05.27.07
Animals - A Comfort in Any Season
As a society, we are in love with animals. The most heartwarming tale I have heard lately is that of a dog adoption that resulted from an intervention by U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire. Due in part to his efforts, an Iraqi dog that was very special to twenty-two year old, Army Specialist Justin Rollins, has come to live with the deceased soldier’s family. Rollins, called “Ro-Ro” by his comrades in the 82nd Airborne Army division, had become attached to the short-haired puppy, now named “Hero,” right before his death on March 5. The military man always had been fond of his own family’s pets, while he was growing up. Now, his family will think of him as they care for a dog that he loved in that far away land.
Animals often make the news. Remember the air-conditioned dog house purchased by the Bakers? Yes, we humans tend to spoil our pets. Dogs, especially can be our most constant and most forgiving companions. A poignant story was told in a television Hallmark special, some time ago. A dog had lost his master and every day, he returned to where his former owner was buried, and laid on top of the dirt. If the dog was missing, that was where he was sure to be found, waiting for his master’s return.
There is an unmistakable bond between pets and their owners. Pets alert us to danger, “hear” for the hearing impaired, “guide,” for the seeing-impaired, and “search,” for rescue teams. Dogs get frustrated when we are not at home. They do things like grabbing the end of the toilet paper roll and trailing a stream of white throughout the house. If left for an even longer time, they will shred the paper into tiny bits.
Dogs and horses are particularly gregarious. Horses will clamp their teeth onto the boards of their stalls, and “crib,” breaking off pieces of wood until half-circles C shapes have been removed from the boards. They are bored and do not like to be couped up for a long time.
Animal behavior is a challenge, and a study. Sometimes it is predictable. The parents of the poodle we had, when we lived in California, came into this world because his mother jumped over a baby gate to be with “Gemini’s” dad, while their owners were both at work.
Animals make us laugh with their stunts, and they make happy to see them, in all of their glory, in dog shows, horse shows, etc. Sometimes, animals cause us to slow down. Who can move a sleeping cat off of one’s lap, when the purring is just so intoxicating and hypnotic?
People have celebrated animals in photos, paintings, television shows, and even in quilts! I made a quilt with the image of a Dalmatian in the center…and had a lot of fun creating that baby quilt, I must admit. Animals are fun and they bring such comfort. I’m always happy to hear stories that have a great ending, like the one I shared. I think that the Iraqi dog will bring a lot of peace to the soldier’s family.
Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.
Patricia Cummings
Concord, NH
http://tinyurl.com/2a8437 link to a WMUR news story about Hero’s arrival.
