Recently with all the weather fluctuations I got the flu which I haven't had since 2002. Having two dogs I couldn't do my former routine of just laying in bed or on the couch. During one of my walks out of the blue a beautiful husky named Smokee came running at me and one of my dogs(I walk them separately). First I thought great all I need is a confrontation but all they did was the usual canine custom of sniffing each other. I did notice he had a tag with his name and two phone numbers. Then poof off he went running back across the street. As we continued our walk I noticed he was darting in and out of yards and streets. The street we were on is in a quiet residential area with little traffic and a speed limit of 25. Well here comes a car flying past with the window open I yelled "Slow the f@#k down" thankfully this loud yell made the driver stop all together. Smokee was safe on my side of the street and the driver, after shouting a litany of swear words that could have made a sailor blush, drove away. I called for Smokee to come and he did. He was well trained so I had a decision to make. I have a home with an enclosed patio within a nice backyard my choice was made. I called Smokee and put him on the patio. I called the numbers on his tag, his owners came and got him. They were so happy to have him home again.
Two days later I was walking my other dog who is still a puppy of 8 months(70 pounds) and we stopped to talk to one of the neighbors. I saw one of the neighborhood children standing across the street just staring I called out come on over. I figured the wait was for me to cross and to pet my pup. The children are helping me by helping him get over his fear of children. They are very patient and protective of him when new children come around.
I need to back track a bit here and explain why this big puppy is afraid of children. When he was six weeks old I lived in a different home where there were a lot of kids. Whenever I would take the pup out, the kids in the complex thought it was funny to run or ride up on him on their bikes or scooters while he was going potty. So he became scared of all three; bikes, scooters but especially loud running children.
Okay now back to the present, the child pet my pup and then politely stood there. We continued our adult conversation and my neighbor noticed the child was still there. Our conversation would not be of interest to a young child so the neighbor changed topics and included the child into the mix. During the course of the conversation we found out that the police had been called out to the home where the child lives by one of the neighbors that morning. The call was made due to loud noises coming from the house. It was late afternoon now my neighbor went back to his project and the child came back across the street with me to my home. It was getting chilly and all the child had on was a thin t-shirt. I asked shouldn't you be going home? The reply, I can't my parents are drunk and fighting. I asked if the child's bedroom would prevent hearing the arguing. The child said even with the volume all the way up the slamming and yelling could still be heard which made the child sad. In addition to that, the child felt and knew that by going home the fighting would be worse because then they would yell at each other for fighting in front of their child. I was in a pickle then, I don't have children but I knew I had to do something without compromising myself or the child. I don't/didn't mind being thought of as a safe haven but there had to be boundaries especially since we live in such a litigious and cynical environment. So I asked if sitting alone on my patio alone was ok since I was sick and couldn't be outside. The reply, yes that would be fine. So I got one of my thick jackets and wrapped the child up in it. I did insist that when it got dark it was time to go home which was only a few houses away. The child replied that the grandfather would be home soon then it would be okay to go inside. I asked what time would that be? It should be in two hours which was 7pm well after dark. So I asked where will you wait? The reply, where I usually do on the gravel behind the bushes. My heart dropped this wasn't the first time this has happened. I knew at least I could look down the street periodically and ensure that the child was warm and okay.
I reached out to various people to get advice and how to proceed in the situation that evening. The advice varied from wait until it happens again, call Child Protective Services or the police. In regards to calling the police, the advice was that since the incident had just happened call and ask for the investigating officer. This was the route I chose to take. The police informed me that they had been out to the residence four times on the day in question. The information I provided would be documented in the open investigation. They thanked me for looking out for the children in our community. I found this to be an odd statement before I could ask about it they said most people do not get involved especially when children are involved.
I asked what actions should I take or tell my neighbors to take going forward in regards to this situation or any situation where a child is involved. Here is the advice I received:
1. If the child is sitting outside call the police and inform them that you were instructed by the investigating officer(if this has happened before) to call it in. If it is something/someone new call it in and indicate that you have seen a child who could be in a distressed situation. In either case you can remain anonymous.
2. If you have a relationship with the child and should they show up at your home take them in and then call the police. This protects both you and the child. They will then come to your home and take the child home and investigate further. If the child becomes scared for whatever reason inform the police of that as soon as they arrive so they can find out the cause of the fear.
3. If you are a neighbor who lives within ear shot of homes where you know children reside call the police whenever you hear excessive verbal loudness specifically arguing or things being broken. Again you can remain anonymous the purpose of the call is to protect the young who live in the home. No child should have to witness that type of violence. Some children may think that is acceptable behavior and the cycle is repeated. We as responsible adults have the ability to prevent that from happening.
I thank you for reading this and I apologize for any grammatical errors and the repetition. I am not used to writing in third person but I have to protect the child by not revealing locations, names or gender. As we all know once something is on the internet it is there forever and anyone can come across this blog. Even if only one child is helped by this blog I will know I have been of service.
I will end this with what I have chosen to use as my signature in my email.
Do not sit by and do nothing because of fear or feel that your lone voice won't make a difference. Stand up and be counted, be the voice for those who can't speak for themselves against evil whether it be for animal, humanity or the earth. Speak out against what you know to be wrong and bring to light and praise to what you know to be right.
As Edmund Burke stated so eloquently ~
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
Love & Peace,
Crystal Spirit Guide
Crystal Spirit Guide
