Thursday, August 25, 2022

Refugee From Silence

This post might have been about another trip to the edge, an out-of-body experience, and hours of the shakes, from just this Monday.

Belle and the Chihuahuas and Red the Red Heeler brought me back with much yelling and rib-cracking CPR.

But it's been overtaken by events.

So let's talk about Henry instead, a deaf Pit Bull puppy (80 lbs at seven months) who really needed a home.

Now he's got one (in the picture below he's being welcomed by Belle The Service Wolf).

He's friendly beyond words, and just wants to be around us, and around his new canine family.

And he has a job. He's attuned to me, and knows that if I fall, he's to brace that strong back to help me up.

The Chihuahuas absolutely LOVE him. So does everyone else.

He deserves it.



God has said we should take in
the at-our-doorstep waif,
and so I think this is a win
that Henry now is safe.
The world is not so very kind
to a Pit who cannot hear,
and so my wife was called to mind
what He made crystal clear
when told of Henry's dreadful plight,
refugee from a silent world,
and so she went to shine a light
that he could know, and led him toward
a gentle and forgiving place
where he could live his life in grace.

The Five Minute Friday prompt this week is SHOW, and here's a paean to the dogs that lately saved my life, incorporating the prompt.

 
I don't like to go to sleep,
night shows me what I'd fain not know,
for instead counting sheep
I may count flowers from below.
Belle, Red, and ChiChis do agree,
for yesterday I passed away,
and rather than in panic flee,
the dogs stepped up to win the day.
The Boys were screaming in my face
giving all, their very best,
while Belle The Wolf gave saving grace
with hard compressions on my chest,
so therefore I am back again
and enjoined thus to remain.

Just under four minutes.

If you are wondering what canine CPR looks like, I found a video. 

Clearly I didn't see it from this angle, didn't see it at all, in fact, but could feel it through the mist. Belle The Service Wolf is not small.

Sylvia's willing to share her ice cream with him. Maybe.



 

27 comments:

  1. Wow! Is Belle a trained dog, or one of the dogs you have taken in and adopted?

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    1. Trained by angels and the previous service dog LaDron. It is amazing to watch God engage His charge over angels and see them working in disguise. - Barbara

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  2. Wonderful dogs! Wonderful how again they have played a major role in your life and living!

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    1. Fiona, I owe the dogs my life, an my positive outlook.

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  3. Doggie CPR <3 I loved video and your post! Our pets are so attuned to how we're feeling and what we need. SMART rescue pups!

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    1. Jenn, the dogs are fearsomely smart, and very attuned. Henry perhaps most of all because of his deafness.

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  4. Thanks for sharing this story and the sweet dog photos.

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  5. You have been given some wonderful, wonderful dogs! They give new meaning to "guard dog". :)

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    1. Joanne, you're so right; the dogs are a blessing. And, in fact, Henry was rejected by another owner for his deafness, that he could not be a guard dog. Quite the irony.

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  6. a sweet light to show the way, a little kindness comes in many forms.

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    1. Rhonda, I love the way you put this..."a sweet light to show the way".

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  7. I'm so glad you are still with us, Andrew! I was amazed by the doggie CPR (yours and in the video). I just did CPR training this month, so I could be prepared in an emergency.

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    1. Lisa, I am happy to still be here as well!

      I think dogs have an instinct to CPR, to save new puppies who stop breathing.

      And I can say from personal experience that a CPR save is the best feeling in the world. I have a few, and they shine in memory.

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  8. Hooray for Belle! Thankful she knew what to do and followed through! And let's not forget the audible ruckus help from everyone else.

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    1. Lauri, I passed on your Hooray to Belle. She wagged her tail and barked.

      It's amazing how the dogs know to work together in crisis.

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  9. you have some very determined dogs there Andrew. I do fear though... that soon your wisdom will no longer be among us. Until then, keep on, keeping on.

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    1. Annette, thank you...and it has been a rough week. I'm flickering. But I will keep on.

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  10. Awe, what sweet pups. Welcome, Henry!

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    1. Paula, thank you...and Henry has really slotted in seamlessly. An easier adaptation to pack life (we have fourteen) than I have ever seen.

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  11. Sounds like your house is a dog haven, Andrew! I LOVE dogs, and don't believe you can have too many. My son rescued a pit bull named Bella several years ago, the sweetest dog I ever met!
    Praise God for Belle and her expert training, and praise God He chose to allow you a few more minutes with all of us!

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    1. Donna, a dog haven is exactly what we have, and their needs dominate our days. No vacations, no days out. No dog or cat (yes!) is ever turned away.

      It's the best way to live. And we do have a Bella, a tiny terrier Barb rescued from a flooded ditch. Bella's back had been broken, but she doesn't care, and scoots happily through her days, the fearsome bane of bigger dogs.

      And we also

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  12. It's nice that the relationship with Henry has been mutually beneficial. Thanks for continuing to share with us.

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    1. Cindy, Henry is really a wonderful addition. He's everyone's pal.

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  13. Henry is a blessed dog. I suppose the blessing goes both ways. I enjoy hearing about your growing household.

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    1. The blessing of Henry's presence here indeed goes both ways!

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  14. Doggie CPR - amazing!! Man's best friend, for sure. So glad they were all there for you when you needed them, and that you have provided a safe home from Henry. Praying for you all!

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