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 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 known

as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or

otherwise in need.

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.