Susie’s Hope Review Susie’s Hope is based on an inspiring true story of love, loss, and redemption. It is based on the December 1, 2010 “Susie’s Law” passed in North Carolina to adequately punish animal cruelty. The Humane Society proudly partnered in the making of this movie; however, despite this narrative, it also focuses on the continuity of a marriage that could have easily fallen apart. Donna Smith Lawrence was afforded a second chance at life, embraced her mission and ran full speed ahead. In October 2008, Donna and her husband and her husband Roy had just been blessed with the good news of Donna’s pregnancy. They knew the child was going to be a girl and her name was going to be Susie. One-day Donna and her friend Ramona heard …show more content…
a neighbor’s dog crying profusely; ergo, they were prompted to investigate and found a Pitbull that had been abandoned and was chained to a tree without food, water, or shelter. On a late October night Donna goes to feed the dog solo where she trips, falling with the Pitbull grabbing her leg and dragging her closer, where he mauls her. She manages to escape by morning, staggering to her home where her friend Ramona spots her; thereby, taking her to the emergency room. Donna had lost a significant amount of blood and was in serious condition; furthermore, Donna and Roy’s dreams were further shattered when they learned that Donna had lost the baby and that she would no longer be capable of conceiving. Naturally the Pitbull was euthanized since the dog had nearly killed a human and this is what can be expected when animals are so abused that their trust of humans is eroded.
Although this experience left Donna fearful of large dogs, 10 months later as Donna and Ramona are walking in the park they come across a Pitbull mix puppy that has been left for dead in the bushes. Donna and Ramona took the puppy to the Guilford County animal shelter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The puppy had severe second and third-degree burns over most of her body; her ears were burned off, and she had a broken jaw and teeth. Initially, they were going to euthanize the puppy; however, when Donna went in to say goodbye, the puppy licked her hand and this melted her heart. The vet had informed Donna that it would cost $17,000 for the puppy’s care; nevertheless, Donna found a way to acquire the funds. Donna and Ramona went on the evening news with the story and photos of the puppy. When the news anchor asked Donna the puppy’s name, she replied, “Her name is Susie.” Shortly thereafter funds came rolling into the animal shelter for Susie’s Miracle …show more content…
Fund. Donna’s husband Roy was very angry with Ramona for allowing Donna to take up the cause of another Pitbull mix; however, when he saw Donna and photos’ of Susie on the evening news, he felt moved and apologetic.
On one occasion when Donna brought Susie home to care for her, she nipped Donna’s hand drawing blood. Roy had taken Susie back to the animal shelter; but he could not have her euthanized after the vet educated him in regard to what happens to most shelter dogs when they are surrendered. Donna, Roy, and Susie learned to love, heal, and forgive together. The Lawrence’s have helped Susie learn to love and respect humans who love and respect
her. Susie’s Law reclassifies the "malicious abuse, torture, or killing" of an animal from a Class I to a Class H felony, with the ten-month potential period of confinement. Susie had severe second and third-degree burns over most of her body; her ears were burned off, and she had a broken jaw and teeth. LaShawn Whitehead received a two-year prison sentence on conviction of indecent liberties with a minor and burning his girlfriend's personal property, according to records of the North Carolina Department of Corrections. At the time abuse of Whitehead's own dog would have netted no jail time, but Whitehead was found guilty of abusing an animal owned by another person (his former girlfriend, Lamona Hodges), which brought jail time. Donna Smith Lawrence is the Founder and Executive Director of the Susie’s Hope™ nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate children and adults about the importance of proper animal care and safety. In summary, this movie’s Biblical worldview captured the true story of Donna Smith Lawrence and how God in His infinite wisdom used Susie to advance a mission resulting in stricter laws for animal cruelty. Therapeutic Implications Many would claim that Donna rescued Susie; however, I would dare say that Susie rescued not only Donna, but her husband Roy as well. God gave us dominion over the animals and created us in His image and that image is compassion. Ask anyone who owns a pet and they will speak of the mutual unconditional love they share. Friends of mine who take therapeutic pets to retirement homes say the elderly perk up with a gleam in their eyes when they interact with the animals; additionally, these animals do not need to be limited to dogs and cats. Working with CASA I have noted that animal therapy is helpful when creating trust and dialogue with foster children; inasmuch as, this helps go under the radar of a child’s consciousness, considering the child is much more at ease and seems to be much more willing to open up. The better we understand the human-animal bond, the more we can use it to improve people’s lives. In the scene where Donna’s neighbors moved away and left their dog chained to a tree, Donna began feeding it instead of calling animal control. We had neighbors across the street that moved and had abandoned a dog in the back yard. They weren’t close to anyone in the neighborhood and I wasn’t aware they owned a dog. It had been nearly a month since the neighbors moved and one day I noticed the high grass in the back yard moving; next, when I went to investigate, there was this pitiful little dog that was starving and flea infested. I took her to the vet and it was costly, but my little Tula was worth it. They had to perform surgery since she had been eating rocks to remain alive. Tula is a senior dog and my vet believed that she was abandoned since she was no longer capable of breeding. It just breaks my heart when I think of the lonely days and nights she spent in that back yard; moreover, compound this during the terrible thunderstorms we were experiencing at that time. Then again, these storms may have been a blessing considering she was at least receiving a water source. I am officially a cat person, advocating a spay/neuter/release program. God sent Tula to me since I was recovering from a stroke at that time, He knew I needed her and she needed me. Tula, is the only dog I have ever embraced as a pet and she is a wonderful companion. Personal/Professional Implications I can identify with the scene where Donna (who is suffering from depression) is sitting in the room that she and Roy had prepared for their baby, listening to a specific song (Susie Q). Mine was Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò) by Sara Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. When I lost my spouse I remained in a state of melancholy for months as a lonely widow. Like Donna, once I managed the grieving process, and discovered a cause, my energy and passion for life resumed. In regard to Donna and Roy, their devotion to one another and their strong faith based relationship aided them through a rough patch; ergo, love and forgiveness can cure a world of hurt. A marriage built on true love is like super glue, it sticks and is durable! Donna would often remind Roy of how fortunate they were and that they were living in harmony with God’s plan which was greater than the two of them. Roy was moved by the suffering of another life and very supportive even when Donna became involved in rescuing another pit bull mix dog. They are happily married to this day with Donna serving as a keynote speaker in regard to animal responsibility/safety and Roy operating his construction contracting business.
Jasmine Beckford’s case is the oldest out of the three; in 1984 Jasmine died as a result of long-term abuse aged 4. In 1981 her and her younger sister suffered serious injuries and were paced with foster carers for six months. After this they were allowed back home with their mother on a trial basis as social services were meant to support them. During the last ten months of Jasmine’s life she was only seen once by social workers (Corby, 2006).
Faye is fighting to re-home animals that have been abandoned and abused. Since 2012 she has re-homed more than 60 dogs, and about 20 kittens. Faye says, “I would do anything no matter what to save one animal.” It’s as if her whole entire life revolves around saving animals. Faye thinks just by adopting an animal you can help animal abandonment. Also, Faye has her own book on why animal abandonment isn’t good. Although Faye thinks her job is stressful, she thinks it’s easy because she enjoys doing her job and helping animals find a home.
This paper will include the analysis of the movie Hope Floats. It will start with a short summary of the movie describing the characters and the plot. It will then discuss the family dynamics that are shown in the movie based on the class discussions and the readings. It will also include a variety of issues that are shown throughout the movie. This paper will discuss three key family system’s issues that includes the family concepts, assessing one from Bowen’s concepts, one from Minuchin’s concepts, and one from General Systems Theory/Anderson and Sabatelli concepts. There are many different scenes and examples in this movie that will give a better understanding of the many different family dynamics, family issues, and family system concepts.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
or is a big fantasy nut.. It was a grate book to read and I
Gabi Rodriguez is a senior in high school and must come up with a project to graduate. Her first idea was to do statistics in foster care. She gets a name of a girl who is foster care from her teacher, Tyra, and when she is talking to her, Tyra tells her that she’s pregnant. She talks about how things have changed since she became pregnant, and
Misery the movie is about a famous author Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) who is known for a series of award winning novels called Misery. To get inspiration for his books Paul Sheldon has ritual of visiting the Colorado mountains to complete his novels. Sheldon visited the mountains and in due time finishes his novel. In a haste to get back to his daily routines, Sheldon travels down the mountain unknowingly heading directly into a severe winter storm. While driving he ends up crashing and becoming seriously injured in the process. Thankfully and somewhat regretfully former nurse Anne Wilkes (Kathy Bates) Saves him. Anne bring him to her nearby home, on an isolated farm away from town to nurse Paul back to health. Anne is
A bus carrying several clinical students from the local college pulls up in front of the nursing home. The students begin to unload some boxes which contain puppies and kittens ranging in age from three to six months. Once inside, the students begin to pass the puppies and kittens out to the patients that are waiting expectantly in the recreation room. Some patients are alone, some are in groups, but all are delighted to see the animals arrive. As the animals are being passed out, the patients begin smiling, laughing, and talking to the animals. They stroke their coats, play with them, and feed them snacks that they have saved for this occasion. While the patients are interacting with other students and staff, two of the students begin making notes on the activities that are taking place in the room. The patients, staff, and students are clearly enjoying themselves, but there are greater benefits to be found here.
Based on a true story, the movie ‘Lone Survivor’ features four Navy SEALs that set out on a mission to Afghanistan with orders to capture and kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. The Navy SEALS are detected by villagers and the mission was compromised. Ultimately, the mission had been discovered and the men found themselves surrounded by dozens of Taliban soldiers. One of the Navy SEAL soldiers managed to dispatch to base and retrieve assistance but the Taliban shoot down the helicopter. During battle, three of the Navy SEAL soldiers were killed leaving one still alive.
For this assignment, the movie “The Help” was chosen to review and analyze because it presents a story of fighting injustice through diverse ways. The three main characters of the movie are Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young white woman, Aibileen Clark, and Minny Jackson, two colored maids. Throughout the story, we follow these three women as they are brought together to record colored maids’ stories about their experiences working for the white families of Jackson. The movie explores the social inequalities such as racism and segregation between African Americans and whites during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi.
“Home Alone” is a brilliant, sweet, and downright hilarious Christmas film. From the witty child who is mistakenly forgotten at home while the rest of the family flies to Paris, to the heartwarming ending, it shows us of how chaotic yet silly Christmas and family can really be. The title alone reminds us of how scary being left alone as a child could be. Although being left alone could be an ultimate disaster, there are also many advantages taken up by the especially devious child left behind.
Armbruster, K. (2002). “Good Dog”: The stories we tell about our canine companions and what they mean for humans and other animals, 38 (4), 351, 26. Retrieved from http://www.siue.edu/PLL/
Pure innocence mixed with pure evil is a frightening combination present in the wildly popular evil child genre of horror films.. In analyses of these movies, Evil children generally fall into one of three archetypes, the feral child, the monstrous infant, and the possessed child, are commonly analysed in a few common ways. The feral child is usually taken as warning against humans inherently evil nature, while the monstrous infant warns of the dangers of new medicine. Often the only archetype which is connected the parents is the possessed child. Their problems are often tied to family problems at home.
As my Aunt and I entered Judy's house which was a fifteen minute drive from where I live, I noticed cut black and white cat long haired cat with a pink nose and mysterious slanted eyes sneaking up on me near the corner of the hallway of the house. Judy shared with me that Katie was spayed, what foods to feed the cat and that she was tramatized. Judy had shared with me that she took Katie to the Shelter to try to find the owners but to no aval. You see, Katie had showed up at Judy's arcadia door so Judy took her in and kept her for several months before deciding to give the cat away.
...cy’s life on that fateful night. The man told me something along the lines of “Had we not stopped, Stacy would have lain on the ground for about 5 minutes, woken up, walked back home to Justin, and been beaten even more” Then he told me something that took me a moment to comprehend. “Stacy is pregnant and had been basically drinking herself and the baby to death. Although there is a bright side, Stacy sobered up and confessed to Justin’s abuse and now has a recovery plan and wants to start up a new life.”