Death of Tucker the Peace Dog touches hundreds

State Journal Register (Illinois) ^ | Jan 31, 2013 | Dave Bakke

[KeyLargo]

Death of Tucker the Peace Dog touches hundreds

By DAVE BAKKE (dave.bakke@sj-r.com) The State Journal-Register Posted Jan 31, 2013

Tucker the Peace Dog died last Saturday morning in the arms of his owner, Jill Grove. For four years from 2001 to 2005, Tucker and Jill appeared at numerous assemblies at Springfield elementary schools.

Tucker and his message of peace had a lasting impact for hundreds of students. Some of those kids found a friend in that golden retriever. Tucker was someone they could talk to — more specifically, someone they could write to. Here are excerpts, just as they were written, from letters to Tucker from two of those kids after he visited their schools:

“I am being treated different by the children in my neighborhood. They are calling me fat girl, fatty and big girl. I ask them to please stop. I try to tell them how I feel but I come to you for advice ...”

“I have a big problom. Nobody whats to play with me. Some day I will find a friend mayby. I am lonly when theres nobody here. My mother doseont love me and my dad. Can you help me?” At the end of that letter, the student’s principal attached an explanatory note. The student wanted to write to Tucker because, the student said, “he understands.”

Tucker always replied to the letters. Jill created stationery for him with his paw print signature. Some of those letters are surely in cedar chests or scrapbooks around town. Even 10 years after Tucker attended assemblies, he was recognized on Springfield streets. He was probably wearing the blue and white Peace Dog cape Jill’s mother made for him to wear during his school visits.

[QBFimi]

>> It’s “losing” not “loosing.” You can look it up.

And most of us on FR can, from time to time, look up “typo”.
Having worked as a proofreader, I can assure you that most of us are not overly proficient at proofreading our own stuff.

As to the other comments - childhood adolescent interactions serve to prepare us to enter the sometimes not too touchy-feely world of adulthood. What ever happened to “Sticks and stones will break my bones...”? And, as to the atrocious spelling of the other child, any guess as to the competency of the teacher who has let the dog into the classroom, let alone whether or not there’s a father in the home that helps the little ones with their homework?

[OldPossum]

I acknowledge the probability of a typo in this instance since your spelling is otherwise OK. But you surely have noticed how often Freepers confuse “lose” with “loose.” Many use the latter when the former is called for. I just saw this as another example of that confusion.

[OldPossum]

I acknowledge the probability of a typo in this instance since your spelling is otherwise OK. But you surely have noticed how often Freepers confuse “lose” with “loose.” Many use the latter when the former is called for. I just saw this as another example of that confusion.