By Dog Handler at WMCI
[This intro is fictional] At the onset of the covid-19 pandemic an abandoned stray quivered in the frigid air of Arkansas, her beautiful long black coat was matted and knotted beyond repair; her entire back half had to be shaved off revealing the horror of her scrawny emaciated and deformed frame.
Sky in her foster home before PACK
For many, the year 2020 was the most devastating year of our lives, and it was no different for Sky a flat coated retriever mix that was born in January, just months prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Like many around the world she would have to fight for her life in order to survive.
She was born with hip dysplasia which is usually a cause of over breeding from owners that are more concerned with a fast paycheck. A forsaken stray rescued from Arkansas, Sky made the long arduous journey to the Black Dog Animal Rescue in Cheyenne Wyoming. From there she traveled an hour northeast to the small town of Torrington. Her new destination was entering the PACK Program (Preparing Adoptable Companion K-9’s) at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI) where trained inmate dog handlers prepare these furry friends for adoption.
Meeting Sky, you wouldn’t have a clue that she had been through the trenches of suffering, and that is her secret and a gift she has given to us. It is all about that wagging tail, bouncy legs, perky ears, and love of life. She doesn’t live in the past, nor does she allow it to define her future. Sky lives in the moment within the wonderful world around her. While at WMCI Sky developed a hernia where she had been recently spayed, which meant surgery. Life just kept dishing out one rotten card after another to this poor innocent lovable dog. Her handler carried her when she needed it and was with her 24/7 through the long three week journey of healing. Sky never batted an eye at her misfortune or missed a chance to wag her tail. Each dog that comes through the PACK program has their own story to tell and it goes something like this:
Sky in her foster home before PACK
Snow falling, tails wagging, noses sniffing, legs’ bouncing to and fro as an electrical excitement is felt in every cell of the dogs bounding through the door at the 5:00AM potty run. If their barks and whines of excitement were translated into English it would be: Whoopee! Yahoo! Yippee! Hooray and Yay for snow!
Prolonged yawns, heavy feet, sleepy eyes, muffled gripes, and grumpy grumbles protest the audacity of Mother Nature doing something so cruel at such an early hour. The dog handlers move in agony through the cold bitter snow as they are tugged along by their now unruly dogs.
As we move through life we begin seeing things through the lenses of our experiences rather than with fresh innocent eyes. This can sometimes be a bad thing. As a kid snow was always a wonderful thing that provided snow days and all day sledding followed by hot chocolate. Snow makes most children awestruck with curiosity and intrigue knowing that each little flake is different from the rest. And for our furry friends snow is a magical wonderland that is beckoning them to run and play.
For adults, a heavy snow can throw a giant wrench in commutes to work as snow packed roads cause accidents and even road closures. As grownups we get to shovel snow and take pain killers for our achy backs; from our perspective snow is a pain in the Gluteus Maximus.
Could it be that we need a fresh new perspective when we look at our world? How can snow be paradise for some and a complete humbug for others? The circumstances are the same but the perspectives are different. We may need to un-Scrooge some things in our “Bah! Humbug!” lives and see the eggnog in the glass as half full. I challenge you to take a day off when the next snow falls and look through the lenses of your inner child and see the beauty in the world around you. What lenses are we using to see the world around us? Maybe we need to look through the fresh lenses of our furry friends. The story Sky and her four legged friends would like to share is, “Keep wagging your tail as you move forward on the path of life and never miss an opportunity to play in the snow!”
