-=> Quoting Doris Dignard to Barbara Hazen <=-
 
 DD> Am I correct in thinking that you are blind?  If so, how do you manage
-=> Quoting Barbara Hazen to Doris Dignard:
 BH> I have a computer with special speech soft and hardware.  My
 BH> speechboard reads everything on the screen.  Also, I am using the
 BH> Bluewave offline mailreader.  
Well, thank the Lord for high tech. These types of wonderful
accomplishments are becoming more and more available. What a wonderful
thing, the manner in which such miraculous items become common place.
Several years ago I was corresponding with a young woman and her husband,
both of whom were disabled persons. She was a quadriplegic and typed out
her messages by holding a pencil in her mouth and moving from key to key.
Lost contact with her when they were both hired by a state agency to fill
some specialty positions in another city.
 
 DD> If your dog is necessary, it's too bad that you can't take it to your 
 DD> moms home.  Guide dogs are such well behaved dogs.
 BH> My guide dog is definitely necessary.  
 BH> At the moment, the guide dog in question is laying at my feet.  
Bet you love that baby. This family contributes regularly to the "Guide
Dogs of America" located in Sylmar, California. I think they recently made
a name change to: "International Guide Dogs, Ltd". They were nearly wiped
out a few years ago as a result of that last horrendous earthquake in
Southern California. 
So many people fail to recognize the value of a dog, and many detest them
for no identifiable reason. Mostly ignorance. It is assumed that you are
very fond of yours and probably others, and as a matter of interest, I am
sending on something to you that you might enjoy. It was run some years ago
in one of the Pet Echoes.
A TRIBUTE TO THE DOG
A speech to the jury by the late Senator Vest of Missouri, in the
trial of an action to recover damages for the wanton killing of a
dog belonging to a neighbor. Mr. Vest represented the plaintiff
who demanded $200 damages. 
As a result of this speech, the jury after two minute deliberation
found for the plaintiff and assessed the damages at $500, after asking
the Court if the man who had shot the dog could not be punished by
imprisonment or be more severely dealt with.
"Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in this world
may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter
that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those
who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our
happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith.
The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him,
perhaps when he needs it the most. 
A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered
action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor
when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice
when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely
unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one
that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or
treacherous, is his dog.
Gentleman of the Jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity
and in poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold
ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely,
if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand
that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that
come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the
sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all
other friends desert, he remains. 
When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as
constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If
fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless
and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of
accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against enemies,
and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in
its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if
all other friends pursue their way, there by his grave side will the
noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open
in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."
Good Luck to you and have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Regards,
Bert
P.S. Hope the moderator will foregive this off topic intrusion.
--- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 
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