brought tears to my old eyes and touched a tough old
heart. Thank you for posting it. my dog and i took
care of each other, of course it was not as deep as
Elizabeth and Riley.
--- [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> I haven't posted in a long time but I don't want to
> drop out of this group
> because your words were so helpful in my struggle to
> help my daughter
> Elizabeth. Some of you may remember that her
> struggle ended in 2006 (during a
> seizure). I read what is being done to help
> cerebral palsy. I remember reading that
> the cells in a child's baby teeth may help some day.
> Save those teeth!
> Anyway, I have just written a short children's story
> about Elizabeth if anyone is
> interested in reading on (and I would love to know
> if any of you have a dog
> that is helpful with your child/you):
>
> “Elizabeth and the Dog that Understood”
> by
> Lisa Saunders
> There once was a girl who didn’t walk, didn’t
> talk and didn’t even feed
> herself. She didn’t move at all--except to smile.
> And she smiled about
> everything! She smiled when her sister brushed her
> long, brown hair, she smiled when
> her father pushed her along a bumpy, gravel path in
> her big stroller, and she
> smiled when her mother drove her around in the red
> convertible with the top
> down. She even smiled when she had her hair cut
> short so it could be donated
> to a sick child who had lost her own. In fact, she
> smiled so much her teacher
> gave her a “Best Smiling” award at school.
> The girl’s name was Elizabeth and she had
> cerebral palsy—her muscles just
> didn’t work. Everyone liked her because she
> never said anything unkind, yet
> no one knew what she was really thinking. She was
> mysterious! But sometimes
> Elizabeth wished that she wasn’t so mysterious,
> that she had a true
> companion--one who could understand her, or at
> least sit beside her on the couch to
> keep her company.
> Then one day, Elizabeth’s mother called the
> animal shelter and told the
> keeper, “I have a daughter who can’t play with a
> frisky dog. I would like an
> older, lazy one who wants to lie on the couch all
> day. Do you have one like
> that?”
> “Ma'am, I not only have a couch potato here, but
> he’s the whole sack of
> potatoes!” The dog’s name was Riley. His owner
> had left him at the animal
> shelter because he couldn’t take care of him
> anymore. Elizabeth’s mother brought
> him home and patted the couch, letting him know he
> could jump up on it next
> to Elizabeth. So he did just that.
> Riley was big and hairy. Even though he was only
> five years old, he weighed
> 100 pounds. Even though Elizabeth was 11, she
> weighed only 40! Riley looked
> like a clumsy old black bear next to Elizabeth, but
> he was gentle. He knew how
> to jump on the couch and find a spot without
> stepping on her.
> Although Elizabeth and Riley were very different on
> the outside, they seemed
> to be alike on the inside--they both loved to sit
> on the couch and watch
> cartoons. The only problem was that neither one
> could talk, or operate the
> remote control, so they had to wait for
> Elizabeth’s family to change the channels.
>
> Riley would curl up next to Elizabeth for hours,
> and never leave her to do
> silly things like wash the dishes as her mother did.
> He didn’t leave her to
> mow the lawn or do homework. And Riley was happy
> that Elizabeth didn’t run off
> to play with others—especially when there was a
> thunderstorm. Riley was
> terrified when loud cracks and grumbles charged
> into their quiet neighborhood, but
> Elizabeth wasn’t. She especially smiled when the
> thunder came so close that
> it made the couch shake. Riley felt safe snuggled
> beside her.
> But Elizabeth WAS afraid of the cold--she couldn't
> keep herself warm like
> other children who could jump up and down or ask
> for a warmer blanket. Since
> Riley had two coats of fur, one short and thick,
> one longer and shaggy, he wasn
> ’t afraid of the cold at all. One day, the
> temperature dropped slightly and
> Elizabeth's little feet began to turn purple. Riley
> understood what was
> happening. Without being told what to do, he
> carefully laid across them. His
> weight and warmth made Elizabeth feel so good she
> smiled. Riley was glad--he not
> only had a couch, but he had someone who needed him.
> And Elizabeth's family
> was happy too—she finally had a companion who
> understood her.
> End note: Elizabeth and Riley grew older together
> on the couch for several
> years. Then one day, Elizabeth passed away. Riley
> was never truly happy after
> that and he passed away a year later. His ashes were
> spread over Elizabeth’s
> grave—now they are forever keeping each other
> company.
>
>
>
>
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