Paul and Jenny M., who adopted blind-and-deaf Gabe from us last May and then three-legged Ella from us in September, just sent us these photos in an email whose subject line read, "An educational outing for Gabe and La Bella Ella."
Paul wrote, "My youngest son Aidan [that's him in the photo above with Gabe] came to me and asked if we could bring Gabe and Ella to his class for an extra credit kind of show and tell. We agreed, and I set off to confirm a date with the teacher, and Aidan set off to prepare a report to tell his classmates about Gabe and Ella's story. His report reflected on the 'not so nice' life they had prior to being rescued by Rolling Dog Ranch, and addressed the issue of disabilities and how even with disabilities, they still make great pets!"
Paul continued, "After his report, Jenny and I were led in to introduce Gabe and Ella to the class. All I can say is, "wow." The children's reactions were wonderful, and so many of them were genuinely impressed, because they would have never given a disabled animal a second thought! But what truly became an incredible moment of magic was when a child in the class raised his hand to ask a question. Unbeknownst to us, this child is special needs (either Palsy or MS) and he got the biggest of grins on his face, and said, "I think it is cool to see Ella because she and I both have something wrong with our legs, and we are both special needs, but we can play just like any other kid or dog!" I think it really sent one heck of a message to all the kids in the class. Truly one of those unexpected moments from the 'mouth of babes!'
Here's a photo of Ella surrounded by the kids:
This is a situation that would have literally terrified her a year ago. But as Paul said, "As you can tell by the photos, Gabe and Ella weren't the least bit shy, and soaked up every bit of attention as if they have never gotten any!"
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