In
2003, police in Warwickshire , England , opened a garden shed and
found a whimpering, cowering dog. The dog had been locked in the shed
and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had quite clearly
been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
Jasmine, however, had other ideas. No one quite remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It would not matter if it were a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting animal. Jasmine would just peer into the box or cage and, when and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
Geoff
relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been
abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross
and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when
they arrived at the center, and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one
by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then
she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings. She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings. She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine,
the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's
resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born.
The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for
comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, fifteen chicks, eight guinea
pigs, two stray puppies and fifteen rabbits - and one roe deer fawn.
Tiny Bramble, eleven weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field.
Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her
warm, and then went into the full foster-mum role. Jasmine the
greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection, and makes sure
nothing is matted.
"They
are inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks between her legs, and
they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary.
It's a real treat to see them."
Jasmine
will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be
returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be
lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next
orphan or victim of abuse.
Pictured
from the left are: "Toby," a stray Lakeland dog; "Bramble," orphaned
roe deer; "Buster," a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; "Sky," an
injured barn owl; and "Jasmine," with a mother's heart doing best what a
caring mother would do...and such is the order of God's Creation....
Please pass this along, and maybe make someone else's day just a little brighter!
Please pass this along, and maybe make someone else's day just a little brighter!
No comments:
Post a Comment