The Story of Jasmine ....
As we approach Mother's Day, I reflect on my life. This story warms my heart and brightens my soul. I am a mother to five rescue pets. Tilly, Abby, Silky, & Tessa came to me over the last few years. They are my beautiful girl dogs. Bastet, our black kitty, wandered onto our porch just last December ... she became our newest family member that very night. We give thanks and honor to all the mothers in our world ... those of human babies and pets alike.
One of my favorite quotes: "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~Roger Caras
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, which was known as a willing 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.
But Jasmine had other ideas. No one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit, or any other lost or hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage 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 centre 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."
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, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.
And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 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.
From left: 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 Mothers heart doing best what a caring Mother would do...
Geoff Grewcock opened Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in 2001, he made sure that the sanctuary was dedicated to caring for sick and injured wildlife. "We taking any wild bird or animal with any injury, getting them better with the complete aim of releasing them back to the wild where they belong."
"We take in anything from Swans, foxes, badgers, robins, blackbirds, owls, hawks, kestrels, ducks, finches, hedgehogs, pheasants and many more. Our success rate is about 70%, which we feel is very good, considering the extent of some of the injuries we have to deal with."
Each Resident has a story .... "The sanctuary was set up solely for wild casualties, but due to inconsiderate so called loving pet owners, we had to open our doors to small domestic animals as well. So now we provide a safe haven for dumped, unwanted and miss-treated rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, ferrets, chinchillas, cockatiels, parrots, budgies, the only pets we do not take are cats and dogs, this is due to limited space. We try and find loving new homes for 99% of the domestic pets."
"The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they suffer?' ~Jeremy Bentham
Animals are conscious beings. They have a soul, a spirit ... even a little personality all their own. We share this planet with our animal friends, and with all the living beings. Let's show kindness and compassion to all.
We would like to thank Wendy P of Corpus Christi, Texas, USA for bringing awareness to this very special "mom". Wendy posted this to Animals of the Earth group within Children of the Sun : a global platform assisting in the world transformation of collective consciousness through the Unified Field (Ning). She was pleased for us to share the story of Jasmine.
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