yes, thankfulness for the pets that have gave us so
much is very much in order.
--- "Kendall D. Corbett" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> 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.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > **************************************Check out
> AOL's list of 2007's hottest
> > products.
> >
>
(http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001)
> >
> > -----------------------
> >
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> list, go here:
> >
> >
>
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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,
=== message truncated ===
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