I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
~Abraham Lincoln
The recent headlines concerning the horses out at the Kankey Farm help shine a light on a problem here in our area. When owners are arrested, pass away or are forced to leave their homes due to foreclosure, many times animals are left behind to fend for themselves.
Whether it be horses, goats and cows or cats, dogs and birds – these animals are left with no food, no water and no shelter.
Many times, in the case of loyal dogs, they will stay on the property, slowly dying, waiting for their owner to return.
You might think, “Well, friends or family will care for them,” or “Perhaps a neighbor will take them in.”
Too many times, there is no family to turn to, and neighbors may not be all that neighborly, especially if it’s a pregnant dog about to give birth to pups or an older dog, long past its prime.
At the recent Fulton County Quorum Court meeting, a young man asked the court members why Fulton County doesn’t have an animal control unit. As you might have guessed, the answer comes down to money. Running a unit takes a lot of money and quite a bit of man-power.
The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals.
–Anonymous
But there are alternatives currently available. Two organizations in our area rescue animals that have been left in this condition: Izard County Animal Rescue Effort (ICARE) and the Spring River Animal Rescue Effort (SPARE) in Cherokee Village. Both of these organizations are volunteer run, existing almost totally on donations and the kindness of their members, to shelter these animals, properly feed them and have veterinary care for them, and in the end find loving homes for these animals.
But both agencies need the community’s help to survive.
SPARE is an active local animal rescue which has been very successful in placing dogs with breed-specific rescue organizations and finding them wonderful homes. Donations are needed to assist SPARE's critical rescue effort.
Anyone wishing to contribute to help the animals can contact Spring River Animal Rescue Effort (SPARE), Inc. PO Box 364, Cherokee Village, Ark., 72525 or call 870-847-0727 to get more information. Every donation is tax deductible. You may also email them at spanimalrescue@aol.com.
ICARE’s mission is to promote responsible, compassionate care and relief of suffering and homeless animals. Their major need this holiday season is pet food, collars, harnesses, pens, tarps and straw, plus donations are always welcome and are tax deductible.
To make a donation to ICARE or for further information, call 870-368-5000.
In this season of “Goodwill towards all men,” I encourage you to broaden your scope and include the animals in your thoughts.
Be kind; it is hardly ever the wrong thing to do." –Anonymous
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Power of Words
Listening to President Obama’s speech at the memorial for the victims of the shootings in Arizona, one thing he said really rang true to me.
“... It's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”
Although the President may have been addressing the political rhetoric that has surrounded these tragic events, they also “speak” to the way we speak to others in everyday life.
I was born with a mildly deformed foot, and for many of my early years, I had to wear special shoes.
As a child, anything that made you “different” from other children would inevitably lead to name calling and, in my case, often times being left out of games or adventures, due to my big shoes and clumsy gait.
One day in particular from my childhood stands out to me even today, and it was the utterance of four words that completely changed my somewhat isolated outlook on life, at that point and time.
I was watching the local neighborhood kids playing bocce ball, a popular Italian ball game often referred to as lawn bowling. I had become accustomed to sitting on the sidelines, because there was less chance of being called names or picked on if I just sat quietly on my own and watched.
Our neighbor, Mrs. Cardinale, came out of her house on her way to the local market. She watched the kids playing on the lawn, and strolled over to where I was sitting and watching the fun.
She smiled at me, leaned down and said, “You can do that.” Just those four words, and then she walked on, towards the store.
If you are the kind of person who has always been encouraged by your family or your friends or somebody else, maybe you will never understand how happy those words made me feel. Four little words: “You can do that.”
I have never forgotten them. To this day, when things are not going so well, I think of those words and I lift up my chin and move forward.
I have a feeling many others have memories like that in their lives – small and sweet memories that are strong enough to override other memories of bitterness or sadness. Memories based on the simple act of using words of kindness, of encouragement and of support. There’s a lesson in that.
In our non-stop society, when off-handed cruelty at times seems to be the accepted norm, it may be worth giving a little thought to the idea that the small moments of people treating us with decency and empathy can last for a very long time – that the echoes of kindness can be as loud and enduring as the echoes of callousness.
“... It's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”
Although the President may have been addressing the political rhetoric that has surrounded these tragic events, they also “speak” to the way we speak to others in everyday life.
I was born with a mildly deformed foot, and for many of my early years, I had to wear special shoes.
As a child, anything that made you “different” from other children would inevitably lead to name calling and, in my case, often times being left out of games or adventures, due to my big shoes and clumsy gait.
One day in particular from my childhood stands out to me even today, and it was the utterance of four words that completely changed my somewhat isolated outlook on life, at that point and time.
I was watching the local neighborhood kids playing bocce ball, a popular Italian ball game often referred to as lawn bowling. I had become accustomed to sitting on the sidelines, because there was less chance of being called names or picked on if I just sat quietly on my own and watched.
Our neighbor, Mrs. Cardinale, came out of her house on her way to the local market. She watched the kids playing on the lawn, and strolled over to where I was sitting and watching the fun.
She smiled at me, leaned down and said, “You can do that.” Just those four words, and then she walked on, towards the store.
If you are the kind of person who has always been encouraged by your family or your friends or somebody else, maybe you will never understand how happy those words made me feel. Four little words: “You can do that.”
I have never forgotten them. To this day, when things are not going so well, I think of those words and I lift up my chin and move forward.
I have a feeling many others have memories like that in their lives – small and sweet memories that are strong enough to override other memories of bitterness or sadness. Memories based on the simple act of using words of kindness, of encouragement and of support. There’s a lesson in that.
In our non-stop society, when off-handed cruelty at times seems to be the accepted norm, it may be worth giving a little thought to the idea that the small moments of people treating us with decency and empathy can last for a very long time – that the echoes of kindness can be as loud and enduring as the echoes of callousness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)