I received an email about the abandoned dog I saw on Bellevue track a few weeks ago. “Jeannie” is now in a foster home where she is learning how to get along with people and other dogs. And she has allowed herself to be picked up and held for, probably, the first time in her life.
I was happy for the doggie, but I started thinking about all the things that had to go right for Jeannie’s rescue. First, I usually go to the YMCA, but that day, I walked outside. And on the days that I walk outside, I usually walk a route that circles River Plantation, but that day, I went to the Bellevue Middle School track. Although I saw the dog on my laps, I assumed she belonged to one of the houses on the other side of the track. Another woman told me she suspected she was a stray. And I agreed to email Lucy Howell, who used to work at NSCC and was a dedicated animal rescuer. It turns out Animal Control had already been called, and for a dog this shy and unfriendly, that probably would have been the end of her. But Lucy canceled the call and spent the rest of the week trapping her. Instead, she was taken to a place where she was given her shots and time to become acclimated to people.
Now, I realize that there are still many, many animals out there who need to be rescued, but to this one dog, it must seem like she won the lottery. So I am happy to have played a very small part in this.
But it also reminded me that we often have opportunities to make small, but meaningful, contributions to the lives of those around us. It can be a smile. It can be taking time instead of showing irritation at the fiftieth time we’ve been asked something. We may never even be aware of the impact.
And on our own, we may not make a life-changing difference for someone else. But we never know when we are part of a chain of things that might just this once be going right.
JollyLibrarian 