12/22/2007
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Staff photo by Jeff Poulandfrom the Kennebec Journal
Sport of Kings
New Medicaid billing system inspires doubts among some
Christmas spirit
Guidance counselor: Dismiss complaint based on criticism of same-sex marriage
CHELSEA: 'Practice burn' provides thrill for 9-year-old
Trust eyes orchard purchase
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Bonenfant rises up Cony ranks
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
YES ON 1 BACKER REBUTS CLAIM
New system for Medicaid payments worries providers
After petition drive, Clinton police force budget will go a third time before voters
A rock musician makes trip home via Black Taxi
MADISON: After revaluation, abatement requests reviewed
Parks to have facelift
GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Sweet does job for Madison
YOUTH SOCCER: Local team gives 'care package' to children in Afghanistan
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
Prentiss, 52, is in mourning for several reasons.
Naturally, Prentiss, a longtime volunteer at the Humane Society Waterville Area, bemoans the loss of Toby, a dog the Humane Society adopted as one of its own about a year ago.
Toby, just over a year old, died after being hit by a car earlier this week.
But Prentiss, who lives in Waterville, mourns even more for Mary Wyman, a member of the Humane Society staff. Wyman cared for Toby after the shelter closed each day, taking the Belgian Malinois home with her.
Prentiss, who is recovering from a brain injury, called Thursday morning hoping to get a story done about Wyman. He envisioned a tribute to Wyman, one that recognized her dedication to animals.
"I feel in my heart I needed to do something like this," he said, "because the woman I'm speaking of is really heartbroken and hurting."
Prentiss, though, is a story himself.
He is a survivor.
He is also part of a larger story, a true Christmas tale, one about love and healing.
About three years ago, Prentiss suffered a severe beating.
A construction worker, he made a practice of traveling south during the winter to ply his trade in warmer climates. He would work a job and crash nearby on a cot he kept in his van. His companions were his four dogs, a German shepherd and three Labrador retrievers.
One night in North Carolina, for no apparent reason, a group of teenagers attacked Prentiss in his van and beat him severely, leaving him unconscious with two broken legs and broken ribs.
Prentiss, who grew up in Belgrade, was in a coma for two months. During that time, the local animal shelter found new homes for Prentiss's beloved dogs, according to a front-page story in the Star News, a Wilmington, N.C., newspaper.
The article, written several months after the beating, focused on Prentiss's effort to get back his dogs -- an effort that proved unsuccessful.
Police never made any arrests in the case, the newspaper article said.
Prentiss somehow recovered and eventually returned to Maine. He is a patient at the Maine Center for Integrated Rehabilitation in Fairfield, a person trying to reclaim his life, yet challenged by a brain injury that affects his memory.
He went to the Humane Society for help, becoming a volunteer more than two years ago.
In that respect, he had much in common with Toby, a dog that was dropped off at the Humane Society about a year ago.
"His front leg was broken," Wyman said, "and had never been seen by a vet. He was dragging it, so we took him to the vet, and the vet recommended amputating the leg. So that is what we did.
Meanwhile, we fell in love with him and decided to keep him. He was just the sweetest thing. He showed everybody you can go on with life with handicaps."
Prentiss drags at times, too.
Yet he also has learned to go on with his life. He adopted two dogs from the Humane Society that he loves dearly.
"He is a true animal person," Wyman said, "and I think it has helped him quite a bit being here."
Prentiss says much the same.
His rehab work and his volunteering at the humane society, he said, are the keys to making his journey back to life.
Wyman understands that.
The humane society is a healing place, for both people and animals.
Wyman said Toby learned to get along just fine with his three legs. And although his life was cut short, Toby made a powerful impact on people in the time he had, she said.
"Whenever you thought you had it rough," she said, "you just had to look at him. He was happy all the time. He was our ambassador here at the shelter."
Love and healing at the animal shelter. It's a wonderland whatever the season.
Colin Hickey -- 861-9205
chickey@centralmaine.com
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