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The Underdogs QUOTES

The Underdogs QUOTES

1 " Their parents may fill the children’s hours with therapeutic equipment, tutors, drivers, therapists, psychiatrists, and special schools, while what a child wants and needs most desperately is a friend. Often a child longs for a friend despite rejecting everyone who reaches out. Such a child may be convinced to come out of hiding if the proffered playmate is a dog "

― Melissa Fay Greene , The Underdogs

2 " From the den, they heard… like the busy whistling of a bird on a branch in springtime… a high-pitched breathy monologue, a squeaky soliloquy… Connor was talking, Connor was babbling, to Casey! They sat side by side on the den sofa – Casey, resting her head on her front paws, gazed off into the middle distance, while Conner looked down upon her from above and held forth. The mumble of little whispery syllables included, frequently, “Ay-ee,” followed by a deep breath, and then another arpeggio of nasally notes. The mother and the speech therapist couldn’t make out the subject, but they perceived emotion, syntax, punctuation, narrative arc, rising tension, and perhaps even denouement. Since Casey’s arrival, Connor had worked hard to speak loudly and clearly enough for his commands to be understood; now he seemed to have grasped the essence of speech as a medium for relaying one’s innermost thoughts and feelings to one’s closest friend. "

― Melissa Fay Greene , The Underdogs

3 " Then she thought: What if I start my own agency? I could train four or five dogs a year, as a small nonprofit, for people rejected by the big agencies.

It felt right and Karen didn’t generally engage in much second-guessing. The moment the idea struck her, she knew it was what she would do next, and that she would start immediately. She would invent a new kind of service dog academy. She would set a standard for compassion and generosity toward potential clients finer than anything she’d been shown when at her weakest. She would find and train service dogs for people in the depth of incapacity, sickness, and suicidal despair – her own state, before Ben had rescued her.

Because of course Ben saved Karen’s life. "

― Melissa Fay Greene , The Underdogs

4 " People like to say that what they love best about dogs is their loyalty, but the opposite is true. We love dogs’ self-centeredness, and their impression that our lives revolve around them. And it’s undeniable that, no matter what people struggle with day-to-day, there is great solace and pleasure in being able to arrange a dog’s life for maximum happiness.

A well-cared-for dog, a contented dog, convinced that he or she is the center of the universe, is a great sign that you’re doing something right. "

― Melissa Fay Greene , The Underdogs