy now, that comes with
age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft
muzzle. You smile at me; I see love in your eyes.
What do you see in mine?
Do you see a spirit, a soul inside who loves you as no
other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive
all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple
moment of your time?
That is all I ask. To slow down if even for a few
minutes to be with me.
So many times you have been saddened by the words you
read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing.
Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so
suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.
Sometimes we age so slowly before your eyes that you
do not even seem to know, until the very end, when we
look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded
eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we
take that long sleep, to run free in distant lands.
I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next
week. Someday you will shed the waters from your eyes,
that humans have when deep grief fills their souls,
and you will be angry at yourself that you did not
have just "One more day" with me.
Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit
and grieves me. We have now, together. So come, sit
down here next to me on the floor. And look deep into
my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep
enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come
to me not as "alpha" or as a "trainer" or even a "Mom
or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur
and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and
talk. I may tell you something about the fun of
chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something
profound about myself, or even life in general. You
decided to have me in your life (I hope) because you
wanted a soul to share just such things with.
Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a
dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical
senses, and I can revel in the differences of our
spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on
two feet"---I know what you are. You are human, in all
your quirkiness, and I love you still.
Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world,
and let time slow down if even for only 15 minutes.
Look deep in my eyes, and whisper to my ears.
Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know
your true self.
We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very
short.
Love,
Max (on behalf of all canines everywhere)
May be reposted and shared freely as long as this
credit appears with the post, J.D.Ellis 2001
If Dogs Were Teachers
If dogs were our teachers, we would learn important
stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them
like they've been gone for a year.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride
in the car.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your
face to be pure ecstasy.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wiggle your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt
thing and pout... run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by
and nuzzle them gently.
And finally, never trust anyone until you sniff their butt.
MY LOVE FOR MY DOGS
I love my dogs
This is their home
From which I hope
They'll never roam.
They're faithful friends
I love them best
This is their home
You are a guest.
If dogs to you
Are just a peeve
Then by all means
Feel free to leave!!!
-Author Unknown-
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