| FREE KITTUNS Copyright Jim Willis 2001 The sign on the mailbox post was hand-lettered on cardboard and read "FREE KITTUNS." It appeared there two or three times a year, sometimes spelled this way, sometimes that, but the message was always the same. In a corner of the farmhouse back porch was a cardboard box with a dirty towel inside, on which huddled a bouquet of kittens of different colors, mewing and blinking and waiting for their mama to return from hunting in the fields. The mother cat managed to show them enough interest for the first several weeks, but after having two or three litters per year, she was worn out and her milk barely lasted long enough for her babies to survive. One by one, people showed up over the next several days and each took a kitten. Before they left the woman who lived there always said the same thing, "You make sure you give that one a good home - I've become very attached to that one." One by one the kittens and their new people drove down the long driveway and past the sign on the mailbox post, "FREE KITTUNS". The ginger girl kitten was the first to be picked. Her four-year- old owner loved her very much, but the little girl accidentally injured the kitten's shoulder by picking her up the wrong way. She couldn't be blamed really - no adult had shown her the proper way to handle a kitten. She had named the kitten "Ginger" and was very sad a few weeks later when her older brother and his friends were playing in the living room and someone sat on the kitten. The solid white boy kitten with blue eyes was the next to leave with a couple who announced even before they went down the porch steps that his name would be "Snowy." Unfortunately, he never learned his name and everyone had paid so little attention to him that nobody realized he was deaf. On his first excursion outside he was run over in the driveway by a mail truck. The pretty gray and white girl kitten went to live on a nearby farm as a "mouser." Her people called her "the cat," and like her mother and grandmother before her she had many, many "free kittuns," but they sapped her energy. She became ill and died before her current litter of kittens was weaned. Another brother was a beautiful red tabby. His owner loved him so much that she took him around to meet everyone in the family and her friends, and their cats, and everyone agreed that "Erik" was a handsome boy. Except his owner didn't bother to have him vaccinated. It took all the money in her bank account to pay a veterinarian to treat him when he became sick, but the doctor finaly just shook his head one day and said "I'm sorry." The solid black boy kitten grew up to be a fine example of a tomcat. The man who adopted him moved shortly thereafter and left "Tommy" where he was, roaming the neighborhood, defending his territory, and fathering many kittuns until a bully of a dog cornered him. The black and white girl kitten got a wonderful home. She was named "Pyewacket." She got the best of food, the best of care until she was nearly five years old. Then her owner met a man who didn't like cats, but she married him anyway. Pyewacket was taken to an animal shelter where there were already a hundred cats. Then one day, there were none. A pretty woman driving a van took the last two kittens, a gray boy and a brown tiger-striped girl. She promised they would always stay together. She sold them for fifteen dollars each to a laboratory. To this day, they are still together...in a jar of alcohol. For whatever reason - because Heaven is in a different time zone, or because not even cat souls can be trusted to travel in a straight line without meandering - all the young-again kittens arrived at Heaven's gate simultaneously. They batted and licked each other in glee, romped for awhile, and then solemnly marched through the gate, right past a sign lettered in gold: "YOU ARE FINALLY FREE, KITTENS" |
| “The Animals’ Savior” Copyright Jim Willis 1999 tiergartenjim@yahoo.com http://www.crean.com/jimwillis I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry. "God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?" God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly. "I have done something," He replied. "I created you.” |
| "We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words". unknown |
| "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" "I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man" ~~M. Gandhi (1869-1948) |
| "The poor dog, in life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend, Whose honest heart is still the master's own, Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone, Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth, Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth, While man, vain insect, hopes to be forgiven, And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven." Lord Byron Inscription on the monument of his Newfoundland dog, Boatswain, 1808 |
| Prayer for Animals "Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals, especially for animals who are suffering; for animals that are overworked, underfed and cruelly treated; for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death. We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity, and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words. Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals, and so to share the blessings of the merciful." - Albert Schweitzer |
| "We can judge the heart of a Man by his Treatment of Animals." ~ Immanuel Kant |
| "We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and otherwise homely faces. It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness, and defeat to find the true soul that lies within." We are Rescue. |
| "Would you like to be treated the same way you treat your dog if your positions were reversed?"~ John Witt |
| “How Could You?” Copyright Jim Willis 2001 tiergartenjim@yahoo.com http://www.crean.com/jimwillis When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was “bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” – but then you’d relent and roll me over for a bellyrub. My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs,” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day. Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” – still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.” As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch – because your touch was now so infrequent – and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with “papers.” You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked “How could you?” They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you – that you had changed your mind – that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured “How could you?” Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself – a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty. The End |
| "The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue." -Anonymous |
| "Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful." -Ann Landers |
| "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers |
| "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." -Ben Williams |
| "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Josh Billings |
| "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andy Rooney |
| "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man hasever made." -M. Acklam |
| "Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate."-Sigmund Freud |
| "I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." -Rita Rudner |
| "Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog." -Franklin P. Jones |
| "If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons."-James Thurber |
| "If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise." -Unknown |
| "My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money." -Joe Weinstein |
| "Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!" -Anne Tyler |
| "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -Robert A. Heinlein |
| "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man." -Mark Twain |
| "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!" - Dave Barr |
| "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras |
| "If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them." -Phil Pastoret |
| "My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am." Dave Bradbury |
| I do not care for a man’s religion whose dog or cat are not the better for it...I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of the whole human being. – Abe Lincoln |
| Ever occur to you why some of us can be this much concerned with animal suffering? Because government is not. Why not? Animals don’t vote. - Paul Harvey |
| Heaven is by favor. If it were by merit, your dog would stay in and you would not. -Mark Twain |
| Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them wherever they require it. - St. Francis of Assisi |
| As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love. – Pythagoras |
| Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. - Leonardo da Vinci |
| There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it. - Anonymous |
| It ill becomes us to invoke in our daily prayers the blessings of God the compassionate, if we in turn will not practice elementary compassion towards our fellow creatures. - Gandhi |
| Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.- Thomas Edison |
| Love animals. God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, do not harass them, do not deprive them of their happiness, do not work against God’s intent. Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to animals. They are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it and leave traces of your foulness after you. – Dostoevsky |
| The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of her master. -Anonymous |
| For fidelity, devotion and love, many a two-legged animal is below the dog and the horse. Happy would it be for thousands of people if they could stand at last before the Judgment Seat and say, ‘I have loved as truly and I have lived as decently as my dog.’ Yet we call them ‘only brutes.’ Henry Ward Beecher |
| He prayeth well who loveth well both man and bird and beast. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge |
| Oh shame on the mothers of mortals who have not stooped to teach of sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes, the sorrow that has no speech. I am the voice of the voiceless; through me the dumb shall speak. Till the deaf world’s ear be made to hear the wrongs of the wordless weak. – Ella Wheeler Wilcox, (Kinship) |