Lefty's Lessons

continued

Lefty is now the unspoken mascot of the group--sort of an amputee version of the Mack Truck bulldog. Even without words, Lefty has turned out to be an excellent teacher. Her lessons about how to live as an amputee are wholly unconscious and entirely unforgettable.

This group knows the litanies of suffering well. Members have spent days--for some, years--asking why: Why me? Why now? Why didn't I just die? Why is there all this suffering? Then, enter this amputee dog. Lefty does not ask why bad things happen to good dogs--she just gets on with her life. In a culture obsessed with fairness and equality, Lefty's demeanor is untroubled. Life has dealt her a bad hand, but that is OK with her.

The night that the former prom queen joined the group, she told the story of her amputation for the first time. Soon she broke into tears. Before anyone could say anything, Lefty got up and hobbled across the room.

She sat down in front of the crying woman, heaved her one front paw onto her shoulder, and gave her a kiss. The tense room melted into laughter. The dog did what everyone wanted to do. A slobbery kiss always helps.