I was driving westbound on I-16 through central Georgia on Sunday morning when I started thinking about the power of yes. On the passenger seat next to me was an old, blind English Bulldog. Just three days earlier, that same old, blind English Bulldog had been stuck in a muddy ditch in a small town outside of Savannah, Georgia.  He ended up in my front seat, on his way to a loving home, all because someone said yes.

A man named Wayne was out walking his Shih Tzu on Thursday afternoon when he noticed the Bulldog, now named Zambonee, stuck in a ditch.  Wayne had two options: keep going or stop and help. Now you might be thinking, “Of course he’d stop and help, there was no other option!” But school was letting out at the time and a few kids who were walking by told Wayne that the blind dog had been stumbling around the neighborhood for days or even weeks. So obviously other people had said no. Wayne, however, said yes.

Wayne crawled down into the ditch to save Zambonee and then he and his wife, Melissa, took him to their local animal hospital. After getting him checked out they bought him a collar and food. When they got home they rearranged their furniture because he kept bumping into and getting stuck underneath their kitchen chairs. Then they spent time reaching out to local rescue groups to find Zambonee a new home. None of this had been on their agenda when they woke up that morning. Yet, that didn’t stop them from saying yes.

We are all given opportunities to say yes, each and every day of our lives.  Yes, I will hold the door open for the person walking behind me. Yes, I will ask that older gentleman if he needs help with his groceries. Yes, I will attend that meeting to voice my opinion about a cause I care about. Yes, I will grab ahold of the rope of change and do what I can to make life better, easier, happier for others.

Saying yes can be messy (getting involved often is). It can mean disrupting your routine. It can mean changing your plans at a moment’s notice. It can mean rearranging your furniture for an old, blind dog. But yes can save a life. It absolutely saved Zambonee’s.

It was through a series of animal rescue networking efforts and multiple people saying yes that Zambonee ended up in my car on his way to a foster home with Georgia English Bulldog Rescue. He is now safe and loved. He will get the medical care that he needs and he will never know fear and loneliness again. That’s the power of yes.

What will you say yes to this week?

This blog post was written Retired Retrievers’ Chief Dog Lover, Suzanne Mooney, and was originally posted by Plenty Consulting: http://www.plentyconsulting.com/news/2014/2/10/the-power-of-yes