I discovered this one morning a few
months ago, when I was walking with Dempsey near downtown. Down the
street was a homeless man, sitting on the curb. My gut instinct was
to cross the street and avoid the man, but with the heavy traffic
that day, crossing the street wasn't an option. I told Dempsey to
pick up the pace, with the intention of walking quickly by.
Being a sucker for anyone who
compliments Dempsey, I stopped and explained that Dempsey was in
training to be a service dog. Dempsey sat politely at my heel,
wagging his tail.
“Dempsey seems like a really smart
dog,” the man replied. “I know I'm not supposed to pet him, but
he sure is beautiful.”
The man beamed with joy. “I'd love
to!”
Dempsey was still politely sitting at
my side, but as soon as I said “Release,” he dashed towards the
man and gave him a snuggle.
The man buried his face in Dempsey's
neck and gave him a big hug. “Dempsey reminds me of my old dog,
Rocky” he said. As he petted Dempsey, he explained that the first
thing he did after coming home from Vietnam was to get Rocky, who
always woke him up from his nightmares by kissing him. Rocky was a
matchmaker, too: The man met his wife, he said, when Rocky ran off at
the park to greet her.
With Rocky's help, the man had put his
life back together after Vietnam. He got married, bought a house, and
had a baby.
Then came what he called the worst day
of his life. His young son had forgotten to close the gate to the
backyard, and Rocky ran off. He said he knew it was bad news when he
heard a car screeching to a halt outside. The man ran outside to find
Rocky in the street, blood pouring from his mouth. He died right
there, in the man's arms.
The man didn't finish the story, but I
imagine that day was the start of the downward spiral that led him to
living alone, on the street. He was crying, and Dempsey was right at
his side, wiping away his tears with big doggie kisses.
“I'm so sorry,” I said, knowing how
empty those words must sound. I just stood there, watching Dempsey
comfort the man. It shamed me to realize that my dog is a better
person than I am: a more perceptive judge of character, more
attentive to others' needs, more generous with his love.
“Well, I guess I should let you guys
go on your walk.” He looked at Dempsey, who was sitting perfectly
still, looking back at him. “Dempsey, you're an angel on earth.
You're going to change somebody's life.”
Dempsey was sitting politely, wagging
the tip of his tail. “Wait a sec,” the man said. He reached into
his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and offered it to me. “Dempsey's
a great dog. Go buy him a steak.”
I was dumbstruck. I've had countless
homeless people ask me for money, but never in my life had a homeless
person offered me money. “Oh, I can't,” I stammered.
“Look,” the man said, “I'm an
alcoholic.” He nodded towards the liquor store across the street.
“As soon as that store opens, I'm just going to buy some booze. Do
me a favor and buy Dempsey a steak for me.”
Now, I've studied philosophy at the
graduate level, but I can tell you that when you're on the street,
trying to decide whether you should take money from a homeless man
who says he'll only use the money to hurt himself, all the fancy talk
about categorical imperatives and utility maximization means
absolutely nothing. I had no idea what to do.
“Ok,” the man said skeptically. He
put the money back in his pocket, and looked again at Dempsey. “God
bless you, Dempsey. You're very special. Now go change someone's
life!” Then the man looked at me. “And God bless you, too, for
training him.” He was smiling now, and I knew he meant it.
This is a great story!It's so amazing what we can learn from our dogs,like being able to see what's inside a person's heart and not judge by outward appearances,and to really live in the moment an be happy! I wish I was as good of a person as my dogs are! Julie Lundberg
ReplyDeleteGreat story Paul--and humbling.Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAre we going to see a blog for Dylan?
ReplyDeletePaul - Doreen, what an incredible job you've done with Dempsey. Thank-you for sharing the stories of his training in such an eloquent, funny, engaging way. How lucky his new mom is to have these stories.
ReplyDelete.,awesome story.,Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDog Fence
It's all about Bichon Frise
Hi,great article. Informations are pretty interesting and saved me huge amount of time which I could spend on something else instead of searching posts like this :) Im waiting for more, bye!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article!
ReplyDeleteHi – Will you please post a link to your Blog at The Golden Retriever Community? Our members will love it.
ReplyDeleteMembers include: Owners, Breeders and Lovers
It's easy to do, just cut and paste the link and it automatically links back to your website… it’s a win win. You can also add Photos, Videos and Classifieds if you like. It’s free and easy.
Email me if you need any help or would like me to do it for you.
The Golden Retriever Community: http://www.vorts.com/golden_retrievers/
Thanks,
James Kaufman, Editor