William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-02-01 / 2. szám
February 1987, William Penn Life, Page 3 A doggone shame There’s more to owning a dog than play and training By Barbara B. Botkin National Director Dogs are such loveable creatures. I never thought about the possibility of my children growing up without a pet. I had always had a dog when I was a child. But two years ago March, when the time grew near for my husband and me to adopt a canine family member, we were apprehensive to say the least. I just didn’t know if I was ready for that responsibility — you know, housebreaking and teaching obedience. Besides, I’m not a person who is home a whole lot. I do a great deal of volunteer work. But my 5-year-old son, Lester, and 7-yearold daughter, Sara, maintained that they were indeed ready for this new family venture and pledged to help take care of the pet. Sara added that just about everyone in school had a pet but her. My husband reminded me, however, that I would mainly be responsible for the care of the dog and so ultimately it should be my decision whether or not we get one. Once I made the decision that now was the time to get a pet, our family searched almost every day for two weeks looking for just the right one. We decided a small cuddly breed would be best for us. But one Saturday we walked into a pet store and a Cock-a-poo, white with tan spots, looked at us with her sad brown eyes as she pressed her nose against the cage. She stood up and wagged her tail. We all melted. I said, "But what about the small, no shed breed we were going to get? This dog is mostly cocker spaniel with some poodle in her. And look at the size of those paws.” It didn’t matter. My words faded from everyone’s memory. A wonderful saleslady named Linda took the puppy from her cage and handed the little squirmer to Sara, saying the pup was 11 weeks old. Linda was a true animal lover. She told us she had three dogs and two cats of her own. Her dogs were all physically handicapped. One had had a leg amputated. One had lost an eye. The third was deaf and blind. We played with the pup for a few minutes and she won our hearts. Sold. Linda helped us select the right bed for our dog and recommended some appropriate chewing toys. After giving us complete instructions on our puppy’s care, we headed home with our new bundle of joy. As we drove along, the children thought of names. Sara liked the name Molly and Lester liked Starlight. We decided Molly Starlight would be perfect. Our new puppy cried all night despite the fact that we placed a hot water bottle and a ticking clock near her. She knew the water bottle wasn’t her mother and she knew the ticking wasn’t her mother’s heart. I think she missed the noise of the other dogs in the pet store. The children got up very early the next morning to play with their puppy. We spent Sunday explaining to Molly Starlight that she was only allowed to chew on her toys, no shoes or furniture. And she was only to go to the bathroom outside or on paper inside if it was absolutely necessary. I sprinkled puppy trainer liquid on one area of the yard and gently directed Molly’s nose toward it while instructing her that this was her canine bathroom. Molly was a slow learner. Not once in six days did she go outside. I think she had been conditioned to just going in her cage at the pet store. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly delighted with my little fur ball and knew when she finally went where she was supposed to, that it would be a "landmark” accomplishment and our family would make a big fuss over her achievement. On the sixth day, my husband took Molly to the veterinarian for a check up. I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when he returned home with Molly from the vet. The news was sad. The doctor had told Les that non of Molly’s knee joints were attached and that she would be crippled within a year. My heart sank. How could our playful pup possibly have a problem like that? The vet told Les that Molly would soon exhibit signs of quickening degenerative arthritis-like symptoms. He said that surgery was a possibility in helping the dog somewhat. I sobbed and my thoughts turned to the children. How were we going to explain this to them? Les and I talked about whether to keep the dog or return her. We had developed such an attachment to her within such a short period of time. After much soul searching, we decided that we did not want to see our young pup become disabled in a few months. We felt profoundly sad and guilty but thought it best if we returned the dog. I held Molly close and cried. A few minutes later, the children arrived home from school calling "where’s my Molly?” Les and I sat down with them and explained Molly’s condition and our plans to return her. They cried and Sara angrily shouted: "If you had a new baby who was crippled, you wouldn’t give her away, would you?” I told my daughter: "Of course not. We would love her and help her. But you cannot compare a dog to a baby. A child can be physically handicapped but have a wonderful spirit to do and achieve things and have a happy life. But a dog that can’t walk? What else is there for a dog to do but run and explore and hop up on you to get you.” Les decided to take the dog back to the store right away. We hugged her goodbye and watched sadly through the window as Les got into the car with Molly Starlight on his lap. My son looked at me tearfully and asked: "Can we get a new dog tomorrow just like Molly?” "We’ll sure try, honey,” I said. To be continued ... ^SfFraternal Focus ^ By John F. Kenawell , Executive Vice President Spend your summer with us With the Christmas and New Year season behind us, and with the spring season fast approaching, the time to plan your summer activities is NOW. As members of the William Penn Association, we are fortunate to have excellent facilities for our branch activities. Mount St. George, located in Wellsburg, W.Va., is only about 50 miles from Pittsburgh. This facility offers a variety of summer and yearround activities. Our Retreat House is used not only for religious retreats, but also for fraternal weekends and special meetings. Meals for retreatants can be provided by our competent staff at the Knights of St. George Home. The lodge and swimming pool atop the Rolling Hills of Mount St. George offer an exciting opportunity to plan one-day, weekend or weeklong activities. Camping, picnics, dinners and swimming programs are just a few of the activities available to your branch, youth club, church or scout troup. The Vandergrift Mansion and the Mount St. George historical sites were the hit of the Brooks County Historical Tours throughout 1986. A special tour for your branch or organization can be arranged. These activities or your special events can be arranged easily by writing to Mr. Paul Kovács - Administrator, Mount St. George, R.D. 3, Brinker Road, Wellsburg, W.Va. 26070 or calling (304) 737-3521. Penn Scenic View, located in Somerset County, Pa., is about 10 minutes drive from Seven Springs Resort. Its more than 150 acres, lodge building, beautiful lake and access to winter sports makes Scenic View an excellent spot for you to plan a variety of branch activities year-round. Reservations for use of the lodge, chalet or one of the cottages can be arranged by writing National Director William C. Kohut, 333 East Ninth Street, Homestead, Pa. 15120 or calling (412)462-4300. This is just a brief review of your facilities in these two locations. Since many of you have never seen the facilities, we will present them in more detail in future issues of the William Penn Life. Would You Like To Earn Extra Money? We need men and women for part-time sales. The William Penn Association is one of the most respected fraternal benefit societies in the industry today. We have an excellent opportunity waiting for you. We need men and women just like you to help us continue our growth and build our membership. The William Penn Association offers some of the finest insurance products available. Join the William Penn Team! For more information, call or write: Daniel R. Wahl, FIC William Penn Association 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 (412) 231-2979
