“Every
day is a fresh beginning. Every morn is the world made new.” – Susan Coolidge
That
quote is on the January 2017 portion of my new calendar, a lovely creation by Blue Mountain Arts given as a gift by
one of my friends. The calendar is titled “Follow
My Lead – How dogs teach us to live a life of kindness, faithfulness, and
unconditional love.” For the month of January, the heading says “Be Amazed.”
Future months encourage taking time to be curious, to be in nature, and to
relax – each one a bit of wisdom and an inspiration. My friend knows me well – nature
and dogs inspire me. This calendar is now part of my home office, and each time
I look at it, I will be inspired – by the headings, the various quotes, and the
beautiful artistic drawings.
As I
mentioned, dogs inspire me. Whether my own pets, the dogs of others, or the
rescued ones I’ve assisted, they have been, and are, a focus of my writing. I
enjoy cats, too, and recently I’ve created some cat stories, ones that have run
in my local weekly paper as a reading for children. However, dogs seem to be
more my forte’ so I continue my quest to create inspirational short stories and
books with canines as the main character.
Her name was Jazmine. She was on a
journey, and I was part of that adventure. When she arrived at my car in Casper,
Jazmine had already traveled more than four hours from her foster home in
southern Wyoming. I was taking her another two-plus hours north, and someone
else was taking her an additional two hours into Montana. Her final
destination? Calgary, Canada, where her adoptive family awaited her. That would
take another full driving day.
As I gazed at the elegant, yet scarred
face of this rescue dog, a gentle giant who had been abandoned in the wilds of
Wyoming’s Red Desert by someone she once trusted, I marveled at the tenacity,
not only of Jazmine, but of most rescue dogs. Going from one family to another,
having to adjust not only to new humans, but to a different home, oftentimes with
new rules and expectations, at times to once again be left behind at an animal
shelter filled with strange voices, other sounds, and smells: all that takes
courage and perseverance. Then waiting, whether in cages or in foster homes,
for yet another family and try again to settle in and be accepted – that, too,
takes bravery and tenacity. And, here was Jazmine, me the third person in a day
she’d accompanied: her foster parent, transporter #1; me transporter #2, and
her journey had barely begun. She had thousands of miles yet to travel, and
would encounter yet another five transporters at least before finally meeting
the family who had adopted her. How would she fare once she arrived ‘home?’ How
would she be treated? And how confusing all this must, and would, be for a dog
who sought only to give devotion and love.
Jazmine and her adoptive family in Canada. |
So
starts a short story I’m working on for an anthology about dogs; deadline is
later this month, and I’m hopeful for its acceptance. But, Jazmine didn’t just
inspire a 1,000-word story; she’s inspired a children’s book that I’m also
currently working on. The story is told from her perspective, much like the
award-winning children’s book A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray
by Ann M. Martin. I read a segment of my manuscript during a writer’s open mic
night in my community; many people came up to me afterwards with encouraging
sentiments. One woman even had tears in her eyes and told me about the rescue
organization in another state that her daughter operates. My goal with this
book is to teach as well as to inspire: to teach children about the plights of
homeless animals and about the people who rescue and help them, and to inspire
those children and their parents to help pet rescue organizations through
volunteering, donating, and educating their friends. Jazmine’s story, her life,
is one of courage, perseverance, love, and second chances (see above photo). Her life is an
inspiration, and I look forward to sharing her story – whether as an article, a
book, or both – this year.
A new
year has dawned. May you find many wonderful treasures to inspire you in 2017,
whether it’s pets, nature, your family, even strangers. Inspiration is all
around us – we only have to be aware through our senses and our intuition and
to open our hearts to the wonderful discoveries.
Gayle M. Irwin is the author of several inspirational pet books for children and adults. She is also a contributing writer for six Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and she has a story in Sundown Press' summer 2016 release Memories from Maple Street USA: Pawprints on My Heart. She helps several Rocky Mountain region pet rescue organization with events, by transporting rescued pets, and through donating a percentage of her book sales to these groups. Gayle enjoys sharing about the pet-human bond and believes people can learn a lot from animals. Learn more about Gayle and her work at www.gaylemirwin.com.
What a wonderful premise for an anthology. Who knows, maybe your anthology will help people understand what rescue dogs go through and encourage people to love and care for their pets.
ReplyDeleteAnimal abuse is something I fight against constantly and behavior from humans I will never understand. I hope you shine some light on this terrible problem in a good and enlightening way.
I wish you all the best, Gayle.
My Doxie, Charlie, is a rescue dog. When his 'mom' went into the local nursing home, I took Charlie in. Had I not, he'd have ended up in the local pound and then taken to an animal shelter far, far away. He's eight and has lived with me for 4 1/2 years. I have a plethora of indoor/outdoor/tame cats and feral cats that I look after, too, and I feed wild birds.
ReplyDeleteArthur Schopenhauer once said, "Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man."
I believe this with all my heart.
Wishing you many treasures in the coming year, too.
Gayle, Thank you for the story and good luck. We've talked about out passion for our pets. Heaven knows I adore my cats.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best. We really do need people to understand, this cannot be a throw away society. Doris