pafret Loc: Northeast

Walt Whitman, "Animals"; "A Dog's Purpose"

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oUc6WpOAwto/S6BCtbp9V7I/AAAAAAAAT14/QlxxFQAThl0/s1600/From+Clipboard.jpg
"I think I could turn and live with animals, they
are so placid and self contain’d;
I stand and look at them long and long,
They do not sweat and whine about their condition;
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins;
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God;
Not one is dissatisfied - not one is demented with
the mania of owning things;
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago;
Not one is respectable or industrious over the
whole earth."
- Walt Whitman
•
"A Dog's Purpose"
Author Unknown
"Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, we are all very much attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘‘I know why.” Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
- http://iwsocietyofireland.org/news/belker.htm

Big dog

So very true.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

The Sgt. Major, myself and our min-pin, LadyBug give this four thumbs-up That's all we have.

We'd give more, but LadyBug has no thumbs.

GmanTerry

Out of the mouth of babes. How very true. Thanks.

Semper Fi