So I walked to the door and knocked.

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.   I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
 

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me.
She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's  movie. 
 

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
 

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
 

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the frail woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
 

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.
 

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked,"could you drive through downtown?"
  'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 
  'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice home.
 

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
 

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

  Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring
into the darkness, saying nothing.
 

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'

  We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico...

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.

The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said

  'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded.

  Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.      'Thank you.'

  I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut.
It was the sound of the closing of a life.

  I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.  I drove aimlessly lost in thought.
For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

  What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.  But great moments often catch us unaware ~ beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

  PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID,

BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

  You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people.  But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate  by  sending it on. 

DEAR FRIENDS OF ANIMALS.

I HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK,DOES ANYONE HAVE OR REMEMBER THE PEOM WHERE THE DOG IS TIED OUT IN THE BACK YRD AND IS LEFT THERE,THE POEM SAIDS SOMETHING LIKE I WANT TO BE PART OF THE FAMILY,PLEASE DOEN'T LEAVE ME OUT ETC.

I HAVE A DOG NEXT DOOR THAT IS GOING THREW THIS AND I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE.I HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR HELP FROM THE SHELTERS AND WOULD LOVE TO SEND THEM THIS POEM,SO MAYBE IT WILL HIT THEM IN THE HEART.IT IS GOING TO BE LOOKED INTO,BUT I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THIS POEM..

THE DOG IS A HUSKEY,HE IS NEVER EVEN PETTED,HE HAS NO WATER,HE IS SKINNY.THEY HAVE 3 OTHER DOGS THAT ARE PART OF THE FAMILY BUT THIS ONE IS SINGLED OUT,

PLEASE HELP ME HELP DAGGER.I KNOW IT';S ONLY A POEM BUT THE POEM HITS YOU RIGHT IN THE HEART.

THANKYOU SO MUCH

BRENDA

Actionline Cases

All Minnow’s Babies Are Gone:
Spay/Neuter Could Have Prevented It

If you’re still not convinced that spay/neuter is absolutely necessary in winning the struggle against pet overpopulation and a humane solution in saving countless lives, then you need to meet Minnow.

Little Minnow is only one year old. It’s hard to believe that such a young cat can already have such a tragic tale, but she does. Minnow belonged to somebody once. She was a loving pet, but that love was not returned properly. Unfortunately, Minnow wasn’t spayed and one day found herself with a belly full of babies. Minnow’s owner didn’t want a house full of cats; so when she began to show signs of labor, he kicked her out of his apartment. Without feeling a shred of obligation toward her, her condition or her future kittens, he abandoned little Minnow. She was now alone and left to have her babies in the hallway of a Bronx apartment building.

IDA's Guardian of the Month for February 2008 - Tammy Grimes

Founder of Dogs Deserve Better seeks to break the chains of suffering

It all started with a dog named Worthless. This is actually what his "owners" called him -- and therefore, not surprisingly, how they treated him. The black lab mix was tied by his neck, day after day, to the end of a chain in their yard in Tipton, Penn., a victim of neglect and loneliness. For four years, Tammy Grimes visited Worthless in secret, giving him affection and treats, until she was discovered and forbidden to see him ever again.

But Grimes remained haunted by her compassion for the helpless pooch, and spent two heartbreaking years driving by his yard every day, longing to help him. Knowing that he was suffering inspired her to fulfill her life's mission: ending the common but harmful practice of tethering dogs to a few square feet of ground for their entire lives. Though by nature averse to confrontation, Grimes knew it was the only way she could make a difference for chained dogs, so she founded Dogs Deserve Better in 2002.

Grimes calls chained and penned dogs "the forgotten cause" because their pain is so often overlooked in a world where millions of dogs are still suffering and dying in laboratory experiments, illegal fighting rings, and in shelters due to overbreeding. But their suffering is nonetheless real. Dogs need affection and plenty of exercise to be happy and healthy, but living on the end of a chain typically means they don't get nearly enough of either, leaving them frustrated, neurotic, and often dangerous to people (especially children) and other animals. Left on for a long enough stretch, a tether can even become embedded underneath the skin of a dog's neck, causing an extremely painful and possibly life-threatening infection.

There are five states and numerous communities where laws have been passed to limit the amount of time per day that dogs can be kept tethered, and Tammy Grimes has been instrumental in the passage of many of them. Yet in most places in the other 45 states, people can legally keep their dogs chained for as long as they want, and all too often do. Grimes is one of the leaders in a relatively recent movement to redress this problem and change people's habits.

As such, she has saved many dogs from the fate of lifelong confinement, sometimes putting her own freedom on the line in the process. In one famous case, Grimes and her team responded to neighbors' calls about a dog who appeared dead when they arrived on the scene. Severely undernourished with his coat bald in patches, the poor canine was unable to stand, his legs flailing about in the mud and his own feces. The rescuers documented the animal's condition with video and photos, and Grimes took him to a vet. After the exam, Grimes took the dog (who she'd dubbed "Doogie") home, where she gave him a bath, food, and water.

That evening, Grimes was arrested and taken into custody for refusing to return Doogie to the "owners" whose long-term neglect was responsible for his suffering and near-death at the end of a chain. For taking courageous action, Grimes was charged with theft and receiving stolen goods, and was convicted on December 14, 2007. On the day of the guilty verdict, Grimes posted this statement: "Sadly, nothing will change until the laws are amended so that animals are no longer considered to be property, equal in value to a television set or a mailbox." She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22nd, 2008.

While both Grimes and Doogie have suffered from a travesty of justice, her courageous act of putting a dog's welfare ahead of her own and facing down an unjust legal system has drawn unprecedented national attention to the problem she is fighting to fix. And she did help Doogie: he spent his final months with an adoring foster family, receiving at last the devotion, comfort, and tender care he had lacked on his chain. Grimes had also managed to rescue the dog formerly known as Worthless in 2003, having gone back with increased confidence as founder of Dogs Deserve Better to claim him from his neglectful "owners." She renamed him Bo, and enjoyed the privilege of being his guardian for the last six months of his life.

In her work and life, Grimes exemplifies the core concept of what being a guardian is all about: respecting animal companions as individuals who need care, attention, and respect to thrive. Her example shows that every person has the capacity to overcome their fears to help those who cannot help themselves. May she continue to succeed in her quest to free dogs from their binding chains.

What You Can Do:

• Learn how you can help pass an anti-chaining law in your state or community.

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