I was at a school in Te Puke recently giving an educational presentation, when I was approached by a man who had a story to tell.
One of my focuses is empathy and compassion towards animals and his story so summative of that I now tell all children at all schools.
His family
adopted a dog from the SPCA some years previous and they had experienced a difficult time trying to integrate the dog into the family.
He had previously been owned by one adult person who had not been able to keep her - I do not know why.
Their family consisted of two adults and two young children - a very different environment to one adult.
The dog was extremely shy and timid around loud noise and the rough and tumble of little ones.
His little girl, who was six years old at the time, spent hours down on the floor playing with this dog, rolling around; just simply, unconditionally, loving him.
He wanted me to know this story because of the incredible bond that the dog has with the now eight-year-old girl.
They are inseparable and the dog follows her around like a shadow.
Apparently if she wakes in the night or is sick, he is there in an instant, sitting by her bedside watching over her.
I called into a veterinary clinic the other day in Papamoa and on the counter was a cage holding four beautiful kittens. I took a couple out and within two minutes they were purring like freight trains.
Two weeks earlier they had arrived hissing and spitting - drawing blood if they got the chance.
Two weeks of gentle, loving hands, two weeks of consistent, caring handling and we have four human-loving kittens ready for new homes. Love can so quickly heal an animal's soul.
I will continue to tell children in schools about the little girl and her dog and what she achieved with the love in her heart and the gentleness of her hands.
Nicolle Smith is the education officer for the Tauranga SPCA.
