MetroPet May 13
4/25/13
1:10 PM
Page 29
heard the shelter worker say the first call she made was a longdistance all and it was going to cost her department. I also heard her say, it was worth it. She had taken a fond liking to me. I was thankful for that. She waited a day and never heard back. She kept her Quote of the Month hopes up and the Nothing is sacred but the integrity of second call seemed your own mind.” to worth it, and it Ralph Waldo Emerson was not long distance. I heard her talking with Stephanie about picking me up. It was Tuesday she said, and they has until Saturday to come and get me. Since it did not appear that I came from this area, I still wondered where I came from and the state and city I once lived. Perhaps I would never know. Stephanie, Allen, Penelope and Robert lived in a state that had a flag that was mostly red with three white stars dancing in the middle. I hoped it would not take them long to come and get me. The other people never called.
WAITING AT THE SHELTER The shelter worker had decided not to take me to the adoption event. She felt it was not fair to the family that had responded to the microchip call and that they showed responsibility and integrity in their ownership and caring of me. So she honored them and true to her word, kept me until the long awaited day, Saturday! It seemed like an eternity. I could smell them coming and hear the engine of the car even before it got to the shelter. The shelter workers kept trying to calm me down, but they were not successful. I was way too excited to see my friends and family again. They drove up and I almost came unglued. I kept barking and barking….I was so excited. They had paperwork they had to fill out and they also had to prove I was their dog, but when they brought in Hero and then the shelter worker brought me in, there was no doubt in the workers mind that I belonged to the family. What she saw was four crying people, a huge black and brown dog smiling and wiggling his butt so fast, he could hardly stand, and of course, me totally out of control with joy to see them. The workers said it was the most touching reunion they had ever experienced. We all piled in the car and were going to go home, when Stephanie had a thought. “Chip,” she said, “what would have caused you to wan-
DISCUSSION STORY TIPS 1) What emotions were going through Chip’s mind as he listened to the two phone calls the shelter worker made? 2) Why did the five days seem like an eternity? 3) How did the shelter worker act with integrity? 4) How did Chip know his family was on their way? 5) Have you figured out which state Chip is in now? Where do you think they are heading? www.metropetmag.com
INTEGRITY A firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; or the state of being complete or undivided in commitment.
HUMANE EDUCATION POINT “Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.”
ACTIVITY Can you remember a time when you stuck to your own ideals and were not swayed by others? Integrity makes up the fiber of good decisions when we know we are on the right path for our own lives. Can you remember a time when you were swayed by the influence of someone else and regretted it? How could you have remained true to yourself, and still remained a friend to the person who swayed you? der so far from home?” “I will bet you were looking for your family, weren’t you?” I looked at her and wagged my tail and smiled at her. She turned the car around and went back to talk with the shelter workers.
A DIFFERENT DIRECTION After they talked a while, she went a different direction, I could tell as the smells in the air changed. She was driving farther south towards the ocean. As we drove, I could smell more familiar smells, I could hear more familiar sounds of birds and a roaring water sound, we were getting near the ocean. Memories started to flood back into my mind. I could hear Stephanie, Robert, Allen and Penelope talking about a hurricane like a memory they did not want to remember, but they agreed it was important for Allen and Penelope and me too, to figure out what had happened to us. So we kept traveling South and then I smelled something I could not believe. I could not believe my nose. It was the last smell I had remembered when my MawMaw disappeared and I was placed in the box. I could not place it yet, but my memory was slowly coming back. Heddie Leger is a Certified Humane Education Specialist (CHES). Her lifelong passion for animal welfare has taken her down the path of rescue, rehabilitation, training and rehoming of many animals through the Missouri Puppies for Parole Program. She is a charter member of the Heartland Positive Dog Training Alliance and KC Representative for Animals and Society Institute through the KC-CAN Link Coalition. She can be reached at pawzone@yahoo.com. MetroPet Magazine
29