Winners in Life

"One of our family's all-time favorite pets was a dog named Scampy. He was a black-and-tan, rag-eared mutt, part cocker, part Schnauzer, part whatcha-ma-call-it. When he was six months old, he was hit by a car and suffered a broken hind leg, which was put in a splint. Gangrene developed, and the veterinarian recommended euthanasia. My children, however, full of love and affection for Scampy, lobbied for amputation, and their tearful motion, put to a vote in a family council, was carried.

To my pleasant surprise, Scampy adjusted beautifully. Like a tricycle with the wheels reversed, he developed excellent balance, and although running in unorthodox motion, he moved amazingly fast. Squirrels scattered when he flew off the back porch as though propelled by a pogo stick.

Friends of the children called him Hopalong or Tripod or Crip, among other names, but Scampy had a couple of advantages over people: He didn't understand their jibes, and he didn't know that he had a disability. He lived on courageously for many years, doing the best with what he had. People who can do the same are, I am convinced, the winners in life."

Fred Bauer "Dog Tales - Lessons in Love" from Guideposts