WRW? - Episode 5 - “The Moment”

Written By Diane Thomas

Summary - Our guest is Jeff from eastern Nebraska. Jeff is a retired Air Force Officer and current government contractor. His story will not only encourage those with sadness and loss in their life to rescue a dog, but we hope it inspires people to seek out the help that they need.  Sadness brought on by loss, pain, or any other circumstance, can lead to isolation.  In Jeff’s case, even though his wife, Tammy, of many years, has been a life partner and there to help, it wasn’t until he found his rescue dog Aimee, that he knew it was what he needed to ease his troubles and make life more complete.

“The Moment” ~ Episode 5 - Show Notes and Script for the Hearing Impaired*

Summary - Our guest today is Jeff from eastern Nebraska. Jeff is a retired Air Force Officer and current government contractor. His story will not only encourage those with sadness and loss in their life to rescue a dog, but we hope it inspires people to seek out the help that they need.  Sadness brought on by loss, pain, or any other circumstance, can lead to isolation.  In Jeff’s case, even though his wife, Tammy, of many years, has been a life partner and there to help, it wasn’t until he found his rescue dog Aimee, that he knew it was what he needed to ease his troubles and make life more complete.

*Below the Show Notes you will find a full script for the hearing impaired.

Episode Highlights/Takeaways

  • Puppy Mills - (at 01:38 - 01:57) - According to the Humane Society, (https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/stopping-puppy-mills) a puppy mill is an inhumane high-volume dog breeding facility that churns out puppies for profit, ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers. Dogs from puppy mills are often sick and unsocialized. Puppy mills commonly sell through internet sales, online classified ads, flea markets and pet stores. In fact, the majority of puppies sold in pet stores and online are from puppy mills. Responsible breeders will be happy to meet you in person and show you where the puppy was born and raised—and where their mom lives too. Mother dogs spend their entire lives in cramped cages with little to no personal attention. When the mother and father dogs can no longer breed, they are abandoned or killed. Due to poor sanitation, overbreeding and a lack of preventive veterinary care, the puppies from puppy mills frequently suffer from a variety of health issues, creating heartbreaking challenges for families who should be enjoying the delights of adopting a new family member. The sad facts are these: there are an estimated 10,000 currently active puppy mills in the United States, approximately 500,000 dogs are kept solely for breeding purposes, and 2.6 million puppies are sold each year after originating from a puppy mill.

  • Donation - (at 08:32 - 09:55) - The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast makes a donation to the rescue of choice in honor of the guest(s) we feature on each episode. Jeff would like this episode’s donation to go to The Nebraska Humane Society. The Nebraska Humane Society is the fifth oldest humane society in the nation, and today, is also one of the largest. They offer shelter to animals who have no place to call home and provide vital services to them and to the people who love them. Every year, more than 24,000 animals, including wildlife, find their way to their doors. Through their programs, they touch the lives of more than 200,000 people annually with their message of compassion and humane treatment for all living creatures. The Nebraska Humane Society is housed on a 13-acre campus with170 dedicated staff members and 500 volunteers. Their mission is to protect, save and enrich the lives of animals in the communities they serve. Their vision is a good home for every pet. The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast will post a link in our Show Notes in case you’d like to donate to The Nebraska Humane Society as well. You can also see pictures of Jeff and Aimee by visiting the Episode Page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com.

  • Tail Wagging - (at 09:57 - 10:17) According to the Veterinarian’s Centers of America, the wag of a dog’s tail is one of the best methods of communication in the canine kingdom. Tail wagging may indicate insecurity, aggression, friendliness, or excitement. You can read an article by Lynn Buzhardt, DVM, on tail agging and and interpreting tail wags in dogs by clicking the link here. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/interpreting-tail-wags-in-dogs

  • “Dances with Wolves” - (at 11:14 - 12:04) “Dances with Wolves” is a 1990 American epic Western film starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner. It tells the story of Union Army Lt. John J. Dunbar played by (Costner), who travels to the American frontier, to a military outpost, where he befriends of a group of Lakota Native Americans. While living at the outpost alone, he has several encounters with a wolf, whom he affectionally names Two Socks, due to the white markings on his lower legs. It was Lt. Dunbars’ patience with Two Socks that resulted in a trusting relationship.

  • Veteran’s and Dogs - (at 13:27 - 14:49) - There are many organizations helping to connect veterans with dogs after their service is ended. Here are just a few, along with links to their websites ~ K9s for Warriors , Operation Delta Dog , and Pets for Vets .

  • Quote - (at 14:58 - 15:11) “I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” Doris Day

  • Statistic - (at 16:34 - 16:56) According to the National Alliance for Mental Health, “Dogs bring happiness into your life, and depression is often no match for the unconditional love they provide”. About 40 million US adults suffer from depression. Taking on the responsibility to care for another “creature” increases our self-worth by reassuring us that we have a purpose and are needed.

  • Sponsors - (at 18:53 - 19:04) The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales is Seeking Sponsors. If you’d like to sponsor an episode, or several, please email us at info@whorescuedwhom.com.

  • Production Note - (at 19:09 - End) - This podcast was edited and produced by Mike McClellan at podcastps.com. Mike also wrote, performed, and produced all the original music that you heard on this episode.

  • SCRIPT ~ created for the hearing impaired, can be found below, or on the Episode Page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com (Click ‘Read More’ next to Episode 4)

SCRIPT for the HEARING IMPAIRED

WRW? Canine Rescue Tales - Episode 5 ~  “The Moment”

This script, for the hearing impaired, was created using the online platform Descript, then edited by Host Diane Thomas

INTRODUCTION MUSIC (“Missy’s Theme”) ~

Host - John Thomas - It's the Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast and we’re your hosts, John and Diane. Today’s episode will tug at your heart, it certainly did ours.  Our guest today is Jeff from eastern Nebraska. Jeff is a retired Air Force Officer and current government contractor. His story will not only encourage those with sadness and loss in their life to rescue a dog, but we hope it inspires people to seek out the help that they need.  Sadness brought on by loss, pain, or any other circumstance, can lead to isolation.  In Jeff’s case, even though his wife, Tammy, of many years, has been a life partner and there to help, it wasn’t until he found his rescue dog Aimee, that he knew it was what he needed to ease his troubles and make life more complete.

Host - Diane Thomas - Before we tell you Jeff’s story, do you have a rescue story you’d like to share with our audience? We’d love to talk with you. Just go to the ‘Be A Guest’ page on our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com, and fill out our Future Guest Information Form.  You can also email us at info@whorescuedwhom.com, or message us through our FaceBook Page. 

Host - John Thomas - Jeff grew up with what he calls, “farm” dogs. The were kept outside keeping watch over the property and accompanied family members hunting and fishing. Many were lost to the highway near their home. Later in life, his military career brought him to Nebraska and in 1999 he got a wonderful dog named Freckles, from what was essentially a puppy mill. 

Host - Diane Thomas - According to the Humane Society, a puppy mill is an inhumane high-volume dog breeding facility that churns out puppies for profit, ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers. There are an estimated 10,000 currently active puppy mills in the United States, and 2.6 million puppies are sold each year after originating from a puppy mill.

Host - John Thomas - Fast forward to 2013, it was a tough year for Jeff, but then Aimee entered his life.

Missy’s Theme Music fades out here…

Guest - Jeff - A couple things that happened in 2013, were quite traumatic for me and it was my mom passing away and, uh, Freckles passed away.  And so I, I had told myself no more dogs! I mean, too much work, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, for about a month, maybe, (laughter), and I realized that, to me, a dog was important.

Host - John Thomas - People who bond with their dogs know all too well that the time they get to spend with their four legged friends is way too short and the grief that follows their passing can be gut-wrenching. So much so they initially swear off dogs forever, but many soon realize that something is missing. Something that fulfills a need, something that overcomes that grief.

Guest - Jeff - It's hard to put your finger on it. Uh, they're not humans, but other than my immediate family, I've come to appreciate the fact that I'd probably rather hang around with the dog than most humans anyway. So, uh, I started looking and I don't remember who it was, but they suggested that I look into a rescue.

Host - Diane Thomas - Jeff came across a local rescue’s webpage. The rescue was located in eastern Nebraska.

Guest - Jeff - I started looking and, I sent you some pictures this morning. The first one was of Aimee. The fact that, pictures states a thousand words is an understatement because when I saw the picture, I mean, I just knew that was the, that was the dog. I don't know, pictures can't talk, but this one did.

So this was, I would say early November of 2013, and I called the people and they told me the story about her, that she was rescued from a high kill shelter in South East, Missouri, near a town called Farmington, which, it goes back to the point, it makes absolutely zero sense how she and I came to be, because this is like a 10 hour drive away from here, where she had come off of, like a farm where she had been chased by wild dogs, her entire time. She went to the shelter pregnant, they aborted her babies, and they were going to kill her because, during the course of the time, when she was on this farm, she was horribly abused, it was just heart heartbreaking to hear what had happened with this dog.

But, you know, not knowing what I didn't know, other than the fact that the picture talked to me, I wanted to meet her. So we set up a time, uh, to go meet her. But before that time they had warned me that, it was their assessment, and this is probably pretty strange coming from a place that does rescues, that she was possibly un-adoptable because she was so abused. And I'm going, oh boy. Uh, but again, the picture talked. So we went and that first meeting was at a place called Pet’s Earth, it was just kind of a neutral place to go see her. We came in and she was in the corner shaking, like a leaf.

So the lady said, this is Aimee over here, but you can see she's a mess. And so Tammy and this lady sat down and I just laid on the floor, that’s what I did. I didn't want to be imposing. I didn't want to be intimidating. I just, laid on the floor. I didn't say anything. And pretty soon, it’s like the dog is, I mean, superimposed of what I think a dog might say to itself, if it says anything at all is like, “Hey, this, this guy's not going to kick me or beat me.” So she came out of her corner and like circled around, but she didn't stop. And she went right back to the corner. I just laid there and this went on a couple, three times. And pretty soon I touched her, she shot back to the corner. And the lady said, see, I mean, I kind of warned you guys that this might not work out.

Music fades in here ~

Host - Diane Thomas - Many dogs are deemed un-adoptable due to age, or, for medical, emotional, or mental issues. Aimee may have been a mess, as the rescue gal described, but Jeff saw something more.

Guest - Jeff - She said, well, what do you think? And I said, I'm going to take her. And it’s like, what? Are you, I mean, she basically was implying, are you crazy? But she didn't say that, and I said, no, I'm going to love her out of it. 

Music fades out here ~

Host - John Thomas - Over the next few weeks Jeff and Tammy filled out the adoption papers, but the rescue kept asking them, “Do you really want this dog?” They insisted that they did. So the rescue came over and inspected the house and property to make sure theirs was a safe and proper home for Aimee. 

Guest - Jeff - So we set up a time on Thanksgiving weekend cause I was going to be off a couple extra days. So, they came over and brought her and she ran upstairs to one of the upstairs bedrooms, I call it one of my upstairs man caves, and she jumped up on the bed and she's, that's her favorite place, even to this day. The second picture that I sent you is our first picture that Thanksgiving weekend. And she’s setting in a dog bed that we got for her, and that's me in the red sweatshirt, (laughter) which obviously detracts from the picture, but that's okay.

Music fades in here ~

Host - Diane Thomas - We’ll be right back with more of Jeff and Aimee’s story after we tell you about this episode’s donation. The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast makes a donation to the rescue of choice in honor of the guest(s) we feature on each episode. Jeff would like this episode’s donation to go to The Nebraska Humane Society.  The Nebraska Humane Society is the fifth oldest humane society in the nation, and today, is also one of the largest. They offer shelter to animals who have no place to call home and provide vital services to them and to the people who love them. Every year, more than 24,000 animals, including wildlife, find their way to their doors. Through their programs, they touch the lives of more than 200,000 people annually with their message of compassion and humane treatment for all living creatures. The Nebraska Humane Society is housed on a 13-acre campus with170 dedicated staff members and 500 volunteers. Their mission is to protect, save and enrich the lives of animals in the communities they serve. Their vision is a good home for every pet. The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast will post a link in our Show Notes in case you’d like to donate to The Nebraska Humane Society as well. You can also see pictures of Jeff and Aimee by visiting the Episode Page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com.

Music starts fading out here ~

Host - John Thomas - According to the Veterinarian’s Centers of America, the wag of a dog’s tail is one of the best methods of communication in the canine kingdom. Tail wagging may indicate insecurity, aggression, friendliness, or excitement. With Aimee, Jeff realized something wasn’t quite right.

Guest - Jeff - What I noticed for the first few months is she never wagged her tail or she never barked like, you know, dogs bark, right? She never did that. And it was like she was mute and almost couldn't express feelings of being excited when the tail wags, if that's what that means. So fast forward to February of 2014. So, you know, a few months, and like I said, she hadn't wagged her tail, no barking. She would always wait at this big glass door, on the front of the house. She knew what time I came home from work and she would always lay at that door, but she never wagged her tail, she just laid there and watched at the door, kind of like, kind of like “Dances with Wolves”. It was one of those weird things. It was like, I would see her and she would stand up, but she was looking through me. Very strange.

Music fades in here ~

Host - John Thomas - Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic Western film starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner. It tells the story of Union Army Lt. John J. Dunbar played by (Costner), who travels to the American frontier, to a military outpost, where he befriends of a group of Lakota Native Americans. While living at the outpost alone, he has several encounters with a wolf, whom he affectionally names Two Socks, due to the white markings on his lower legs. It was Lt. Dunbars’ patience with Two Socks that resulted in a trusting relationship.

Music fades out here ~

Guest - Jeff - So, uh, one day I came home and it was February and there was snow on the ground, and I got out of the car, like I normally did and went down and checked the mail box, and all of a sudden, here comes this dog charging out the front door, barking and just going crazy, tail wagging, and uh, I thought, wow, this is a different dog. And since that time it was like, it was like a weight had been lifted off of her.

Music fades in here ~

Host - John Thomas - It has been Diane’s and my experience with each of our rescues, that there comes a “moment”, usually within the first few days of bringing home a rescue, when the dog realizes for the first time, “Hey, this is my home now, I’m safe, I’m loved and I can stop being afraid and be myself!” They come out of their reserved, cautious selves and their personality shines through! We like to call this, “the moment”.  Aimee’s moment took a few months to come, it finally came!

Music fades out here ~

Host - Diane Thomas - Aimee fulfilled a need Jeff didn’t know he had. Years earlier he’d visited with a Veteran’s Administration, or VA Doctor.

Guest - Jeff - He said, how you doing? And I said, well, you know, I'm okay. But I don't, and I don't know how to explain this, so I'm going to screw it up, but I'm not who I was. I have no idea how to explain it other than, well, of course I lost my mom, and lost my dog. And, uh, but I'm not who I was. And he said, I think you got major depression. And of course, now you're, you're telling me the guy who was at every event, was like the court jester, right, and does just kind of nut-so and crazy stuff and whatnot. But now this guy's telling me that I have this major depression, so they put me on a pills. But that wasn't, that wasn't all it.

Host - Diane Thomas - What he needed, was Aimee.

Guest - Jeff - So the fact that, we had each other, I think that that really helped me. It helped me more than, any medication, it helped me interact with a creature who seemed to understand.

Music fades in here ~

Host - Diane Thomas - (Quote) “I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” Doris Day

Music fades out here ~

Host - John Thomas - Aimee changed Jeff’s life in many ways. For instance, Jeff had been a hunter all of his life, but his compassion and empathy for Aimee’s tormented past made him look at it differently.

Guest - Jeff - I used to be like a big hunter. I couldn't shoot, I couldn't shoot anything now. I couldn't put a worm on the hook now because I wouldn't want to hurt it. And, and, you know, I'm the guy that if there's a fly on the door, the glass on the front door, not that the house was full of flies, but if one happens to get in, right, I open the door so it can get out. So anyway, anyway, I, I think some of those behaviors are a direct result of knowing what she went through.

Host - Diane Thomas - So we asked Jeff, Who Rescued Whom?

Guest - Jeff - I would submit that it's possible that we kind of saved each other in a different way and in a different context than you might put into taking on, uh, a shelter animal or that interaction with a human. This goes beyond that because I can tell you, I am very different.

Host - John Thomas - According to the National Alliance for Mental Health, “Dogs bring happiness into your life, and depression is often no match for the unconditional love they provide”. About 40 million US adults suffer from depression. Taking on the responsibility to care for another “creature” increases our self-worth by reassuring us that we have a purpose and are needed.

Host - Diane Thomas - Jeff shared a funny story with us about the love and connection he has with Aimee.

Guest - Jeff - I can be kind of a jokester, I mean Tammy, and I have been married since '83 and started dating in ’77, she knows me pretty well, and honestly has nobody to blame but herself for being here. Tammy told me early on, she said, “that dog is in love with you!” And of course, what would a smart guy like myself say about that? Oh, well of course she is. She can't help herself, (laughter) But the point is, I think there is a capability in these animals to show love, whatever that is. I mean, there's probably a lot of ways to define it, but there something about this dog and that connection with me that, I think that, genuinely dogs have the capacity to love their humans.

Missy’s Theme music fades in here ~

Host - John Thomas - Dogs, their simple lives are centered around their daily interaction with each of us, their family, their pack. As I was writing this, our current rescue dogs, Rex and Zoey, were comfortably laying on their beds, sound asleep, with not a care in the world, as usual. Whenever I get up and walk over towards them, they each raise their heads and with a twinkle in their eyes convey to me that they are “in” for whatever I want to do at that moment and will eagerly join me in the day’s adventures. They are ready companions, and though the precious few years that we get to share with them are all too short, they stand ready to accompany us for a little while on our journey through life. As Jeff treasures Aimee, I treasure our dogs and the joy they bring to our home; I wouldn’t have it any other way. Please consider rescuing a dog. 

Host - Diane Thomas - The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast is seeking sponsors.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode, or several, please email us at info@whorescuedwhom.com.

Host - John Thomas - This podcast was edited and produced by Mike McClellan at podcastps.com. Mike also wrote, performed and produced all the music that you heard on this episode.

Missy’s Theme music fades out to end ~

Diane Thomas
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