Lisa,

I loved the story!

My wife and I have a dog (Carhartt) that "understands," too.  Janet
walks, but has "iffy" balance, and I use a wheelchair.  If he's
excited, he calms down immediately around Janet.  He's never jumped up
on anyone except me, and that's after strong   "encouragement."  When
we got him, we were looking for a cat, and Janet said that if we got a
dog, there were three things he couldn't do:

1. Jump up on people
2. Bark
3. Lick.

He doesn't do any of them except occasionally bark, when the other
dogs in the neighborhood are in "full chorus."

My parents also had a dog that my mom would walk, and even after Mom
couldn't find her way home, (Mom has Alzheimer's), Lucy could.  Lucy
passed away in March, and when we go up to visit, we take Carhartt,
who understands Mom's situation too.  Last week, as we left after
Thanksgiving, Mom called Carhartt Lucy.  I was tempted to leave him
with them for awhile, but he probably wouldn't know his way around in
their town, and he also pulls hard when I walk him.  I use a power
chair, so he can't pull hard enough to cause problems for me, but he
weighs 75 pounds, so could pull Mom off her feet.  Don't know why I'm
sharing this, but many of us have beloved pets, and around
Thanksgiving, it's very appropriate to give thanks for the
contributions they make in our lives, too.

On 11/28/07, [log in to unmask] <[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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-- 


Kendall

An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950

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