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Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
Every animal that resides with me has a story, most of the stories are sad, many have defied the odds of survival, yet each thrives and all of them live harmoniously as if they know this is a peaceable kingdom. It's something I had always dreamed of doing, every since I was a tiny child. Many of my school mates remember me talking about that one day I would open up a sanctuary in which senior/special needs and cruelty seizured animals could live out their lives. It took many years of hardwork and sometimes working up to 4 jobs to make my dream a reality. However, I was so determined to live this life that every day is a joy and I don't see it as being hardwork.
While I'm not a rescue in a tradional sense, I foster for several and often get numerous calls to take the sickly/injured or cruelty seizured ones from the SPCA, dogs from Hugabull or domestic bunnies that have been dumped.I never choose the ones coming into my home as that decision is made by the rescues. The majority stay with me for months while they recoup from their injuries/learn socialization and often learn to trust humans again. When they've recovered, they are adopted into forever homes. For the few that are too elderly or have ongoing medical problems, I adopt them myself and their expense becomes 100% my responsibilty. Material things don't matter and I'd rather spend the monies on seeing an animal thrive. Youth groups which often are teens searching for second chances come to visit and sometimes spend the day with me. Here's some of their stories and while I can't list them all (the list is lenghty) I'll chat about a few. Gilligan: Beautiful Old English Sheepdog who probably was a breeders dog and in isolation. He was scheduled to be euthanized at the shelter as it was discovered he had an oral mass and he was thought to be aprox 10 The "breeder" didn't feel they owed their 10 yr old dog the dignity of being euthanized at a vets with them at his side. The shelter had to make a heartwrenching decision as they had a cruelty seizure that same week involving 20 Pitbull puppies in dire straits. They had to make the awful decision to spend the monies on them rather than on this senior dog.However, the staff called me and begged me to take him home. At first glance he was in horrible shape, his body covered in wounds and a bloody mass on his head. Turned out his body had old man warts which got nicked when they shaved him down. Initially it was to do palliative care for 2-3 wks in which I was going to spoil him rotten and then take him into the vets and hold him while he was going to be euthanized. However, turned out the mass was fibroid and not cancerous and didn't prevent his eating or his enjoyment of life. It took a biopsy to discover that (which the breeder hadn't bothered to have done) and so 2 years later my boy snoozes in front of the fireplace, as all old dogs should munching on his bones (which has all but eliminated the mass). Snoop the Pitbull. He wasn't old nor special needs but I worried this tiny pup may possibly fall into the wrong hands being of the Bully Breed. I hadn't planned on keeping him originally, only wanting to get him neutered and have some form of training. His training was done at a Womans Penintentiary in which he lived with the inmates for short durations, he participated in Pit Ed classes and eventually obtained his Good Canine Neighbor. Snoop lives harmoniously with the other dogs, sleeps with a cat on his chest and loves "his" bunnies and guinea pigs. However, he onced broke from being his sweet self to a "roaring lion" when we were out walking in the neighborhood once and a fellow having a pychotic episode rushed towards me holding a pair of scissors. He hadn't noticed my well behaved dog sitting at my side when I stopped. Snoops roar caused the guy to drop what I had originally thought was tinfoil and take off running. Only after he left did I look down and see the tin foil was a pair of scissors. Panda. Spent the first three years of life in a cage overseas and observed by 2 lawyers whom saw the 3 kennel workers beating him with sticks. He bite one of them and thus now had a death sentence placed on him.The lawyers offered to fly this dog anywhere in the world if someone would take him. When Panda arrived he crouched with fear and his mouth would quiver in what I knew may be a potential fear bite if I kept approaching. It took aprox a year to desensitize him to many of his fears and issues. Years later he won a movie contract in a pet contest based on his gentle disposition and his ability to get along with other pets and people. This year he's on the front cover of a dog calendar. One eyed Micky; Discovered dying in a junk yard with a feral colony of cats. Rescued by a kind hearted woman who saves cats such as these and whom made a Youtube Vid about it. I normally don't adopt animals I see on the net but his story tore at my heartstrings and I couldn't stop thinking about him. After contacting her, I adopted Micky and he's still with me 4 years after she made that vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj3uNrRHTiw Micky is now a fat cat that lives happily with the other animals. Chaos whom I renamed Katie. This ferocious cat belonged to one of my students whom suffered the loss of her single mom just before Christmas last year. Having to go live with distant relatives who did not want her cat, she begged me to take the only living thing that was precious to her. She promised to someday come back for her cat. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Chaos's kidneys were shutting down and had to be rushed to the emergency vet late one night. The vet said she wouldn't survive the night but I couldn't have her put down before I contacted the young girl so she could say her goodbyes. I took Chaos home with me and after being taught how to give sub-q fluids I spent the next 20 days giving kitty fluids and syringe feeding her. Each day she made headway and although the vet was initially angry with me (he didn't think I would be able to keep up her care) of fluids every two hours around the clock. She kept making headway and eventually made a full recovery. The student told me she decided to turn over Chaos (now Katie) to me permanently. Chico and Stevie - One is blind and the other is from a cruelty seizure whom helps his blind friend get around. Snoop the Pitbull whom once slept in the same room as these guinea pigs adores these two and is especially protective of his little friends. The bunnies, all of whom have been injured by dogs or cars after being dumped by their people. Now live in a huge heated dog run (all are spayed and neutered ) so can live in large groups. In the summers they spend time outdoors in a large dog run and should a dog be heard in the neighborhood all four of my canines will immediately sit and stand guard on one of the four corners of the pen to protect their little friends from potential harm. People chuckle at the sight of this. Lastly (there's many more but I've rambled long enough) there are the cruelty seizure chickens. I've never had chickens and considered saying no but the sight of these poor featherless skeletal creatures didn't make me hesitate to take them on. Now weeks later they have gleaming feathers and I hadn't realized they are full of personality. They make a purr like sound when you pet them. The dogs don't harass them, nor do the cats and they've even started laying eggs.Although, I live on acreage in the heart of the city this is totally exciting to me to have fresh eggs! Okay that's it...with these guys how can I not help but smile every day. |
mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
That's some real magic!
Good thoughts, Bob |
Woland Special user 680 Posts |
Thank you, Chrystal. Where are the pictures?
W. |
Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
Thanks to both of you!
Woland I had too difficult a time deciding which photos to post. Which to choose out of my thousands? Should I chose some of the before and after pics? Or the ones that are truly heartwarming which shows the animals conforting a newcomer? Or perhaps those that the SPCA sometimes uses on their website such as the one of the Sheepdog cleaning a tiny motherless kitten. Perhaps the one of the Pitbull sitting next to the bunny cage? So many to choose from! In the end I couldn't decide and didn't post any. Sigh |
jugglestruck Inner circle Wales 1038 Posts |
As I am reading this my partner Lucy has just brought back 200 hens from a battery farm. We keep them for two hours before rehoming them to local people who want chickens for the garden. Those that aren't lucky enough to be rescued like this go from battery cage (they are alloted an A4 size space each for 18 months)to animal food or just landfill.
They are bald, skinny and cold with clipped beaks and in a very bad way but over the next month will turn into feathered balls of fluff who look gorgeous and provide eggs. |
Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
Jugglestruck I love you and Lucy!! The UK is far more advanced in rescuing battery hens as it's only recently that people are doing that in North America. Still, slowly people are "getting it" that these poor living creatures have wretched lives from the time they are born to their early often pain filled deaths. As consumers they have the power to change this from something simple as purchasing "Range Free" eggs.
For those that don't know battery hens are those kept in those huge commercial facilities (we're not talking family farms here) and never see the light of day, the conditions are horrific, and after they are "spent" from laying 4 times more than normal for those 18 months they are thrown into garbage heaps or other things.They suffer terribly and the public generally don't know or don't care where their eggs come from. Thank you Jugglestruck for stepping up and making a difference! |
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