Angel Animals Story of the Week, 3-27-05, "Seiko, The Watchdog" -- Angel Animals Story of the Week

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Date Posted: 11:21:32 03/29/05 Tue
Author: Angel Animals Network
Subject: Angel Animals Story of the Week, 3-27-05, "Seiko, The Watchdog"

Angel Animals Story of the Week
March 27, 2005
Visit us at www.angelanimals.net

Dear Friends of Angel Animals,

Welcome to the Angel Animals Story of the Week.

We hope all of our friends of Angel Animals had a nice holiday weekend. Many of you may have visited family and spent more time with human and animal friends.

One night, Allen was awakened by Linda having a rough dream. Her arms were thrashing about, and she was mumbling in her sleep.

Then Allen noticed that our cat Cuddles had jumped up on the bed and was hovering over Linda's pillow. With great gentleness, Cuddles put her paw on Linda's forehead in the spot between the eyebrows. (Some religious teachings call this area on the forehead the "spiritual eye.") Cuddles kept her paw on the forehead for a moment until Linda quieted down and returned to a peaceful sleep.

Dream monsters must have been chased away by the kitty protector. The next morning, when Allen told her what he had observed, Linda didn't remember the dream, but she was grateful for the nocturnal presence of her cat friend.

How have animals protected you in ways that may have been ever so gentle yet ever so effective?

In today's story Bob Shaw shares his experiences with a starved, mistreated dog he rescued and adopted who later became the protector of a new family.

We welcome your stories for possible future publication in this newsletter or in one of our upcoming books.

We invite you to e-mail this week's newsletter in its entirety to others who might enjoy it.

Animal blessings,
Allen & Linda Anderson

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STORY OF THE WEEK

SEIKO, THE WATCHDOG
By Bob Shaw

At times, it's pretty hard to tell if something is a blessing, even if it is from out of the blue. My wife, Ronni, and I parked our RV in a wide, open space with a large front yard and great view.

The highway ran just a good rock throw away, and sometime during the night, a small Sheltie, who was dirty, starved, and obviously mistreated, came to see us. Ronni tried for quite some time to talk her into coming inside. The dog would get just so close, and fear would drive her back. It was heartbreaking to see her so thin and weak. Finally, Ronni came to get me to see if I would have any luck with her.

Even at a distance, I could tell the dog was in rough shape. I walked out as close as she would allow, sat down, and started talking to her. It took awhile for her to come to me. When she did, she sat in front of me, looking into my eyes. It was a strange few minutes, as she seemed to be trying to figure me out. Finally, she decided to trust me. As my hand touched her little head, I got the feeling that she'd known very little kindness. The look in her eyes told volumes.

It was then that Ronni and I realized we had a problem. As a condition of our lease back at home, we couldn't have pets. Immediately we thought of John. He and his wife Judy had been our friends for many years. When I called John, he told me that what he really needed was a watchdog. I assured him that the Sheltie would be a good one.

When they came to see her, John looked at the dog and asked if she could watch anything besides her food dish. I saw the smile and the look in his eyes and knew he was hooked as bad as I was. When he sat on the floor and talked to the dog, she went to him and crawled up on his lap. They'd made friends for life.

John laughed and asked, "A watch dog?"

I smiled back at him and said, "Yeah, her name is Seiko." John just closed his eyes and shook his head.

Seiko went to her new home that day. John, Judy, and their daughter Janet stayed up with Seiko all that first night, taking turns trying to get something down her. They finally had some success with ice cubes.

Seiko was not only starved but also dehydrated. The next day they took her to see the vet. He told them that Seiko was in pretty bad shape. Another day or so, she wouldn't have made it. With a big tear in his eye, John looked at the vet and said that she'd be alright.

Over the several years since coming to her new home, Seiko lived up to her name. She was, and still is, the best watchdog John ever had. Nothing happens without her knowing it.

She had a lot of nightmares at first, but I think she finally conquered them. I'm not sure what she does remember, but every time we go for a visit, there's Seiko, sitting and waiting for me. She has a look in her eyes that can only be described as being reserved for one of her "special" friends.

When we visited John, Judy, and Seiko a few weeks ago, after a glorious welcome from Seiko and her friend Ragamuffin (Muffin), also a Sheltie, we all sat down for a nice quiet chat. I happened to look around and saw Seiko staring at me. I wondered if she was trying to remember something or just waiting for me to call her to me.

I put my hand down toward her. Stiffly, Seiko came over to my chair. I picked her up, nuzzled her face next to mine, and scratched her favorite ear. Her little eyes held the warmth of a summer day. She reached over and gave me a single lick on the cheek, then moved to the edge of the chair, waiting for me to lift her down.

Very ladylike and delicate, she walked to her bed and lay down for her afternoon nap. One last look around at her people, and she was off to sleep.

I couldn't help but notice how Seiko had turned into a little "Gray Hound." I think the years had gotten away from all of us. There were so many good times centered around our little friend. Now, we were thinking that some day, in the not too distant future, we'd be saying good-bye.

Any time a loved one is lost, whether it's a friend, family member, or beloved pet, it leaves a jagged hole in one's life. What we have to remember is that everything around that hole is built with love and made solid with memories that will last a lifetime.

BIO:
Bob Shaw and his wife, Ronni live in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri area. You can reach Bob at CapeRabbit@semo.net

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

Do you remember a time when you invited an animal companion into your home without realizing until months later, how much you would receive from that animal in return?

* * * * *

ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."
--Plato

"The animal world abounds with a treasure trove of special creatures, resources of opportunity, each with its individual purpose."
--Julie Adams Church, UNCOMMON FRIENDS: Celebrating the Human-Animal Bond

"I think it would be great to be a cat! You come and go as you please. People always feed and pet you. They don't expect much of you. You can play with them, and when you've had enough, you go away. You can pick and choose who you want to be around. You can't ask for more than that."
--Patricia McPherson

"Homing pigeons have built-in magnets, it seems. Scientists believe they have no confirmed theories that homing pigeons are able to carry out their long-range navigational feat thanks to tiny magnetic particles in their upper beaks."
--"Animal Fun Facts," FIREPAW Newsletter, Winter 2005

"Everybody wants to be active, but where do his actions orginate? There is no central point; each action begets another, meaninglessly and painfully, in endless succession. The alternation of work and pause is not there. First find the immutable center where all movement takes birth. Just like a wheel turns round an axle, so must you be always at the axle in the center and not whirling at the periphery."
--I AM THAT, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, transl. by Maurice Frydman, ed. by Sudhakar S. Dikshit, p. 349.

* * * * *

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANGEL CATS: Divine Messengers of Comfort, GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, and ANGEL ANIMALS: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals are available at online or regular bookstores and at many gift shops that sell animal books. ANGEL CATS is also a selection of One Spirit Book Club.

* * * * *

OTHER INFORMATION

The Angel Animals Network is devoted to collecting and disseminating original, true stories about the spiritual connection between people and animals. You can learn more about the Angel Animals Network at www.angelanimals.net.

If you send this newsletter to others (and we hope that you will), please don't change it in anyway and include the information above about the Angel Animals Network. Thank you.

This newsletter is sent to you by the Angel Animals Network. Copyright 2005, Allen and Linda Anderson, Angel Animals Network. All rights reserved. Nothing in this newsletter may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual authors and/or copyright owners. Angel Animals(r) is a registered trademark.

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