Showie Showed Stewardship
My Quest for a Volunteer Activity
I have always found it amazing to see people and animals bonding together. I have my own set of friends but some people seem to really consider their dogs and cats as soul mates compared to humans. I find this puzzling yet amusing but I never really knew how to bond with another creature until I volunteered for the Coalition for Pet Protection.
I have been planning to get a dog but was always hesitant to do so because it seems a big responsibility so I decided to learn more about pets first by volunteering for the organization. I thought by contributing donations through my own efforts, I would be able to get feedback on how to maintain pets. I found out much more than that.
The Coalition for Pet Protection is a volunteer group that aims to keep cats and dogs from being overpopulated and prone to human abuse. I heard of it from my friend, Chit Fabregas, whose kids have been volunteering by selling Sees Candies. The proceeds of the sales go to help the organization pay for veterinary expenses in altering (spaying or neutering) and solving the health problems of the animals in their care. I have bought so many of the candies before but it was Chit who encouraged me to get more involved. She convinced me that selling the sweets would be hitting two birds with one stone… Not only would I be finding out more about dogs but also doing my capstone.
I intended to make practical use my understanding of civic mindedness, patience and networking based on what we have been studying for the past months. I believe that these three traits are very important because knowing what society needs is not enough. To really develop a better society, one must be able to see its flaws and act on these by patiently working on whatever efforts are available.
I believe that civic mindedness is important to be able to truly effect change in a community. It is important for people to be sensitive to the problems of the society and create ways for people to also understand the urgency of getting involved. Henry David Thoreau, in his essay, Resistance to Civil Government (1849) already observed that there are many people who are opposed to certain societal issues but do nothing to help the situation except verbally acknowledge and opine about it. Benjamin Franklin, in his essay, The Way to Wealth (1757) also pointed out that “idleness taxes many of us much more, if we reckon all that is spent in absolute sloth … that amount to nothing.” As my friend has already mentioned, I can do much more than just buy candies from her children and giving alms to beggars. Andrew Carnegie points out very clearly that the “best means of benefiting the community is to place within its reach the ladders upon which the aspiring can rise…” and this means contributing surplus wealth and energy to institutions that would be creating lasting good to the general conditions of people.
These readings also imply that one must be called to act upon the problems of society by whatever means are available. I, for one, believe that I have enough friends who can share their forms of wealth (time, energy and money) to the community if I get them involved in my network. However, I knew that the volunteer activity would necessitate patience. People do not always like being involved in community services because of time constraints and ignorance. Patience is a virtue needed by any one who wishes to convince people of what needs to be done. In the example of Elizabeth Stanton in her essay, Eighty Years and More (1898), she showed that throughout her lifetime, people have been criticizing her efforts but her patience in dealing with them paid off. She said that the things people consider as “mistakes,” because it seemed nuisances to what they have been accustomed to believe in society, soon become “steps in progress” when one is patient enough to fight for it.
I believed that helping the organization in selling candies and finding donations for their activities would be an implementation of my belief in civic mindedness, networking and patience. I thought it was going to be easy to do but I never thought it would lead me to really understanding myself as a steward of God’s creations.
My Days with Showie
The first thing I did was to go to Petco to ask for more information about the organization and how to go about selling the candies. They told me that I could order the candies from (choose a place). The young volunteer at the counter also told me that I could help them in other ways such as finding donations for dog and cat food, fostering animals or even adopting them. I decided that I would try to seek friends who might want to donate some food instead of selling candies.
I found it relatively easy to get friends to donate. A group of former high school buddies sent money for me to buy 5 sacks of dog food while I was able to convince my parents to also give another 5 sacks. I also bought 2 sacks as part of my donation which was picked up by a volunteer, Kathy Streka. When she picked up the donations, however, my life as a volunteer took a sudden turn.
Kathy is very active in the coalition and she told me more about how cats and dogs can really be mistreated and abused. She mentioned that there were puppy mills that just bred dogs and kept them in cages until they can be sold in pet shops. I did not see anything wrong with that until she said that dogs can also have psychological problems if they were always in cages. As we were talking, she also mentioned that I might want to help by fostering an animal. She said that there were many dogs and cats that could be euthanized simply because they do not have owners. There are also those whose owners need to transfer residences and cannot keep their pets. She told me of a stray Chow Chow dog that urgently needed a home because it might be euthanized if they do not get anyone to adopt it. She was a very convincing lady and I could not help but willingly say I can foster the dog.
I then ushered Kathy inside my home because she needed to inspect it for possible problems I might encounter during Showie’s stay with me. She just pointed out that I needed to make sure no sharp objects were poking along the paths Showie might move around in because the dog’s vision was very poor already. She also mentioned that tear production might be a problem because of the unhealthy eyes. I was beginning to think that fostering was going to be a bad idea but she mentioned that it would really look good on my capstone so I did not comment anymore.
Kathy delivered Showie the next morning. The first thing that got into my mind was that it was big and it had a blue tongue. However, Showie allowed me to pat her and seemed to like cuddling a lot and this won me over. I signed the fostering papers at once. Kathy gave me the veterinarian’s instructions about how to clean the dog’s eyes and how to toilet train the dog. This is when I suddenly had second thoughts again. The dog was not housetrained! I thought that the litter box was a regular normal thing that pets needed but I was not sure I can really housetrain a dog in such little time and in my home!
As soon as Kathy left, I gave Showie a tour of my home and her litter box but I guess the trip tired her a lot so she preferred to rest at the foot of my bed. It was uneventful because she slept most of the time and I did not want to wake her up by patting her during these times.
Trouble started in the evening. I was already going to bed when she started barking. Her barks were very loud because she is a big dog (around 55 pounds) and it was not helping me sleep. I am not familiar with canines so I did not know how to placate her. In between her barks, I realized that my neighbor’s cat must have been near us so I had to call my neighbor about the cat. I was not sure how Showie would react to seeing the cat too near. My neighbor seemed disgruntled but then I had my own right to have a pet too so he did not argue.
It was morning when I had another issue. As I got out of bed, I almost slipped because my floor was wet with Showie’s urine. She did not go to her litter box in the kitchen and so my dining room also had poop. I was not used to caring for any other individual except myself and this made me grumpy. I wanted to scream but then Showie looked at me so pitifully that I decided not to take it out on her. The sides of her eyes were full of hardened tears so I kept telling myself that patience is truly a virtue… especially for my capstone.
Chit and his three year-old daughter, Kristal, paid me a visit that afternoon. He gave me some tips and cleaning sprays to clean the urine well so that Showie will not keep going back to my bedside to pee. Kristal loved Showie instantly and kept cuddling her during their visit. Kristal wanted to play ball with the dog but then there was no toy so we had to promise her that she can visit Showie again in the weekend to play.
Five days went on okay except that it seemed that I really could not train Showie enough. If she did not urinate and poop alongside my beds, she would do so in the kitchen. I got used to cleaning up the mess without complaining to myself too much because otherwise, she was really a very nice dog. In fact, it became a daily routine for us to watch television with her head on my lap nightly. I also got used to cleaning up her tears and she got used to going around the house without bumping too many furniture. Kathy said that the vet advised them that Showie is fast loosing her eyesight within one year.
Kristal’s day to play with Showie soon came and she really brought her ball this time. They really had so much fun except that Showie got tired way ahead of Kristal. When Showie seemed to want to nap, Chit decided it was also time for Kristal to rest. The dog and the little girl slept beside each other on my bed without any problems while Chit and I watched television.
It was about an hour since they took a nap that we suddenly heard Showie barking. It was very unusual for Showie to bark in the afternoon so we quickly went to the bedroom to see what was wrong. We saw Kristal on the floor unconscious! She slipped on the blanket as she was going down the bed and knocked her head during the bad fall. If Showie did not bark, we would not have known what had happened at once. We quickly took Kristal to the (name of hospital) with Showie along.
Chit was so grateful that no permanent damages happened to his daughter and was so appreciative of Showie that he and his wife talked about adopting her. After a week of preparing the papers and their family for their new member, Showie finally had a permanent home and loving owners.
Reflections
Taking care of Showie for two weeks was trying but very rewarding like any volunteer activity. The values of civic mindedness and networking were in the background but patience was the virtue I learned the most. I realized the importance of working together. I had originally planned to just ask for a sack each from my friends and relatives but explaining the volunteer program made them give more which resulted to more pets helped. Sharing one’s ideas on how to help society in small ways like I did can move people to do the same in their own little deeds. As Thoreau had explained, there are many people who think and talk too much but do nothing. However, I realized that if one does try to network his friends to do things for the community, people will start moving instead of just talking. My patience was really tested during the times when I could not housetrain Showie. It was frustrating and tiring because I really was not used to taking care of any other individual but myself until she came along. However, patience has its rewards and cuddling up with her during TV times is something I still miss.
When one cares for another creature like a pet, one realizes that John Locke was correct in saying that we are merely stewards of God’s creation and that we must use our freedom for everyone’s ultimate good. Animals cannot speak and it is easy for people to abuse or ignore their existence. If I had not been able to become Showie’s foster parent, she would have been euthanized because she was a stray dog. The world would have lost a hero.
The sacrifices I did made me learn that caring for others, even if it were not a human but a dog, are worth it because of the simple thought that I was able to save a life and that creature I helped had saved another. The community needs to limit the population of cats and dogs for human protection but society can become insensitive to the needs of these creatures too. As Martin Luther King Jr. has said, oppressors do not easily give freedom and the oppressed have to demand it. Animals cannot speak for themselves and they need people like the volunteers of the Coalition for Pet Protection to represent them. These people give more of their time and energy even more than I did to help these animals. I appreciate their generosity especially after what happened to Kristal. I felt very proud to have been part of their team even if it were just for my capstone. I not only learned a lot but was able to bring an additional member of my friend’s family to a safer environment.
Looking back, I am still angry at myself for not inquiring well enough on how to care for Showie. I was merely thinking of my capstone and experimenting if I can have a dog before she saved Kristal. Maybe someday I will be ready to adopt a dog from the coalition but right now, I believe that creating awareness of their projects would get more hands involved and create success stories like Showie’s. This I can do while I foster that Labrador they were offering.
Sees Candies for CPP are available at:
Parkview Animal Hospital, 3201 S. 10th St.
South Ridge Animal Clinic, 2901 Pine Lake Rd. Suite D
Animal Haven Pet Hospital, 1401 N. 56th St.
Nebraska Animal Medical Center, 5730 Old Cheney Road
