她绕着教室走,从一个孩子到另一个孩子,也到老师那里,她把前爪贴在他们膝上,探身舔去他们脸上的泪珠。孩子们不由地抱住她的背,使劲地用手指揉搓她的毛,要是一天都这样的话,霍莉准会成秃毛狗了。她并不要求受到极大的关注,只是默默把爱和安慰送给人们。在那漫长而又痛苦的一天里,霍莉不知疲倦地默默安慰着人们。
那天下午,我钻进汽车前座坐下来,感情的创伤令我身心憔悴。我只想回家。我回过头,惊奇地发现霍莉已经在后座睡着了。她即使不比我更累,也和我一样筋疲力尽。我的良心再一次受到谴责。让自己的爱犬承担陷入痛苦的孩子们感情上的责任,这公平吗?她是不是该待在家里,享受宠物那悠闲的生活呢?
这些疑惑,可能说明了为什么有时我早上匆忙准备去学校时,要停下来,不是叫霍莉上车,而是看着她,问道:“今天你想去学校吗?”当她急切地跳起,摇着尾巴,激动不已时,我想她已经回答了我们急于想要的答案。是的,霍莉今天上班。
ForHollyandme, , shehuddledinaballonthefrontstepsofourbuilding, anelementaryschoolforemotionallydisturbedchildrenwhereIprovidedtherapythreedaysaweek.
Thatmorning, Ikeptthekitteninmyofficewhiletheprincipalfiguredoutwheretotakeit.
, , 'seffectwasastoundingand, bytheendoftheday, , Holly, wasagentle, gregarious, 'tshehavethesamerelaxingeffectonthechildrenIcounseled? Enthused, IbeganpaperworkrequestingpermissiontobringHollytoschoolwithme, providingdocumentationofthebenefitsofcompanionanimals.
Theprojectwasapproved, "dogexperiment" wouldlandsquarelyonmyshoulders.
Optimisticnonetheless, IsmiledatthesignspastedonmyofficedoorasIunlockeditonHolly'sfirstmorningwithmeatschool."Hollyishappytobehere," , andwesettledinforadayofwork.
Asmallboyentered, andheandHollystaredateachotherwarily."Doesthatdogbite?"
"No," Iassuredhim."Whydon'tyougiveheratreat?" Ihandedhimabagofmulticoloreddoggietreats."Pickanycoloryoulike," , swalloweditquicklyandlickedtheboy''scriticaldebuthadbeenasuccess.