DEWEY, MY HERO

by Lady Brown

The dictionary defines "hero" as one who is admired for his achievements and qualities; one that show great courage; one who does a courageous or noble deed.
"One who shows great courage"........

On January 18, 1988, the coldest night of the year in Spencer, Iowa, someone put Dewey, then a very tiny kitten, into the local library's after hours drop box. The temperature that night dropped to minus 15 degrees. The person had jammed a book into the book drop slot to keep it open. All through that cold night, the kitten huddled in a corner trying to remain as small as possible, trying to keep from freezing to death.

The next morning, as soon as the local librarian saw him, the kitten lowered his head and tried to become smaller. It wasn't scared, it wasn't trying to be tough, it just wanted to be saved and cared for.

The librarian lifted the kitten out. It was so small it could fit in her hands. And so cold! Shaking, it opened it mouth, but only a weak sound came out. Then the librarian clutched the poor kitten to her chest hoping to give it warmth. The kitten didn't fight or struggle. It just snuggled close to her and laid its head close to her heart.

Trying to keep the tiny kitten from shivering, the librarian wrapped him in a towel, but that didn't work. So she and her assistant gave him a nice warm bath. The more they washed him, the more dirt disappeared and a beautiful long-haired orange tabby began to emerge.

Thus began the life of Dewey (named after the Dewey Decimal system all librarians use to catalog their books) and how he changed the lives of the people of Spencer, Iowa. Dewey lived in the library for 19 years, became very famous, and touched millions of lives all over the world.

My human read this book to us, at least most of it. But the part I remember the best is when he was that tiny kitten in the drop box. How he survived the night is a wonder. When he was found, why didn't he snarl and growl? It was a human who put him there, so why didn't he hiss and push away when the librarian took him in her hands?

Courage! That little kitten had great courage. He was going to survive, no matter what. Like "The Little Engine That Could", he probably kept thinking, "I can do it. I can do it. I will make it!"
When I am faced with a difficult day, I think of Dewey. I say to myself, "If Dewey could do it, so can I".

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