Kid At Heart




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" January 14, 2003 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart" You are receiving this free newsletter because you requested a subscription or a friend generously forwarded their copy to you. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to subscribe@write2theheart.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ Kate introduces us to a lovable canine character as well as showing us that childproofing isn't just for households with children. ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ A Kid at Heart By Kate Gibblin ------------------------------------------------------------ Mrs. Dennison's voice on the telephone was anxious with worry. "I'm calling about Buster, my bulldog. He's been eating grass outside in the yard for a couple of days. But just now, I caught him eating my dieffenbachia plant..." The receptionist at our animal hospital knew right away that there was a problem. It wasn't just Buster's upset stomach, but the choice of green plants he was eating. Eating grass is common in dogs, and is nature's way of adding a little fiber to their diet when needed. Occasionally, however, dogs kept indoors and not having access to a little grass will opt for the closest alternative available -- house plants. Mrs. Dennison was told to bring Buster in to the hospital right away. Buster was very special to his owner. Now that her children were grown, Buster filled a very important place in her life. Dieffenbachia can be deadly when ingested, and we needed to see him as soon as possible if we were to help him. Soon Buster and his worried owner pulled into our parking lot in her little sports car. The front door was flung open and Buster rushed in, pulling Mrs. Dennison inside and across the waiting room floor in a frenzy of scraping toenails, jingling dog tags and guttural woofs. Buster was always glad to see the veterinarian and her staff. "Now tell me what's going on with Buster today, Mrs. Dennison. Whoa, down boy!" the veterinarian said as she laughed at Buster's attempts to jump up and lick her face. With his short, bowed legs and stocky body, he wasn't jumping very far but he was certainly enjoying himself trying. Then he rolled over on his back for a tummy-rub. "I wish all my patients were as glad to see me as you are, kiddo. It would make my job so much easier," said the veterinarian as she bent down and patted the dog's fawn-colored chest. His huge tongue flopped sideways out of his mouth. Then the veterinarian stood up and listened as Buster's owner told her about the overturned flowerpot with the mangled dieffenbachia plant nearby. She was sure that Buster was responsible. "You just leave him with us a few hours, and we'll see what we can do to help him. It's a very poisonous plant, you know. We'll watch him closely for awhile, too, just to make sure he'll be okay. We know how much you love him." Around the corner Buster tugged the technician, ready to go. He had no idea what was in store for him. He was like a little boy in a toy store, eager to see everything at once. In the treatment room, Buster was given an oral emetic to make him vomit. We needed to get what was left of the poisonous plant out of his stomach. Then he would be treated for any side effects of the poison. Buster took it like a trooper, although he really didn't like the taste of the medicine. It was a messy business, but he swallowed the last of it, then looked around at us as if to ask, "Now, can we do something fun?" Buster was just a little kid at heart. In a few minutes, Buster wasn't looking nearly so ecstatic with his friends at the animal hospital. In fact, he felt downright sick. A technician was left to sit with him until the deed was done. In a few minutes, she came looking for the veterinarian to report on Buster's progress. "You really need to come and see this," she said. Buster had been moved to a fresh, clean space. He was looking quite a bit perkier than he had earlier, but there were long strings of drool hanging from his jowls. He stood up and wagged his stubby tail furiously when he saw his favorite doctor. After checking on Buster and seeing that he was doing well, she moved to the place he had been. There on the floor lay bits and pieces of the dieffenbachia. Beside it lay a small night light complete with bulb, a piece of rubber hose, a hair net, a plastic replica of a purple dinosaur and fifty-seven cents in change. After X-rays and an overnight stay in the hospital, Buster went home with his much relieved owner. Mrs. Dennison was shown all the paraphernalia that we had retrieved from Buster's hungry stomach. She assured us that the first thing on her agenda when she got home was going to be a thorough childproofing of Buster's domain. After all, it's what you do when you have a dog who's just a kid at heart! Kate Gibblin katyg.1 @ juno.com (You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story, just remember to remove the space before and after the @ symbol. The space is placed in the address to protect our writers from viruses and email harvesting programs. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Kate Gibblin lives near Stillwater, Oklahoma and works as a veterinary assistant in a mixed animal practice. -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Letters From Our Readers -------------------------------------------------------------- Maria Dear, What a lovely story. Your writings always inspire me. My grandmothers both passed away when I was a baby, so I didn't know them, however I was very close to both of my parents. Bless you for helping your son and daughter-in-law when they needed that money. I remember many times when my husband's and my parents helped us out when we were in financial need. We never seemed to have quite enough money from my husband's low paying government job. But we did manage to live from paycheck to paycheck. We were buying his mother's old station wagon when we had the shock of losing our 2 1/2 year son to Polio. With hospital, and funeral bills to pay, we were overwhelmed. My mother-in-law said the vehicle bill was "paid in full". An uncle gave us a grave for our son in the family plot, and took care of plans for the funeral. We were so young and inexperienced. My parents helped as much as they could, and the people in the small town of Othello, WA took up a collection from local merchants and friends to help us pay the bills. It was such a good feeling to have so many people open their hearts to us. I could almost write a book about the acts of loving kindness that took place in that tiny town. Food came to the house, a friend ironed our basket full of clothes. Dear close friends sat up with us night after night while we waited to see what disease had robbed us of our beloved son. Other friends helped care for our young daughter. A short time later my husband was transferred to the small town where we have lived ever since. I wept when we moved to Ephrata.. It seems that each time we have moved, the Lord has given us wonderful neighbors, and many new friends. He has always taken care of us. Now I have the blessing of close friends on the Internet. Some are old ones who used to live close by, and others are new ones that I've met since I went on-line. And of course there are all of out friends here in Ephrata, WA. Thank you Maria for your story. Pat *** Dear Cheryl, I loved Maria's story "Paid In Full." It is truly what our spiritual fences are about! I pray that she is exceedingly blessed by our Lord for sharing that story! Annettee Budzban PS. I wish you and your readers a Blessed New Year! *** Hi Cheryl, This is such a sweet story by Maria....I think it is wonderful as a parent being able to help out when our children "don't expect it." What a kind gift Maria gave her son and daughter-in-law...we all remember being there! Maybe that fence can wait a while longer....someone might just come along and do the job for food and shelter! Thanks for sharing! Diane Dean White, author of "Beach Walks" http://bw.newsmoose.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner This morning I was going to begin my day after I thought I was finished with prayer. I even took a few steps away from my prayer corner when I felt a tug on my spirit. I have all these things I need to do, I should get started. Then it hit me, I was expecting Him to be God on demand! Yikes! Sometimes I feel like silver, tarnishing so slowly I don't even notice it. Excuse me ya'll while I go polish myself. God Bless, Cheryl ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- © 2002 Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.