Ginger - My Hero

Then the Woman picked up a roasted mutton-bone and threw it to Wild Dog, and said, "Wild Thing out of Wild Woods, taste and try." Wild Dog gnawed the bone, and it was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted, and he said, "O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, give me another."

The Woman said, "Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, help my Man to hunt through the day and guard this Cave at night, and I will give you as many roast bones as you need...."

Wild Dog crawled into the Cave and laid his head on the Woman's lap, and said, "O my Friend and Wife of my Friend, I will help your Man to hunt through the day, and at night I will guard your Cave."--Rudyard Kipling. (Schwartz, 1997)

Dogs have become part of our culture throughout the world. There are nearly 53 million dogs in America. Over 75 percent of American households have a dog as part of their family. The dog was the first animals to live with their owners and the only animals found in human societies all over the world.

We all have a story about our dog; the special way they become incorporated in our family. Dogs have proven themselves amazingly adaptive beings, and this is true in America as it is elsewhere in the world.

I have a mixed breed dog that is nine years old. Her name is Ginger and she is my hero. Her photo will be used to identify the love, sensitivity, and compassion that the dog gives to their human family. Throughout time many “mug” shots have become icons for products all around the world.

The hero dog Rin Tin Tin films ran from 1954 through 1958. Rim Tin was a German shepherd dog found in a German trench during World War I by American captain Lee Duncan; the captain brought him back to L.A. and trained him to work in films.

Lassie was the story of an intelligent, heroic collie and his young owner. Timmy would find himself in difficult situation and Lassie would come to save the day. The list of dog heroes continues.

Ginger is why I am still here today. In 2002, I began a 3 ½ years battle with pancreatitis. I was married and it was just the three of us around the house. After putting down our previous dog, because of lymphoma, we said we would never get another dog. Never say never! The desire to invite another dog into our family was too great. Ginger brought with her the energy and excitement that a puppy brings. Her unconditional love and wanting to please us was fantastic. I was in and out of the hospital for about 18 months. My wife would visit me in the hospital and one the first things I would ask her was, “How is Ginger?” Ginger is my baby girl and I missed hear a great deal.

When I would come home after being in the hospital for 2 to 3 months at a time Ginger was always there to gently greet me. The myth that dogs can sense when you are not feeling well is not so. Ginger would always come and greet everyone with excitement, but not this time. She gently walked up to me, sat down in front of me and waited form me to pet her. She continued to quietly lie at my feet and watch me. I would put my hand down and Ginger would walk to me and sit as I pet her. Dogs are very sensitive to the needs of the two legged family.

The day after Easter, in 2002, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. None of the therapies were working and she was given less than six months to live. All this was going on while I was going through my own illness and I already had 2 major surgeries. Ginger was right there beside us as we both were fighting for our lives.

In November my wife lost her battle to cancer and two days later I was back in the hospital for six weeks. After being home for 3 weeks in had to go back to the hospital again, this time I didn’t come home for 6 months. For the first two months, Ginger was home by herself and the neighbors came over every day to feed and water her. My daughter took her to her house for the following 4 months. Ginger probably thought I had abandoned her.

I finally made it back home and Ginger was still at my daughter’s house. After few days, I went to pick Ginger up and bring her back home. When I saw her I began to cry and she, again, gently walked up to me, sat down, and waited for me to pet her. I petted and talked to her all the way home.

Earlier in this writing about a popular culture artifact, I stated that Ginger is the reason I am here today. This is because her unconditional love, gentleness, and desire to please gave me the drive to get better and get home to take care of her. My wife had passed away and Ginger kept me going.

The stereotype that dogs are just dogs is very unfair. Yes, dogs are dogs but they are also what you allow them to be within your family circle. Dogs will give so much back to us without wanting anything in return. They are loyal to their owner’s and are very sensitive to the needs of people.

Ginger is a hero and should be a celebrity. What she has done for me over the past seven years cannot be repaid. I will treat her with the love that she gives me as a dog and give her the best life that a dog can have. It will be a hard, hard time when she has to be put down. I hope people reading this tribute will see the same things in their dogs and share their stories for everyone to read.

The formula used to create my hero is the same as with any love story. Dogs are here for us to share our lives with and if we will let them, they will teach us many things about life. Compassion, unconditional love, loyalty, and gentleness are just a few types of character that we can see every day through our dogs.

I hope that be initiating this tribute to Ginger in the form of a blog, many will be able to read and become inspired to work with their dogs and understand the true value of their companionship.



References

Brown, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Cultures: A Reader. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Petrie, D. (Director). (1990). Lassie [Motion Picture].

Schwartz, M. (1997). A History of Dogs in the Early Americas. New York: Yale University Press.

Sorapure, M. P. (2007). Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Stevenson, R. (Director). (1957). Old Yeller [Motion Picture].