Tail Talk

Now that the 100 degree days are over my husband has been nagging me to take little walks with him at dusk right before we gather the eggs for the day.  The humidity has dropped enough that I have finally agreed to get out of my chair, grab my cane and take a leisurely stroll around the pond, up to the road, down around the pasture, around the barn and back to the house.  For most people this isn’t much of a stroll but for me it is quite an effort after two back surgeries that didn’t cure what ailed me.  Since we’re walking at dusk we can’t take the dogs with us because you never know what kind of critter you’ll scare up.  I know from experience they’ll chase deer and it doesn’t take much before they’re gone from sight.  With the farmers that surround us bringing in the bounty from their fields we just can’t take a chance on our beloved bubbies running through the crops and getting lost, or worse, scaring up a skunk and getting sprayed.   So we ignored the incessant begging and set out without them.  Not the nice, quiet walk I imagined as they ran from window to window, following our progress and barking their displeasure at every turn from our decision to leave them inside.  It just goes to show how cruel life can be, or at least perceived, by the animals that are every bit as spoiled as every teenager out there today that feels entitled to everything but has earned nothing, except my bubbies have spent much of their lives suffering and now deserve every good thing that comes their way.  But even the most deserving individuals don’t always get what they want.  And on those evenings when the dogs are stuck in the house our cats take full advantage of the situation and walk with us.  Talk about a sight to see, the two of us and our four cats, leisurely enjoying the September night air, noticing the gifts of God that you can’t see sitting inside watching TV.   There’s something about watching a cat chasing a butterfly or a toad, or batting around a leaf, that makes you so aware of the beauty around you.  It’s the little things that are there to be seen and appreciated that we walk by every day, sight unseen, sounds unheard, because we’re so wrapped up in life that we can’t be bothered to take a moment.  It takes a walk with four cats to begin noticing all the miniscule beauty that is there to be had, free of charge, just for the taking.  It was so incredible we went to the shelter and adopted Black Pearl, Pearl for short, the female cat that wouldn’t eat because she was an outside cat that just couldn’t live in the confines of the shelter.  After our cat walk I understood a little of the sadness in her soul.  Even though I absolutely can’t bring home one more because three dogs and five cats is as many animals as I can rescue for now, if you have life lessons your soul is open to there are cats and dogs that are waiting to teach you all the things you are willing to learn right now at the Humane Society, and never forget, it is only through you that they continue to save lives, one by one.

The annual Yard Sale that benefits the shelter is going to be held September 30th & October 1st 7AM-4PM, October 2nd 7AM-1PM.  Donations for the yard sale are still being accepted; call 618-443-3363 to have them picked up.  It is being held in a new place this year so make note it is at the Sparta Fairground next to the shelter.  There will be plenty of parking and a playground for the kids to play while parents shop the great deals.  100% of the proceeds are used for the care of the animals.  Come early and spend freely!  This is what keeps the animals warm through the winter, and we can’t do it without you.

I believe come December of this year we are going from a three dog pack to a four dog pack.  Our nephew is being deployed to Afghanistan and if that isn’t a big enough worry in his life he is also in the midst of a divorce, something you never want to see happen but especially not during times likes these when a young soldier is going off to war.  He called my husband and asked if we would consider taking care of Mr. Shah-Hay in his absence.  Clint is stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, not too far from here as the crow flies, and since he’s taken up his duty station there I’ve watched him grow into adulthood by getting married, buying a house, becoming a Sergeant and taking on responsibilities for his soldiers.  When he moved into his new home there was a little rat terrier that was left in the neighborhood, probably by someone else that had deployed that had no family to take him, and Clint saw the sadness in the little lost soul and took him in and made him his own.  Now Mr. Shah-Hay thinks the sun rises and sets in Clint, and I can’t imagine what is going to happen to that little guy during the first couple of weeks after Clint leaves the country for the war torn land Afghanistan.  I know that the person that comes home to Mr. Shah-Hay will not be the same person that left him because you can’t live that experience without it changing you.  But I know that Mr. Shah-Hay will love Clint as unconditionally on the day he returns as he does on the day he leaves.  There will be joy in his soul on that glorious day unlike any he’ll have otherwise.  And if, God forbid, Clint should be one of the unlucky few that won’t return, he can go to his resting place safe in the knowledge that Mr. Shah-Hay will be loved as one of our own even if he will never love us in the same way he loves his very best friend, the person that saved him from living on the street after he was abandoned and left to fend for himself.  We’ll never be that person, but we’ll do the best we can to stand in and love this little guy as much as we can for Clint.  It will be our honor to do that for our nephew, our friend, that little guy we watched grow up to become a man, an American soldier, willing to sacrifice all to protect our freedoms.  It’s the least we could do.  No soldier should have to surrender his best friend to a shelter in the knowledge he’ll never see him again.  We need to do more as a people to protect our soldiers and keep their freedoms safe.  It’s a small price to pay for all they do for us.  It surprises me how many people are unwilling to make that effort.  Personally, I think you should be ashamed of yourself if you are part of that group.  If you hear of a soldier that needs a caretaker for his dog step up and offer to do the right thing.  It’s the least we can do.  And never forget, it’s only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one.