This blog is about random things that make me happy, hopefully it will mostly stick to things that make me happy in a good, soul-filling kind of way, not a I-just-poked-my-nemesis-in-the-eye-with-a-sharp-stick kind of way, but I make no promises. I'm pretty sappy and sentimental and a fair bit ridiculous, though I like things backed by scientific studies, or books, or even quotes by people whose authority on the subject could be questionable at best.
Everybody loves dogs, especially hero dogs. But if a pit bull started yanking on leash, would you give in and go where it wanted to go? Let's be honest, not even Lassie would have been all that successful if the people around her were as impatient and non-dog-following as most of us, trudging around with pooper scoopers and tight leashes, ready for the deed to be done and return indoors, or running from point A to point B with no time for dog-inspired detours. Hero dogs just wouldn't be all that successful without the people who pay enough attention to know the difference between "Squirrel!" and "Mayday!"
Here are two stories of hero dogs and people, too.
Pit bulls may be one of the least trusted of dogs, but on December 6, with snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens, a volunteer dog walker for the Redmond, Oregon, Humane Society, following the lead of a pit bull named Nala, saved the life of a blind cocker spaniel named Chadwick that had gotten lost and seemingly passed out in a ditch in the snow. The blind dog, who only a month earlier had been adopted from the same shelter from which Nala was being given a nice stretch of the legs, had escaped his new owner's home. The owners had searched desperately for the dog, but where they had failed, Nala succeeded.
As the volunteer for the Humane Society was taking Nala for her walk, the dog began to pull on her leash, something uncharacteristic for the dog. As the persistent Nala kept pulling, the volunteer finally gave in and let Nala pull him along. He followed Nala to a ditch, and there they found the small, blind, black and white dog curled up in the snow. (Read the full story. Or, if you are interested in adopting Nala, a relatively long-term resident of the shelter, visit the Redmond Humane Society.)
On October 30, Paul Horton crashed his bike on a route he had made many times before without incident. He went over the handle bars, landed on his head, and was paralyzed from the chest down. He had no way of getting help, and there was no one else in sight. But his dog, Yogi, stayed faithfully by his side, until there were people he could employ to help.
Paul's neighbors, out for a walk, could have simply ignored the barking dog, assuming it would run back to its master, or they could have caught it and taken it home, assuming the dog was simply lost. In either scenario, the paralyzed Paul might have remained hidden and died of his injuries. Fortunately, the couple that Yogi found were out for a stroll, recognized that the dog was behaving strangely, and chose to follow the normally calm, quiet dog back to his injured master.
So the next time Fido wants to wander off the trail, before tugging the chain and saying no, maybe give it a second thought. Just in case.
Christa notes:
I'm only halfway up the climb,
but I finished the hardest part!
When things go wrong, it's easy to get caught in a downward spiral, a whirlpool that sucks you in and seems impossible to escape. But some stories show that in life we can also create and add to the momentum of an upward spiral, a current of events capable of pulling up not only ourselves, but countless others.
Even just one small deed can be the blast of fresh air that lifts a kite into the sky. An upward spiral is when that one thing leads to or joins with another and another until it is a whirlwind with incredible momentum.
It is the volunteers who leave their home and country to help others gain things that we in first-world countries take for granted.
It is the student-cum-rescuer who refuses to give up and goes as far as it takes to save the life of a foreigner.
It is the complete stranger, a child, who sees someone in pain and reaches out to hold their hand.
It is the amputee who inspires others as she relearns to walk, to run, and to climb rocks and ice.
It is the victim of a natural disaster who in her moment of greatest agony makes a promise and keeps it.
It is all those who hear a story and put their time, money, and hearts into supporting someone else's dream.
It is the countless others who are never in the spotlight, but who dedicate their lives to saving lives, rehabilitating the injured, rebuilding what's been broken, or building what never was.
This is the story of many not-so-everyday heroes: Christa Brelsford, Wenson Georges, Gerald Lumarque, Julian Brelsford, Kent Annon, emergency workers, surgeons, community leaders, volunteers, and many more.
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake, the largest in more than 100 years, struck Port-au-Prince and reduced much of central Haiti to rubble. Christa Brelsford was in Darbonne, just south of the capital, volunteering for a literacy project. As the earth and buildings began to shake, she, her brother, Julian, and three colleagues were about to get on the internet -- in a second-story room. As they fled, the house began to crumble. Christa fell on the stairs, and rubble rained around her. A huge chunk of cement dropped, crushing her leg and pinning her in the debris.
As for so many others, that tragic day could have been the end for Christa. But Gerald Lumarque, Wenson Georges, and Julian labored for hours to rescue her. They broke up the larger pieces of rock with a pick ax and dug her out. When they finally broke her free of the debris, Gerald took the driver's seat on his motorcycle, and Wenson climbed on behind, holding the injured Christa like an infant as they rode through rubble-covered streets to a United Nations peacekeeping mission where she received rudimentary medical attention (and cookies). Wenson stayed with her. He sat so that his body blocked a glaring light, hoping it might allow her to sleep and escape her pain. He gave her his clothes when she complained of being cold. He made sure the embassy knew about her and the severity of her condition so that she would be medevaced out and receive the treatment she needed.
But Wenson was not the only one watching out for the injured foreigner.
"While I was laying on the ground at the military base, the Sri Lankan doctors were trying to remove a piece of concrete embedded in my left leg," Christa wrote on her website. "It was quite painful, and I sat up looking for something to hold on to. A little boy noticed me, came over, and held my hand until the doctors had finished."
Christa was medavaced to Miami, where surgeons had to amputate part of her right leg, but as she sat in the hospital room, she didn't succumb to self-pity -- she made a promise.
"When I was in the hospital after the earthquake, the two most important things that came to mind were: Get the school rebuilt and help the kid (Wenson) who dug me out," said Christa. "I promised myself that I would return to help them."
She started Christa's Angels, a foundation to help quake survivors, and with the help of Haiti Partners, she has kept that promise. On November 21, she was back in Haiti for the inauguration ceremony for the Cabois Community School, where 177 students are receiving an education in the newly rebuilt facilities.
Christa has also been working on her other promise by trying to secure a visa for Wenson to come to the United States. The paperwork has been submitted, and she hopes that he will be able to visit and interview for the the visa in January.
This experience has reinforced my faith in the basic goodness of humanity. People step up and do the right thing when they’re given the chance. I’m just a ordinary kid who had one big bite of bad luck, and an even bigger bite of very very good luck. The bad luck was completely impersonal. Getting caught in a house was just timing. However, the good luck that I had was the result of deliberate human choices to be kind and compassionate. People stepped in at the right time, chose to help me out, and made things happen in order to get me safe. I was lucky, but the behavior I saw in the immediate aftermath of this terrible disaster wasn’t the violence and selfishness that people fear. My experience in that terribly time was one of compassion, helpfulness, and a shared sense of humanity.
