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Angel Animals Story of the Week, 1-14-07, "Pet People Families"
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Allen Anderson
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Jan 15, 2007 21:28 PST
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Angel Animals Story of the Week
January 14, 2007
Visit us at www.angelanimals.net
Dear Friends of Angel Animals,
Welcome to the Angel Animals Story of the Week.
We hope you enjoyed your holidays as we have enjoyed ours.
We will be soon announcing a contest to collect stories for a new book
about dogs who have found their life's purpose through work, jobs, or
service. So be thinking about what you would like to submit for the
next contest and possible publication in a new book.
One event that brought special joy to us was the ANGEL HORSES book event
we arranged for twelve-year-old contributor, Alexandra Best Flood. An
article about the event in the CAPE COD TIMES, Sunday, December 14,
2006, 'It was a miracle', Alexandra Best Flood, contributing author to
Angel Horses: Divine Messengers of Hope," said, "Alexandra recently held
a book signing at Titcomb's Book Shop in East Sandwich. It attracted
more than 200 people, many of them fellow students at Oak Ridge School,
where she is a seventh-grader... The store's staff was impressed..."
Alexandra's parents told us that the event had inspired the girl's
teachers to post flyers about it and encourage their students to write
about what they love. Alexandra got to experience what is like to be a
published author and now says that she wants to write her own book.
This week's story is about pet-people parents who have raised an entire
family of animal lovers.
Animal blessings,
Allen & Linda Anderson
* * * * *
STORY OF THE WEEK
PET PEOPLE FAMILIES
By Dave Mickler
It can simply be stated that our house is an animal lover's paradise.
We are pet people. We also have developed a disdain for people who
openly dislike pets.
My wife Julie and her love of life and animals is the true story in our
home. Julie is the one who gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an
unsuccessful attempt to put life back into our beloved Tinkerbell (our
miniature dachshund) when she had a heart attack while traveling with us
a few summers ago in New Orleans for a business trip.
Julie is the one who spent the entire night curled up and crying next to
Tinkerbell. Julie spent four hours looking for a pet crematorium to
take special care of our beloved Tinkerbell, who was so deserving after
many years of sharing her love with us. She was the love of Julie's
life, and we miss her each and every day. Without Julie's love the
story below would have never happened.
Julie says, "All of our animal family members are either from our humane
society, the stable where our granddaughter takes her riding lessons (a
mama cat had a litter in the barn), or Mama Cat and her kittens whom our
son and grandson rescued from under our front porch. To be very honest,
I believe that all of our animal family members are meant to be with us
and they deserve a very special place in our lives and hearts. I also
hope and pray that they will be waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge,
because our afterlives would be empty and meaningless without all of
them."
We have three cats, all adults, and one aging black Lab named Brutus.
Prior to heading east two weeks ago, Julie and I noticed a young mother
and her four kittens roaming in our neighborhood. Julie saw the mother
first and was possessed with trying to save her and her kittens from our
cold Wisconsin winter.
With cold weather approaching we unsuccessfully tried to coax the family
into allowing us to help them. After leaving on my trip, our son Jared,
grandson Matt, and Julie captured three of the kittens and their mother.
The rescue crew knew that there still was at least one kitten on its
own. This last little one disappeared from sight but not from our
thoughts.
Such a happy family. They took to us immediately. Now some real
problems needed to be answered including giving temporary names to the
cats. I say temporary because, needless to say, we are realists and
know we can't have any more animals.
Everyone who saw the cat family fell instantly in love and wanted to
help. The mother was still nursing, so we were unwilling to split them
up yet. Not being accomplished in determining ages, we took part of the
family to our animal shelter. They examined one kitten and the mother
and quickly stated that both were healthy. They estimated that the
mother was just over a year old and the kitten was eight weeks.
Shortly after two of the three kittens were conveyed to new parents,
Julie and I were heading to California and Oregon for a week. We needed
someone to care for the mother
and last kitten while we were traveling. After driving us to the
airport, our eldest son Jeff picked up the two cats to take them to his
house for the week.
As Jeff was getting into his pickup, the mother cat bolted from the cat
carrier, on to the ground, and up the street with Jeff hot-footing
behind her. What a sight that must have been! The mother cat ran
between two houses and into the alley. By the time Jeff hit the alley,
she was nowhere to be found. Matt caught up with his cat-chasing uncle
and together, they and Jeff's fiancee Sara walked up and down the alley.
No luck; until they came to our neighbor's two-story carriage barn with
its overhead door wide open. Jeff and Matt made like cats and meowed.
After a few choruses they heard a faint reply. Upon getting the owner's
permission they climbed the stairs to the second floor. Much to their
surprise they found the little mother with her last kitten -- the fourth
one whom we hadn't been able to find. Such lessons in love and
perseverance this young mother has taught us all.
All the kittens and the mother have been placed in great homes now. We
are truthfully enjoying little Butterfly, a butterfly tabby, as are our
other three other cats and our dog Brutus.
The problem of placing the cats was easily solved, but another problem
has been created. How do we explain to anyone who asks what has become
of our realistic approach to life?
BIO:
Dave Mickler and his wife Julie refer to themselves as soul mates. As
very sharing and loving individuals, they are nearing their twilight
years. They have lived in the Waukesha, Wisconsin area their entire
lives, raised three great kids, two grandkids (soon to be three). All of
their children have accepted that loving pets is a way of life.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
What animal-loving families do you know? Have caring parents been able
to instill love for all life in their children?
* * * * *
ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"My love, a love that's through and though. For my loyal friend, my
dog, that's you."
--Anonymous
"PET RULES -- To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door -- nose
height.
"Dear Dogs and Cats, The dishes with paw prints are yours and contain
your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note,
placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a
claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that
aesthetically pleasing in the slightest."
--Unknown Author
"One of the greatest ironies in the animal rescue efforts of 2005 is the
fact that the people who feel the most distress at seeing animals suffer
chose to experience that suffering firsthand."
--Allen & Linda Anderson, RESCUED: Saving Animals from Disaster, p. xvi
* * * * *
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Allen and Linda Anderson will discuss heart-rending and inspiring rescue
stories of animal survivors of Hurricane Katrina. They will also
provide suggestions on how to keep your pets safe from natural
disasters. As founders of the Angel Animals Network, the Anderson's have
written numerous books on the deep connection between humans and
animals.
A Hot Reads for Cold Nights event:
Date & Time: February 13, Tuesday, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: Galaxie Library, 14955 Galaxie Avenue,
Apple Valley, MN, Info: 952-891-7050
* * * * *
BOOKS by Allen and Linda Anderson
RESCUED: Saving Animals from Disaster, (www.rescuedsavinganimals.net)
ANGEL HORSES: Divine Messengers Hope
ANGEL DOGS: Divine Messengers of Love
RAINBOWS & BRIDGES: An Animal Companion Memorial Kit
ANGEL CATS: Divine Messengers of Comfort
GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine
ANGEL ANIMALS: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals.
All of Allen and Linda's books are available at online or regular
bookstores, some Costco stores, and at many gift shops that sell animal
books, and through www.newworldlibrary.com, which offers discounts for
purchasing multiple books. Angel Horses, Angel Dogs, and Angel Cats are
also available at 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 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
2007, 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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