Modoc. The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer
Those Amazing Animals
I’ll admit I wasn’t always an animal person. I don’t like cleaning
their poo. I don’t like them slobbering or jumping on me and leaving hair all
over me. I especially don’t like it when
it’s not my dog. So, when the kids were
little and kept begging me for a dog, I kept telling them I was allergic to
animals. Funny how that was since I
never sneezed or scratched once when I was around my sisters’ dogs. The kids never caught on. Or if they did, it
didn’t matter anyway. We weren’t getting
a dog.
I don’t remember falling and cracking my head on a sidewalk or
getting an electrical shock or anything, but one day I changed my mind. I went to the animal shelter and came home with
a dog, our beautiful Abby. She was
awesome. The kids were stunned. So was
my husband. They all loved her. They played with her. My son, who was small at the time, loved to lounge
in the grass with his head resting on her stomach and watch the clouds go by. Abby was with us for many years and when she
got sick, it broke our hearts.
Surprisingly enough, I think her passing affected me more than anyone. I can’t believe that I’m crying just in
writing this. That was many years ago. I
still have three photos of her on the fridge, one of the kids. (But they’re in other places around the
house).
In the meantime, I’ve let another little furry friend into my
heart. My sister’s dog, Chunk and I’ve
become quite the little buddies. I
didn’t have that connection with any of her other dogs, so who knows why Chunk
and I bonded. My sister raises her
eyebrows and smirks every time he snuggles with me, and more astonishingly,
when I let Chunk up on MY couch. Wow.
She says I’ve been “Chunk-amatized.” It’s true.
Sometimes against our own will, we give those amazing animals a piece of
our hearts.
Modoc. The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer is that kind of love on a grander scale, an elephant-sized scale.
Modoc is an elephant who was born into a German circus family. The story seems almost too fantastic to be
true. Both Modoc and Bram, the elephant
trainer’s son, are born on the same day.
They grow up together until tragically the circus is sold to a man who
decides to uproot the whole show and take it across the world. Bram is heartbroken. He can’t leave his
friend and decides to stow away on the ship. Off the coast of India, a giant
storm sinks the ship with animals and people struggling to grab onto something
for dear life. Incredibly, with over dozens
of people clinging on to him, Modoc valiantly swims for days until they are
rescued. Modoc and Bram form a life in India.
After many years they eventually go to America where Modoc becomes a
star. At one point there’s a fire and Modoc barely makes it. I’m not sure how much of the book was
exaggerated for the audience, but it is a captivating read. I got lost in their
adventures and the heartwarming bond that kept them together. My niece recommended this book to me and I’m
glad I read it. Animal lover or not, it’s a book worth checking out.
Happy reading!
Annette
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