On April 3 of this year, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near Hualien City on the Island nation of Taiwan, killing at least 18 people and injuring over 1,100. As you can imagine, the process of picking through the rubble in search of survivors and victims was painstaking and heartrending.
One heartening story to emerge from the earthquake’s aftermath was that of a Labrador retriever named Roger, who sniffed out the 13th victim found amid the debris. Roger had been trained to work in customs as a drug-sniffing-dog, but had flunked out of the program after being deemed “too friendly and boisterous.” Lee Hsin Hung, Roger’s handler, had selected him from among a number of rejected puppies to become part of an emergency response team.
Roger’s demeanor, which disqualified him from a future in drug-sniffing, suggested to Mr. Lee that Roger could become an excellent search and rescue dog. “He was very agile, his movements were very bold, and he didn’t let anything fence him in,” according to Mr. Lee. Undaunted by heights and unfamiliar locations, “He thought he could overcome any difficulties,” he added.
Roger became an unexpected star of the recovery operation, earning him acclaim as a “little hero” in the Taiwanese media. His exuberant antics, along with his resume as a failed drug-sniffing dog, offered some lighthearted moments for a country reeling from a major disaster. Roger appeared on talk shows to show off his skills. At one news conference, he tried to gnaw on a reporter’s microphone; at another, he tore apart a soft toy (see below) as his handler described his brave deeds.
Here are two observations from Roger’s story that may be instructive for us. First, there are some jobs we are simply not suited for. However, this doesn’t disqualify us from a great many other jobs. In fact, some qualities that prevent us from being effective in one environment are just the gifts we need to thrive in another. Sometimes what feels like a failure is simply misalignment. Joseph’s self-aggrandizing dreams annoyed the daylights out of his brothers; but this ability to interpret dreams served him well in Pharaoh’s court, eventually enabling him to save both the Egyptians and his own family during a lengthy famine.
Second, Mr. Lee’s perceptiveness made all the difference for Roger. Rather than viewing Roger as a doggie failure, he sought out where else Roger’s winsome personality and undaunted spirit might best be put to use. We, too, can be the voice of affirmation in helping others regain their footing after an apparent failure or painful disappointment. Our ability to see the bigger picture may be just the perspective they need to make a new beginning, giving us a small role to play in the redemption story of those around us.
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