The other night, my daughter Hannah showed me a video on YouTube about an elephant named Tara, living in an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. While most elephants at the sanctuary paired off with other elephants, Tara’s primary connection was with a chubby little stray dog named Bella.

          Then, Bella suffered a spinal cord injury. Not only was she unable to walk, she couldn’t even wag her tail. She had to be kept indoors, and Tara, rather than roaming the grounds of the 27,000 acre sanctuary with the other elephants, kept a solitary vigil outside the compound where Bella lay. After several weeks, Bella was well enough to be carried outside to visit with Tara, and miraculously, she was able to wag her tail.

          Bella has since recovered, and she and Tara are inseparable once again, eating, drinking, and sleeping together. The video culminated with footage of Tara’s formidable foot atop Bella’s tummy. “Bella even lets Tara rub her tummy…with her foot!” the commentator exclaimed. “Take a good look, America. Take a good look, World. If they can do it, then what’s our excuse?”

          “I don’t know about excuses,” said Hannah. “But I do think I have a pretty good idea how Bella got that spinal cord injury.”