A True Story.

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.

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 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, 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.

And, just in case you wondered, Snopes.com has verified the truth of this wonderful story and the reality of these photographs which accompany the story – so you can pass this story on, and help make someone else’s day to be just a little brighter!

We were training our dog in fieldwork and I was required to hide behind a tree so that I wouldn’t distract the dog with my presence.

After about 15 minutes I began to feel rather bored. But then I heard a bird chattering madly so I looked up into the tree’s canopy above.

A little brown bird was chatting up a storm.  He was going crazy and I realized that he was communicating with his mate nearby – warning her of my presence beneath the tree.

He was full of anxiety and kept hopping from branch to branch chattering all the while.

I wanted to allay his panic so I started whistling a repetitive bird-call.

Immediately the panic abated and within minutes a little bird – possibly his mate – hopped onto a branch just above my head and looked at me quizzically, head to one side.

To this minute I wonder what intrigued her.  What on earth was my whistling communicating to her?  What did I say to her? I must have been sending some message because there was a definite response.

Obviously I don’t know what it was – but what I do know is this;  there is a way to communicate with animals. If only we could find out how!

If you have had any sort of experience communicating with birds or animals please tell me about it.  It’s such a fascinating field and I would love to hear your story.

A while ago, I received an email with some amazing pictures of two swallows. It undoubtedly did the rounds at some time or other. Anyway, the photos show some very touching pictures of a swallow actually crying in distress after his mate was hit by a car.

At first the swallow tried anxiously to feed his injured mate. But she died and so he tried to lift her up – in vain.  Then realizing that she wasn’t going to get up, he stood over her lifeless body and cried.

I must warn you; this is not for the faint-hearted – it’s a real tear jerker and I defy anyone to watch it dry-eyed.

How the French Responded

Apparently these photos were sold to a famous French newspaper for a small fee. The paper sold out that same day and millions of people wept over them.  If you watch the short series you’ll see why.

There are many true stories about animals that show feeling. But this is one of the most touching by far. It’s a poignant love story that has stolen people’s hearts.

If you have a story about an animal showing real feeling – please add it to the comments below and share it with us – maybe we can convince any nay-sayers that animals do indeed have feelings.