Saturday, September 16, 2023

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. That day, Peter's colleagues in Peru sent Mattie a special song they wrote for him. It was called, "my little child." I can still hear it in my mind! Mattie loved it too and was swaying and dancing to the music. I snapped several photos of Mattie in action and passed this along to the team in Peru. Back then, Mattie had support from friends practically all over the world. There was not much that was positive about that point in time, other than witnessing the beauty of a community coming together around the cancer diagnosis of my 6 year old son. That was extraordinary. 

Quote of the day: Grief is like a moving river, it's always changing. I would say in some ways it just gets worse. It's just that the more time that passes, the more you miss someone. ~ Michelle Williams

The other day I came across a charming story about Scout the dog. The title of the article was, Dog repeatedly escapes animal shelter, sneaks into nursing home, is adopted by residents. I am always fascinated by how perspective, sensitive, and loving dogs can be! Here is a link to the article, if you wish to read about Scout:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/animalkind/2023/08/31/dog-shelter-michigan/70725971007/

Basically Scout is a mutt and was living at a shelter in Michigan. For three nights, he escaped the shelter and walked in and slept in the lobby of a nursing home. Keep in mind to do this, that meant that he had to scale a 10-foot chain-link fence, then a 6-foot solid privacy fence, cross a highway without getting run over, and then enter the front door of the nursing home unnoticed. Scout then jumped onto the facility's couch as before and made himself at home for the night. Each time the nursing home sent Scout back to the shelter. However, Scout did this feat NOT just once but three times! At that point, the staff had a meeting and they decided it was a sign.... they had to adopt Scout. 

Like with many rescues, it is hard to determine WHO SAVED WHO! Scout has become a vital therapeutic tool within the facility. Residents feel like Scout's presence remind them more of what it was like living in a home, rather than a facility! As most facilities do not allow pets. 

Scout was an abused dog. The shelter felt he had many of the tell tale signs, particularly that he doesn't like loud noises and he becomes fearful around people he doesn't know. Scout clearly loves to be needed and has become the unofficial protector of the residents. He is even perceptive to know when residents are dying. He won't leave their sides, and is there as a source of comfort. What a dog!

Scout was even awarded the "resident of the month." 

I absolutely love the quote which says, "dogs have a way of finding people who need them and filing an emptiness we didn't ever know we had."

In a world that sometimes seems unstable, too hectic, chaotic, and people around us maybe uncaring, reading this story about Scout should bring a smile to your face. There is a special bond between a human and a dog, and I have experienced this first hand with Sunny. Sunny definitely entered our world at a vulnerable time, he continues to bring love and happiness to our household, and we rescued each other.