Divas That Care Network
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Divas That Care Network
Special Episode: Gabriel’s Story
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Hello to all. Welcome to D visit Care Network. I am Joyce Banning and I will be your host for this absolutely invigorating robust lifestyle show. First of all, I would like to thank each one of our listeners that have tuned in live and the ones that will be listening to the podcast later. I am just so very grateful for each one of you. And I am just overly thrilled today to have with me a returning Diva, Sharon Dilly. And she is an author in Diva's upcoming book, Animal Prince on My Soul. And you are in for a very special time today as she shares just a little bit of intriguing information about the story that she has submitted in Animal Prince on My Soul. So Sharon, could you please introduce yourself to our listeners today?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. My name is Sharon Dilley, and I work with animal with dogs and teaching them to become great partners with veterans who need a dog. I live in Oklahoma with my husband and many, many dogs. So and I I feel incredibly honored to be a part of DivaSit Care and also a part of this wonderful project, Animal Prints on My Soul. I cannot wait for it to come out.
SPEAKER_01Oh, oh, you just made my day turn. That is just awesome. Oh, and I am just as excited as you are for it to come out. We are all excited for the release date. Oh, that that is just beautiful.
SPEAKER_03And what a rewarding career working with dogs and partnering them with veterans. Oh, I just love that. That is beautiful. Well, as I said in the introduction, you're could you please share just enough to intrigue our listeners what the story is that you submitted to Animal Prince on My Soul?
SPEAKER_02Yes. Several years ago I came across a skinny little pup that had so much love inside his heart. He just needed to be nourished. How much do you want me to tell?
SPEAKER_03Well, you just kind of share from your heart what you feel are some of the points that you would like to intrigue the listeners with today.
SPEAKER_02I've discovered in my journey with dogs that all dogs are special and there are some that are extra special. And you with the first time I met this little guy named Gabriel, he was he was so malnourished, I could count every rib and backbone, yet he leaned up against me with all the love in his heart. And then later, within twenty-four hours of me saying, you know, of course I couldn't leave him. I'm saying, Of course I'll take him um within twenty-four hours I I took him to veteran class with me and all of the d veterans there had their own dog and he literally went around the circle, he got loose for me, you know. I just had him and I was getting prepared for class and he got he got a little loose for me. And before I before I reached down to get his leash, I saw him nosing beside the German shepherd that this guy had and climbing into the lap of the veteran. And I was like, what are you doing? And that that was the beginning of Gabriel's amazing story. So we'll leave it there.
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness. Oh, you have touched my heart already.
SPEAKER_03I had tears in my eyes when you said how thin he was, and yet he you could just see the love inside his heart and how he was giving it. And just crawling up in that veteran's lap. I mean, the poor little guy, you could just you could feel the love that was vibrating off of him. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh his c his capacity to love was so big, even though he had been so malnourished and abused his entire six months of his life. It that capacity was still in his heart, Joyce, and you could just see it all over his face, his whole body.
SPEAKER_03So I I can feel it coming through you. Yeah, you just you I'm getting the chills from listening to it because I can just feel that energy and that love that he shared and showed you at that very moment from the first time he saw him. Oh, that is just that is beautiful. Wow. Well how would you say that this story about Gabriel has made an impact in your life?
SPEAKER_02Wow. And this dog this dog was so amazing. My original plan was him the little guy was to get him teach him a few teach him a few, you know, life skills. I don't I don't teach obedience to the dogs. I teach them manners and life skills. So I I wanted to I wanted to bring him into my home, you know, teach him a few life skills, and then, you know, place him with a veteran and then let the veteran continue his his teaching. Um he was so man, he needed he needed to heal. And I think in the process of helping him heal, he healed me in so many ways. Um we all have trauma in our life, we all have challenges, and you know that dog comes along and he just gives you such unconditional love and and it just helps uh and the forgiveness. He he didn't nothing mattered but the present moment for him. He had forgotten his past. He didn't he didn't dwell in that past. He lived in this moment today and I I took care of him and my husband took care of him and that's all he cared about. And and I think that's what I think that's what he taught me is no matter no matter what our past man, just live in the present. Just live in the present. And and I think if it's one one thing that he taught me, I think that would probably be it.
SPEAKER_03Beautiful, Sharon. Oh my goodness. I had tears the whole time you were talking. I gotta regain myself here. 'Cause that was so beautiful 'cause it just it hits me so because of my little red healer. 'Cause healed me. Healed me and he just he brought they bring so much into your lives and like you said, we all deal with some sort of trauma, whether we want to face it. Yeah, right. Everybody does. And how this dog came into your life like that, and mine has, and he helped heal us. And I love that no matter of the whatever the past is, live in the present. Let go of it. And that is right now that is beautiful. Oh wow. This dog made a total impact into your life. I can totally feel that and hear it in your voice.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_03That is that is just beautiful. Wow. Well, thank you. How oh, you are so welcome. Thank you for sharing that. Goodness. I can't wait to read the whole story. Oh my w goodness.
SPEAKER_01This is beautiful.
SPEAKER_03Well, how do you feel that it has maybe even impacted you a little bit on the other dogs that you have around you? Because you have you live with a lot of dogs always, like you said, as many dogs because you they're always in training. How do you feel has Gabriel made a difference in your life in that aspect too, on how you deal with all the other dogs that are always coming into your life to train for the veterans or to help find them a home for those?
SPEAKER_02Oh yes. Yeah, he was the goofiest little thing. And he it didn't matter, you would say, Okay, buddy, I you know, need you to do this, and he'd look at you and lick you in the face or something. It was like, Oh my gosh. But but what I learned from him, you know, I guess before him, it was my goal to put out the perfect dog. You know, the dog with all of the manners, all of the life skills, everything that he needed to be successful with a veteran. And through Gabriel, what I've learned is all none of the dogs are perfect. They've all got their quirks, they've all got their things that they do well, and then they've got other things that they don't do quite so well. But when you find that perfect veteran with to go with them, all of those imperfections or all of those, you know, maybe maybe he wants to greet others too much, which is what Gabriel did. He just he loves everybody, and for a service dog, we want him right here with us, you know. But no matter what those imperfections are, they just fall away. When they get with their veteran, uh you know, they just fall away because it it doesn't matter anymore, because it's the perfect dog for them. And and I think that's the thing that I've learned, you know, all of the dogs, I I just I think he taught me to work with who I have in front of me and um ex expand their their greatness, and if it's something that I can't live with, then we'll work on that. And if it's something that's just funny, you know, like I have one pup that she carried your shoes around. She'd never chewed them up, but if you took your shoes off by the front door, you could always find them in her place on the sofa because she's a shoe hoarder. Uh-huh. You know? And I I worked with her and I worked with her to not do that. And it didn't matter. Sh that was her saying. Uh-huh. But you know, now that now that she's with her veteran, it doesn't matter. They put up a baby gate so she could stay away from their shoes. And we move on.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that is so cute. I love that.
SPEAKER_03And I love what you said. Expand on their talents. I mean, rather than getting upset with what us as humans think they should be doing, rather look at the talents that they are giving and expand on them. And that that is so beautiful. And I mean, none of us are perfect. I don't care if it's a four-legged or a two-legged, none of us are perfect. So it's it all we're all living souls and expand on each other's talents and uh utilize them and pull from each other like that. Oh, that is beautiful. Gabriel Gabriel definitely sounds like he taught you a whole lot in training with the dogs for veterans.
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_02He he did, he did. Oh God is so as each each of 'em that come through. They do. You know, you you have you have so many over the years you think you've seen it all and then you'll have another one and you haven't seen it all. You're just like okay. Well we'll just we'll just figure out a solution to this and then you find a veteran and I don't I don't know. It just always works. It's just a it's a beautiful process and it's it it's just I feel honored to be able to be a part of it and for this to be my daily life's work.
SPEAKER_03So oh Sharon, that is just beautiful. That is just beautiful. And the dogs are so fortunate that they have you to be in their lives and to find them forever homes with these veterans. That is that is incredible. Oh, what a beautiful story. Just beautiful, Sharon. Well, thank you. You are so welcome. And I just want to thank you so much for sharing this information with our listeners about your story that is coming out in Animal Prints on My Soul Book, which is very soon to be released, because you have totally intrigued us all to want to read the rest of that story, because oh wow, what an absolutely beautiful story. Thank you, thank you so much, Sharon, and I want to wish you and all of yours a absolutely beautiful holidays and all of your dogs in the dog family, wishing them one too.
SPEAKER_02Thank you so much, and the same to you, my friend.
SPEAKER_03Oh, thank you so much, Sharon. Thank you. And I want to thank all right, I want to just thank all of our listeners for listening to this absolutely incredible interview with an amazing, amazing diva, Sharon Dilly. And just be sure to check out all the other shows and share this with your family and friends, and check out all the other hosts and their shows on divas that care.com. And be sure to be on the lookout for the soon-to-be-released book from Divas that Care, Animal Prints on My Soul, where Sharon Dilley is one of the fabulous authors sharing her story about Gabriel. And remember, have an absolute magical day. And no matter of the past, live in the present, like what Sharon said, and be kind to all. Give your animals a great big extra hug. Share all your love with them, and until we connect again on Robust Lifestyles, stay strong and healthy.