Old Friend




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" October 16, 2002 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart" ------------------------------------------------------------ All new subscribers for the month of October will be entered into a drawing for a 2003/2004 pocket calendar. Tell all your friends. The winner will be announced in the November 6 issue. There will be a new author appreciation gift for November, December, and January. I will be sending a 2003/2004 pocket calendar to the authors who contribute stories for those months. I am looking for Christmas stories for December. ------------------------------------------------------------- What happens when a beloved pet is in an accident and loses a lot of blood? Is there a blood donor system for pets like there is for people? I for one am glad there are "Joes" out there helping other animals. Thanks Pamela for educating me. ------------------------------------------------------------- Our Old Friend By: Pamela Jenkins ------------------------------------------------------------- I reach up and take a leash from the hook on the wall. As I turn to face the row of eager faces watching me, my eyes search out the black and white face of Joe. His feet dance in excitement. "Come on, old friend, you're needed up front." I snap the leash on his collar. We are in a hurry, and every second counts. I walk quickly up the hallway, Joe trotting along beside me. The only sound he makes is the clicking of his nails on the tiled floor. Joe is a black and white English Pointer. He has lived with our family since he was six months old. He goes to work with me at the animal hospital. He's been here longer than most of our staff members, and indeed, he is recognized as part of our team. He plays a lifesaving role for many patients. As we enter the treatment room, two of the staff members lift Joe onto the treatment table. Things start to move quickly, but the big pointer isn't easily flustered. He stands still, head and tail lifted high, much as if he were out in a field pointing at a covey of quail. I unbuckle his collar and slip it off his neck. He doesn't move as his blood is drawn. In the next room, a surgery patient waits for a transfusion. Joe is a universal donor. His blood is safe for most transfusions to other dogs. It doesn't matter to him whether it's a puppy anemic from parasites, a dog hit by a car, or one recovering from a difficult surgery. Joe is ready at a moment's notice to step in and do his part without a whimper or complaint. Once his part in the drama is finished, the staff members lift Joe down from the table. He stands while I fasten his collar back on. He looks up at me with his soft chocolate eyes, and I can't resist. "Okay, Joe. You deserve it." This is Joe's favorite part. We take turns feeding him dog biscuits from a wicker basket kept nearby. One by one, Joe gently takes them from our hands, but he doesn't chew them. He pockets them like a chipmunk until his mouth can't hold any more. "...six, seven, eight, nine. Wow, I think this is a record, Joe! You can't possibly hold another doggy bone in there!" We all laugh at the expression on his face. With his tail wagging and his mouth full of biscuits, it looks like he's grinning, too. Back down the hallway we walk together. Joe turns around a couple of times before laying down on his bed. There, he drops his mouthful of biscuits and begins to munch on one. What he doesn't eat right now, I know he will cover with the corner of his bedding and hide until later. The room is filled with the sound of crunching. Joe has been a part of our family for thirteen years. He and his sister were rescued as young dogs. He is trained in obedience, and is a favorite with young children. Joe participates in pet care demonstrations for the preschool, Head Start and kindergarten classes. Little ones love listening to his heart through a stethoscope while Joe stands wearing his red bandanna. He also helps with open house tours and our local BIOS picnic for the mentally handicapped. Although he is not used for hunting birds, Joe often goes out to the country for runs with his sister. It's said that there are not many things prettier than watching a good bird dog work quail, but it seems that Joe much prefers to chase butterflies and romp around the green fields. At the end of the day, as I put away the fresh surgery towels, the veterinarian walks into the room and over to Joe. He kneels down and takes the pointer's head in his hands. "Well, big guy, it looks like we pulled another one through," he whispers to Joe. The dog's tail wags slowly back and forth. I know it is a bittersweet moment. Due to his age, Joe's donations have become fewer and farther between. While Joe will still go to work with me and carry on with other activities, he is being retired as a donor. Don't worry about Joe, though. He'll be squirreling away those dog biscuits and chasing butterflies until the end of his days. Our old friend has earned his retirement. Pamela Jenkins <ramblinrabbit @ 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) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Pamela Jenkins lives in Oklahoma with her husband and their four children. She is the office manager for a veterinary practice and enjoys writing in her spare time. She is a contributing author to such books as "Chocolate for a Woman's Dreams," "Written in Stone," and "Chicken Soup for the Grandparent's Soul." ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Letters From Our Readers -------------------------------------------------------------- Maria, What a delightful memory of your dear "Mithtah Hay". He was a very special man. I envy you, being able to skate when you were a girl. I tried it a few times with my dad. We had to go to an indoor rink in Seattle. He had his old skates, but I had to rent skates. Alas, I never did even learn to keep my ankles straight. I decided I'd rather ride my bike and do other things. Some one with the park department in Ephrata used to flood the tennis courts with water so people could have a go at skating. We bought ice skates for our three girls. They had some great times. There was a burning barrel, which an adult tended, so the kids could warm themselves. As I remember, I filled their school thermoses with hot chocolate. Usually their dad went along to supervise. Hugs, Pat ***** Greetings from Australia! I loved Maria's story and it was especially nice to hear of snow etc. In a land where there is little snow I love to hear these stories. Thank God for people who take the time to reach out to others. Cheryl, thank you so much for my mouse pad. It looks fantastic with the pink hearts all over it. I have left it at work and it is also used as an opportunity to share about Christ. How? When they ask where it came from I let them know where and that I am a Christian who loves to write. It opens up all sorts of conversations with work mates. Anyway, thank you. Love your site and appreciate all the work that goes into running it. Writing is such a great way of expressing yourself in the good and bad times. Anyway, thanks again. God bless you richly, Deb Davidson, Brisbane, Australia ---------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl's Corner We are such party animals. Last weekend we had two birthday parties to attend. Tyler, our youngest grandson turned one and grandson Mason turned four. Elmo was the theme of Tylers party, complete with a costumed Elmo and a balloon-twisting clown. Mason's theme was just plain fun with a fun jumper. Even I crawled in to bounce and wrestle. All the moms and grand-moms were sitting around talking and laughing. The subject of eyes came up or rather the failing of them. Many of us confessed we were overdue for eye exams but put them off because we always had a doctor to see. I couldn't help myself, I said, "Isn't it amazing how after you reach forty-five you see more men on a regular basis than you ever did when you were single and dating?" I may get behind on answering email, David and I are going out of town to celebrate our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary. He plans to fish; I plan to shop. 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. --------------------------------------------------------------- All subscriptions sent to your e-mail free of charge.