Category: Pets/Pet Care Publisher: RONDI Enterprises
ISBN-10: 0967177901
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 72
Copyright: Aug 5 1999
"Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig" is a collection of sixteen true stories of lost Montana pets that overcame incredible odds before finding their way back to the loving arms of their faithful owners.
Introduction
I remember as a child how much my Grandmother Stewart loved theMother Goose nursery rhymes. Her favorite was entitled "To Market." Whenever she and I arrived home from an outing, "Granny" always turned to me with a twinkle in her eye and quoted the last line of the rhyme which reads "home again, home again, jiggety, jig." Every time I make a successful lost pet reunion, I still hear my grandmother's voice. I choose to honor Granny's memory by using her favorite line as my title. I hadn't planned to become the Volunteer Lost & Found Coordinator for the Lewis & Clark Humane Society. It was an accident. I'd been an OB nurse for twenty years. Nursing was all I knew. How did one unplanned trip to the shelter five years ago turn into a thirty hour a week commitment I didn't really need with a full-time job? I was on leave from work in order to care for my thirty-six year old terminally ill brother. Of all the things Larry and I shared, perhaps our love of animals was our strongest bond. When he was still strong enough to transport, I took him to the Lewis & Clark Humane Society regularly to see the animals. Larry especially loved visiting all the cats. As his disease progressed, Larry became bedfast and spent the last three months of his life in a nursing home. Since he could no longer go to the animals, we brought the animals to him. I found it increasingly difficult to spend concentrated blocks of time in a small room with a sick person, now totally focused on his illness. On a regular trip to the shelter I asked the director if there was any way I could do volunteer work at home. She asked if I would like to do lost and found follow-up calls. I eagerly accepted the job. Each day I sat by Larry's bed and made lost and found calls as he cheered me on. It was a wonderful distraction for both of us. Near the end, Larry became very confused. One of the more touching incidents happened one day when Larry suddenly believed he was a fundraiser for the Humane Society. I found him, phone in hand, attempting to make calls to solicit donations. When he died, I requested his memorials be sent to the Lewis & Clark Humane Society. Larry got his final wish. The shelter received over a thousand dollars in his name. I am frequently asked, "Aren't you tired of this yet?" "Why do you spend so many hours in a volunteer capacity when you already have a full time job?" Actually I lost the ability to make that choice long ago. I freely admit I am driven by the desire to reunite strays with responsible owners. Few things have brought me greater pleasure. I hope you too will experience some of that joy as you read the following pages. I started out writing lost pet reunion stories for shelter newsletters but they proved to be so popular, especially with children, that people started suggesting I make them into a book. "Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig" is a collection of the sixteen most spectacular pet reunion stories I encountered over a five-year period. Each story includes a picture of the featured pet. All stories have happy endings and are suitable for all age groups. I hope you enjoy the book! Dianne Armstrong, Author
Excerpt
Read about:
Molly B., a little six pound Lhasa/Schipperke cross who became separated from her owners in Glacier Park. How long could she survive in a wilderness known for bears, mountain lions, and frigid temperatures?
Pounce, a big fluffy black and white cat that had been missing for a month. The phone rang and the caller said Pounce was in White Sulphur Springs, seventy-five miles away. Surely it wasn't Pounce...or was it?
Pepe, an elderly little white poodle found unconscious and nearly frozen in a snow bank on Flesher Pass. How did he get there? To whom could he belong? Would he live until the owner could be found?
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Reviews for "Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig"
Reviewed by Joe McCarthy
5/19/2002
I love animals. I love reading. Just the right combination for your book.
Puffy strays and something happens to make him decide he will never run away again. Judged "Outstanding" at the 2013 Writers Digest SPB Awards. Named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services 2019 by the Mom’s Choice Awards®.
