What Would Bubba Do?

Bubba wouldn't let sadness take him down a spiral staircase of despair. Bubba would turn a negative event into a positive outcome. He would transform a challenge into an opportunity to make a difference. Instead of focusing on what he had lost, Bubba would focus on what could be gained. Matt decided that if Bubba would and could do it, he should and could too.

With Bubba gone, it was up to him to take the lead and share and teach positivity. He didn't know how much longer he would be at the shelter, but he did know that he should make the most of the time he had there. Bubba was proof that dreams could come true, and so Matt kept his hope and vision alive while taking action to feed the positive dog in others.

He mentored other dogs the way Bubba had mentored him—especially the new dogs that came to the shelter and the old dogs that had been there the longest. He found that the young pups were the most open-minded, and once he helped a bunch of them become more positive, he showed the old dogs what positivity could do. He told the old dogs to think like rookies and not let their past experiences hold them back. He told them not to focus on the good old days and believe their best days were behind them. “Instead,” he told them, “create your good old days right now and believe that even better days are ahead of you.”

Matt taught all of the dogs at the shelter the importance of feeding the positive dog and shared strategies to help them do it. Of course, there were a few that refused to listen or take his advice, but Matt knew that negative dogs were a part of life and he refused to let them bring him down. Instead, they made him stronger and more passionate about helping more dogs be positive. His enthusiasm was contagious and he attracted even more friends than ever.

Matt loved everyone and put his love into action. He listened to other dogs and coached them when they were having problems. He gave constant encouragement and the other dogs accomplished things they never thought possible—they became skilled Frisbee catchers and ran faster than they ever had before. He believed in the other dogs more than they believed in themselves, and when they found success, they knew his encouragement had made a difference. Matt also made the time to share his appreciation with those who helped around the shelter and recognized the dogs that had become more positive. He found that appreciation, recognition, and mentoring were also great ways to feed the positive dog in others and over time his appreciation, recognition, encouragement, love, kindness, and mentoring increased the positivity in the shelter.

Three months after Bubba left, it was clear that Matt had taken a negative event and turned it into a positive outcome. The little guy had made a big impact. The shelter was transformed and everyone knew it, even the three negative dogs who isolated themselves from everyone else.

As Matt lay in his cage one night dreaming of taking a walk in the park with a family that loved him, he realized that the sad event of Bubba's departure had created an opportunity for him to live with purpose and transform the shelter in so many positive ways.