Friday, March 5

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.

17 comments:

Tabor said...

A very inspiring story and such lovely photos.

Kay Dennison said...

Amazing!!!!!

Sheri said...

What an amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing it. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. Our own animals feel great compassion for us when we're ill or sad. Our late rabbit "Echo" even got me though a horrible night with a gall bladder attack!

Gilly said...

I vaguely remember reading about Jasmine! Amazing, isn't it? She must be a wonderful dog. It hurts me so much when I read about abused animals, there are so many just now.

But I have to admit, that a Doberman/Jack Russell cross makes my eyes water! Whatever does that dog look like now?? :o

Pat said...

I wish I were close enough to visit them.

bobbie said...

It's always a delight to read about such animals. If only we could all get along with one another this well.

Arkansas Patti said...

Adore that story, especially since it was a greyhoud, a breed that is a huge favorite of mine.
My own Boots was the surrogate mother in my rescue operation. Some dogs just have that sweet, mothering nature to all creatures great and small. Thanks for the warm spot in my day.

LL Cool Joe said...

Awww this is such a cute story. Love is blind.

Great photos too.

Olga said...

This post just made my day. I took a deep breath and totally relaxed knowing there is a Jasmine sharing so much love in this world. What a spirit that dog has!
Thank-you for sharing this story.

robin andrea said...

Oh the things animals could teach us. What a great story and fantastic photos.

Darlene said...

What an inspiring story. I have read this before and it always pulls at my heart strings. Thank you for posting this heart warming tale.

srp said...

Such a sweet story... and a wonderful dog indeed!

Looking to the Stars said...

I loved this story and Jasmine. It speaks of hope, compassion and sometimes good comes out of a bad thing. Its a nugget of truth to carry around in your heart when all seems lost :)

Betty said...

Aren't animals amazing?

Ginnie said...

What a sweet story...and just like humans, when we stop thinking about ourselves and reach out to others it makes the world better for all of us.

rosemary said...

Proof that animals are more loving than humans sometimes.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Such a sweet inspiring story and adorable pictures. I have read about Jasmine before. I would love to meet her, woulfn't you? Such a sweet dear loving animal....!