Burbank writer looks to inspire others with ‘Chicken Soup’ stories
Burbank resident Mark Rickerby aims to continue trying to inspire others with his personal stories, this time with his dog Charlie.
The 54-year-old writer has already contributed 17 stories for the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, and he is adding another narrative to that list. “He Wouldn’t Hurt a Fly” is featured in the series’ latest book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Really Did That?”
In the 2½-page story, Rickerby talks about Charlie, a German shepherd-collie mix he and his wife adopted when they were first married about 10 years ago.
Rickerby said the dog was meant to keep his wife company while he was busy working. However, they soon found out their puppy was a gentle giant.
Charlie was out in their backyard one day when Rickerby and his wife watched him chasing around a fly.
“We thought that he was finally becoming a hunter, but then we realized he was actually biting them very gently, putting them down on his bed and licking them with his nose,” Rickerby said in an interview on Tuesday. “He had no intention in killing them, and he just wanted a playmate. But then the flies would die in his saliva, and he would wonder what had happened and just sit there and mourn for a while.”
Though Charlie had a gentle soul, his protective instincts appeared after the birth of Rickerby’s two daughters. Rickerby wrote that Charlie would start barking if someone knocked at the door, which is something he didn’t do before his first daughter was born.
Rickerby and his wife eventually adopted another dog, a Maltese-Yorkie mix they named Pixie, who turned out to be more aggressive than Charlie. Though the smaller canine would bully Charlie, Rickerby said the bigger pooch seldom retaliated.
Rickerby said Charlie’s actions, or inactions, taught him to be more tolerant and kind to others, and he felt the story about his first dog would teach others that same lesson.
“We all have room for improvement,” he said. “We can all be kinder and gentler. I think dogs just teach us in general. Charlie’s my teacher, but I think every dog is kind of a teacher to a receptive student.”
The Burbank writer said he continues to submit stories for future “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books because his goal is to try to motivate others through his writing as much as he can.
“I want to keep my inner world clean and wholesome,” Rickerby said. “I want to contribute to the light of the world and inspire people. I’ve had my share of troubles and there have been poets and singers who helped me out of the darkness, and I want to be one of those kinds of people.”
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
