The Starfish

This is the tale of the Starfish that I found when reading about a case of animal neglect/abuse. You can read the full story of the dog "Braveheart" here >  http://www.alldogssite.com/onestarfishbraveheart03111.html

The Starfish

Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking on the beach
before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human figure
moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer,
he saw that it was a young man
and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching down to the shore,
picking up something
and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out,
"Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused,
looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,
why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize
that there are miles and miles of beach
and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely.
Then he bent down,
picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves and said,

"It made a difference for that one."