THE POWER OF A DOG

[sharon wiggins]

i received this from a special friend of mine in a email ....it was a truly wonderful story to read and i would like to share it with you my friends .....PLEASE READ ON

WATCH OUT! You nearly broadsided that car,My father yelled at me,Cant you do anything right?

Those words hurt worse than blows,I turned my head to elderly man in the seat besides me,daring me to challenge him.A lump rose im my throat as i averted my eyes,I wasnt prepared for another battle

 

I saw the car dad please dont yell at me while im driving, my voice was measured and steady,sounding far calmer than i was feeling.Dad glared at me then turned away.At home i left dad infront of the TV while i went outside to collect my thoughts,Dark heavy clouds hung in the air  with the promise of rain,The rumble of distant thunder echoed my inner turmoil,What could i do about my dad

Dad had been a lumberjack , he had enjoyed being outdorrs and revelled in pitting his stength against the forces of nature,The shelves in his house were filled with trophys that attested to his prowess

The years marched on relentlessly,The first time he couldnt lift a heavy log he joked about it, but later that same day i  saw him outside alone straining to lift it. He became irritable when anyone teased him about his advancing age

Four days after his 67th birthday he had an heart attack.Dad was rushed to hospital  and was taken into a operating theatre,He was lucky  he survived,but something inside had died, his zest for life had gone.He refused to follow doctors orders,suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults,The number of visitors thinned and then stopped altogether, Dad was alone

My husband and i asked Dad to come and live with us, on our small farm, we hoped the freshair and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust, Within a week of the invitation i regretted asking him to come and stay. He criticised everything, i became frustrated and moody,Soon i was taking my pent up anger out on my husband.Alarmed, my husband sought out our pastor and explained the situation, the clergyman set up weekly  counselling appointments for us,at the end of each session he prayed to god asking him to soothe dads troubled mind.But the months wore on and god was silent.Something had to be done and it was upto me to do it.The next day i called up the mental health clinics and explained my situation to sympathetic voices that answered in vain. just when i was about to give up one of the voices suddenly  exclaimed  i know something that might help you, i listened as she told me abouta study being done at a nursing hospital,all the patients there were under treatment for chronic depression,yet their attitudes had improved dramatically oncethey were given the responsibility of looking after a dog.

I drove to animal shelter that afternoon. i was led to the kennels, i moved down the row of pens,each contained between 5 and 7 dogs,long haired curly haired ,short haired, black dogs white dogs ,spotted dogs all jumped up trying to reach me.I studied each one and rejected each one all for variousreasons  too big   too small,too much hair.As i reached the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet walked to the front and sat down.It was a pointer one of the dogs world aristocrats.Years had etched his face and muzzle  with shades of grey, his hip bones jutted out ,but it was his eyes that stood out and caught my attention, calm and clear.I ponted to the dog and asked   can you tell me about him,The officer looked and shook his head saying  hes a funny one, he appeared out of nowere and sat at the gate, we brought him in figuring that someone would come to collect him but that was two weeks ago, his time is up tomorrow

Asthe wordssank in i turned to the guard and said , your going to kill him, he answered gently... thats our policy  we dont have room for every unclaimed dog,I looked at the pointer again.The calm brown eyes awaited my decision, I,ll take him i said

I drove home with the dog and when i arrived i shouted to dad excitedly look what i got for you,Dad looked then wrinkled his face with disgust,if id of wanted adog i would of got one and a better specimen than that bag of bones  he said.The pointer wobbled towardsmy dad and sat down infront of him,then slowly carefully raised his paw, slowly confusion replaced the anger in dads eyes,The pointer waited patiently then suddenly dad was on his knees hugging the animal

Itwas the beginning of awarm and wonderful friendship,Dad named the pointer cheyenne,Together they explored the community they strolled on long walks together, they even attended sunday service together dad sat in a pew and cheyenne lay at his feet.Through the next 3 yrs they were inseperable.Then late one night i was startled to feel cheyennes cold nose  burrowing through the bed clothes,he had never come into our room before, i got up out of bed and went into dads room,Dad lay in his bed his face serene but his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.Twodays later my grief deepend when i discovered cheyenne, lying dead besides dads bed,i wrapped him in a rug he had slept on and buried him near a favourite fishing hole, i silently thanked cheyenne for the help he had given restoring dad peace of mind.The morning of dads funeral the pastor began his eulogy, it was a tribute to both dad and the dog that had changed his life

And then the pastor turned toHebrews 13;2.Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this  some have entertained angels without knowing it. And now i often thank god for sending that angel [cheyenne]

 

i thought this was such a beautiful story of an unwanted unclaimed dog that brought happiness to a man that thought he had lost  all believe, all goodness, and was united with this wonderful dog that restored his faith in life

[Wanda P]

Very lovely, animals are so loving no matter how hard the heart is..xxoo ww

[Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen]

it is a beautiful story. Eventhough my heart is broken this is so very touching. I lost Connor last night seven years old. he died in his sleep right in my livingroom. He is missed and loved. So I understand how others feel when something like this happens unexpectedly. I am just glad that I diden´t have to take him to the vets for pts. I would have done anything to keep him alive but when it comes down to it would I let him suffer and the answer to that is a clear and resounding no never. He filled my life with love and laughter and I miss him. I know there are other greyhounds waiting for a good home and one day one of those greyhounds will join my wee family. Where he too will have the best of care and love as long as he lives.Thanks for sharing that beautiful story and soory about being a wet blanket. Truth be told I am shattered. I still have my three other lads to look after.

[sharon wiggins]

i know your heart must be broken right now with the loss of connor  but like you said one day another greyhound will join your loving family and home  and my  how lucky will that greyhound be........having you as a mom to love and care for him  you have so much to give Lisbeth and huge  big heart full of love godbless you my friend your in my thoughts at this sad time  xxxxxxsharon

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen said:

it is a beautiful story. Eventhough my heart is broken this is so very touching. I lost Connor last night seven years old. he died in his sleep right in my livingroom. He is missed and loved. So I understand how others feel when something like this happens unexpectedly. I am just glad that I diden´t have to take him to the vets for pts. I would have done anything to keep him alive but when it comes down to it would I let him suffer and the answer to that is a clear and resounding no never. He filled my life with love and laughter and I miss him. I know there are other greyhounds waiting for a good home and one day one of those greyhounds will join my wee family. Where he too will have the best of care and love as long as he lives.Thanks for sharing that beautiful story and soory about being a wet blanket. Truth be told I am shattered. I still have my three other lads to look after.

[Kathi]

This is truly a beautiful story Sharon, I read this quite some time ago and had forgotten it.  Animals have a great healing power, I think more so than human beings because the unconditionaly love us and never ask anything in return except to be loved.

Thank you for sharing this.

Hugs Kathi

[sharon wiggins]

you are so right Kathi , animals bring a great deal of happiness, comfort and wellbeing to our lives they love us unconditionally and dont ask for much in return except to be looked after a warm bed and good food , thats not much to give in return to what they bring to our lives

Kathi said:

This is truly a beautiful story Sharon, I read this quite some time ago and had forgotten it.  Animals have a great healing power, I think more so than human beings because the unconditionaly love us and never ask anything in return except to be loved.

Thank you for sharing this.

Hugs Kathi

[Coralie Nellhard]

Beautiful Story!

So true, the love and trust a dog gives makes great changes for the better.

Thank you !

[Jessie Thompson]

What a wonderful story, thanks for sharing it.

[Sylviastarling Brown]

Great story! XXX

[Jo Blumenthal]

Madre de Dios!!!What a beautiful story!!Thanks Sharon for share this.Thank you.

Lg,from Cologne.Jo.

[JACQUE]

THAT was a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it with us!