Man's Best Hero. Ace Collins
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Название: Man's Best Hero

Автор: Ace Collins

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Биология

Серия:

isbn: 9781426787386

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      Half Title

      MAN’S BEST HERO

      Title

      Ace Collins

      Man’s Best Hero

      True Stories of Great American Dogs

      Abingdon Press Nashville

      Copyright

      Man’s Best Hero

      True Stories of Great American Dogs

      Copyright © 2014 by Ace Collins

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801, or e-mailed to [email protected].

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been requested.

      ISBN 978-1-4267-7661-8

      MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

      Dedication

      For a great dog trainer who chose to follow in his father’s footsteps,

      Bob Weatherwax

      Contents

      Contents

       1. Opportunity The Importance of Second Chances

       2. Tenacity He Never Surrendered

       3. Determination Exceeding Every Expectation

       4. Potential Looking for a Reason to Live

       5. Duty The Dog Terrorists Could Not Defeat

       6. Fortitude The Will to Finish the Climb

       7. Loyalty It’s the Size of the Heart That Matters Most

       8. Love What the World Needs Now and Always

       9. Courage The Power of Directed Passion

       10. Gratitude The Christmas Stable Miracle

       11. Purpose Driven to Go Beyond the Call

       12. Character Not Just Playing a Hero

       13. Faithfulness Finding a Calling

      1. Opportunity

       1

      Opportunity

      The Importance of Second Chances

      All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.

      —Albert Einstein

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      Out of all of the world’s creatures, the dog is the one that truly needs to love and serve to be happy and fulfilled. This book focuses on dogs that have earned the title hero. Their stories are as varied as their backgrounds. From a four-pound terrier that initiated a mighty movement during World War II, to a massive canine that fought a frigid winter storm to save the man he loved, to a dog that brought hope to those whose spirits were crushed by the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, the animals in these pages have accomplished things far beyond what people believed they could. So in a sense these tales are both inspirational and comforting, but that is not the purpose for placing them in this book. The real reason for telling these amazing stories is to fully present the potential of all dogs, including those in your home right now. All of these canines, be they purebred or mutt, are looking for a calling, yearning to find their potential, and wanting to live out the challenge once issued by the great missionary doctor Albert Schweitzer: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but I do know that the only ones among you who will truly be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” Thanks to a bit of help from humans, the dogs in this book found a life of service. And that is the challenge for each of us as pet owners. We should not just furnish them a home but also provide our companions with a reason to live.

      With that in mind I felt a good place to begin this book was not by focusing on a dog but on a person who loves both dogs and humans. Through faith, determination, vision, and persistence, she has found a way to give the animals no one wanted and the people deemed unforgiveable a second chance at life. And that is a theme found throughout this book—second chances.

      Beautiful, tall, and elegant, on first glance Renie Rule defines sophistication and grace. She could be the model for the modern businesswoman. But so much more than her career defines her. Rule possesses charismatic warmth that draws you right into her soul and a spirit that inspires those around her to dig deeper and climb higher. Robert F. Kennedy once said, “There are those who look at things and ask why, I dream of things that never were and ask why not.” Rule is one of those rare people who constantly finds answers to problems others usually fail to see.

      The Fort Worth native and Little Rock resident is the executive director of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. And though her activities in helping to guide one of the nation’s top teaching hospitals are remarkable, it is her job of transforming lives through volunteer work that has seen her create a new breed of heroes. These all but unnoticed champions were once unwanted canines that were on their way to doggy death row but now serve as assistance animals, therapy dogs, and pets. Her revolutionary work has touched thousands, and it was remarkably born out of one sad man’s final request.

      Rule’s upbringing as a missionary’s kid gave her a slightly different point of view than most folks. After watching her parents work in some of the poorest areas on the globe and live out their passion for service each day of their lives, Rule doesn’t look for what she can take but rather searches for what she can give. Even as a child in Brazil she was saving starving dogs while her parents were feeding hungry people. Perhaps it was those actions that gave her the conviction that every animal and person, no matter what they have done in the past, has the potential to be something remarkable now and in the future.

      In the summer of 1994, Rule was forty-four when she read a newspaper story about Hoyt Franklin Clines. Clines was on death row awaiting execution for robbery and murder. In his final interview he told a reporter he had hoped his last meal would be a hamburger, French fries, and banana bread. The first two were easy requests СКАЧАТЬ