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Do this for My Birthday Present
”I met and worked with some of the kindest and most dedicated people I have ever met. And things that impressed me the most were the level of organization, under conditions of stress and hardship, that people demonstrated and the compassion people showed for each animal, not just those injured, emaciated and hungry for companionship, but also for highly defensive dogs displaying evidence of a history of abuse. “In the Tylertown rescue camp, each animal was assessed for shock, triaged by voluntary vets for emergency care, assessed for behavior, bathed, groomed and photographed. “One of my most memorable stories is the reunion of a New Orleans police officer and his large black Mastiff. After several days of required, continuous duty, he returned home to find his home largely destroyed, one of his dogs dead, and the other missing , presumably dead as well. “Five weeks after the hurricane, the officer recognized his dog on-line, phoned Best Friends® and drove to Tylertown to be reunited with his dog. On his arrival with many of us watching, he got out of his car on the dusty road in the middle of the camp. His dog saw him from 50 feet away and as this big guy stood there crying, his dog ran straight to him, stood on his hind legs and at nearly face level, repeatedly licked his owner's face. I think every one of us watching was crying. “After dark, the evening of Robin’s birthday, I phoned her from someone’s cell phone to wish her happy birthday. In Wisconsin, she was running errands after work, so I got voice mail. As I started to let her know I’d call her back, about 35 people around me started singing ‘Happy Birthday, Robin!’ This message on our answering machine was the best surprise Robin could have. She saved it until I got home, and I recorded it to an audio file to replay on future birthdays. “When I left Tylertown headed north, I brought with me 13 cats and one cute little dog named Bitsy. In St. Louis, I transferred my cats and Bitsy to a waiting car for Bitsy’s relay to Topeka and new homes for the cats. “Knowing that scenes like this were repeated thousands of times is a testament to the remarkable impact Best Friends® made in the lives of animals and their owners after this tragedy in New Orleans. Having participated in a small way, I feel deeply humbled to have seen the dedication of the Best Friends® staff that created a dynamic organizational structure, effectively using the Internet, which enabled many people around the world to participate in what was a remarkable, massive volunteer effort.” |
A simple telephone call canceled plans for Robin Bloom's birthday. Robin, wife of Mark Evans, CPM, encouraged him to go to New Orleans and work with Best Friends
© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®
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