Quote Originally Posted by jenn_librarian View Post
There is definitely a special place in heaven for people like you.
I do appreciate all of the feedback, but I guess it's time for some honest talk. Yes, I have in recent times found myself sacrificing time, money, and energy to save the lives and dignity of some of God's defenseless creatures. But it wasn't always that way. Although I never went out of my way to be cruel to an animal there was a time when I wasn't nearly so considerate. Truth is, I do have some black spots on my record.

Fortunately, only a few black spots. I saw an ad in the paper for free puppies. I picked one up and delivered it to a relative as a gift, but she didn't want it. I was in my early 20's, and what did I know? So I found a friend who would take the puppy off my hands. In time he and his family found that they couldn't care for it either, so it ended up back with me. She was a precious little thing. My friend and his family had named her "Precious." That has been years ago, and I can barely recall much about the situation, but eventually she got very sick. I recall a neighbor sending one of her children to my house to tell me about the "sick" puppy hanging out in her yard. I went to retrieve it, and as I lifted little Princess into my arms she licked me. She was so sick she couldn't walk and could barely lift her head. All I did was place her in the garage with a bowl of water, then ..., I left her there. She was dead by the next morning.

Even though it has been around 30 years since that incident, I still can not get the image out of my mind. My Pet Talk friends, I am a sorry, no-good animal neglecter. No matter how many animals I rescue and care for now I shall never make up for that one incident of cruelty and neglect.

The only other such incident that I can recall came around the same time. A co-worker asked me if I would take a puppy off his hands. I did. I do not recall the puppy's name, but he was a gorgeous little German Shephard mix. In time I found that he was too much for me, so I drove around until I found a pack of dogs roaming the neighborhood. Then I did the unthinkable: I let the pup out the car and drove off. I have no idea what became of him.

These images haunt me. These thoughts of mine, that I should be so cruel and neglectful grieve me constantly. No matter how much money I spend on vet bills; no matter how much money I spend on dog food and cat food; no matter what I do I can never make up for these past indiscretions.

I am a regular guy. I like to curse, smoke cigars, eat steak, watch football, chase women, show off. Of course, at my age and in my health I no longer smoke cigars or eat steaks or chase women (it wouldn't do me any good anyway), but I am a regular, normal man. In other words, I don't think about much, except myself. I recall back when I was less considerate of others. I was a bully among my peers. I think of a young man to whom I was inconsiderate -- no I was a downright bully. I did, however, have an opportunity to see him a few years later, and when I did I apologized for my previous disposition toward him. "Gee, I don't remember," came his reply. He either genuinely did not recall, or he was being far more considerate to me than I had been to him. Either way, among God's creatures he proved himself to be much better and much bigger than I.

I hope that someday I do stand before God. And above all else I want God to give me exactly what's coming to me. I don't want mercy. I want to pay for my crimes. I hope God does not consign me to burn for eternity, but I do want to do some sort of penance. I want something else. I want an opportunity to see and apologize to Princess and the other puppy. I want to tell them that I am sorry for what I did. I imagine in my mind that if that opportunity presents itself that I shall hear something like, "Gee, I don't remember." And if and when I do, then among God's creatures, those two precious ones will have proved themselves to be bigger and better than I.