A Dog’s Life

I watched a news piece the other day about a very special place called the Rolling Dog Ranch. The Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary in Montana rescues and shelters disabled animals. Every animal who arrives at the sanctuary gets another chance to have a safe and loving home. Residents include blind dogs, blind horses, deaf dogs, blind cats, and others with medical issues like muscular dystrophy.

The entire focus of the news piece was about how the animals, though disabled, are just like any other animal.

Alayne Marker, one of the two ranch owners expressed, “Although these animals may have disabilities, they do not consider themselves handicapped. They just want to get on with life and enjoy themselves.” She related how they just really want to be dogs and cats and not treated or thought of any differently than any other dog or cat.

The website reports, “The sanctuary’s disabled residents are remarkable animals. They are happy, energetic and loving. Many of our visitors can’t believe the animals they see romping with each other and running around are blind or cope with some other kind of handicap. There isn’t a single animal here who feels sorry for itself. Each and every one of them loves being alive. That’s really the ultimate inspiration for us. Despite their disabilities, they want nothing more than a chance to enjoy life.”

A couple who adopted an animal from the ranch were interviewed. The couple stressed how wonderful their dog was and how life with the animal was no different than life with a non-disabled dog. The couple said the dog accompanied them everywhere they went and took part in all the “normal” dog activities.

There were some things I didn’t hear during the interview:

I didn’t hear that the couple’s adopted dog wasn’t welcomed by the other dogs in their neighborhood.

I didn’t hear that the couple’s friends and acquaintances were afraid or uncomfortable around the adopted dog.

I didn’t hear that the dog was treated as inferior or less intelligent by other humans.

I didn’t hear that there were kennels, doggie daycares, or dog obedience schools that refused to accept the adopted dog.

In fact, I didn’t hear anything negative about the dog. It was obvious that their dog’s life and abilities were constantly being celebrated and lauded.

If only we could transfer this to the human experience, what a wonderful world this would be.

Deborah can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Sunday and Wednesday, and can also be found at Pipecleaner Dreams.

In addition to her job as a computer engineer and her single parent responsibilities, Deborah is president of a state-wide family support group for families whose lives are touched by deafblindness, and is a tireless advocate for all people with disabilities. She writes at Pipe Cleaner Dreams and her writing has also been featured in local magazines and newspapers. Ashley’s story has also been chronicled in a book by Jonathan Mooney titled Short Bus Stories.

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