Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. ~ Anatole France
As I work on a couple of commissions and a new piece for eBay, I thought I'd share a few photos of the
other loves of my life (aside from the obvious human ones, that is)...
Queen of the household (and she thinks the universe), Cheetah is our very tiny, 16 year old former feral. She has the same heart condition for which John recently underwent surgery, and weighs just over 5 lbs. She gets a bit confused sometimes, waking us at 2 or 3 AM, howling loudly (sounds just like a siamese!) and won't rest until we give her attention no matter what the hour. Is that a sweet face or what?!
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Next we have the brothers, Merlin and Arthur. Adopted from
CatWorks adoption in Reading PA, they were born on or very near Halloween, and abandoned at a local shelter with their brothers and sisters at five weeks old.
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They're big, beautiful boys now, although no more impressed with having their picture taken than they are with strangers visiting. Some of our friends actually question their existance because they hide under the bed the minute strange voices are heard.
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This beautiful girl is Cadie. We adopted her from
Aussie Rescue four years ago, driving to Ohio to pick her up. Everyone in the world is Cadie's best friend. She's happy, happy, happy all the time, and just LOVES to give kisses.
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And this is Cosmo, also adopted from Aussie Rescue. Cosmo is a sweetie but has issues....thunder, trash trucks, airplanes and helicopters, fireworks....even cicadas in the trees make him think the sky is falling. He's
very protective of me, and very skittish around strangers. But he has a heart of gold for his people, and that's good enough for us. :)
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How about you?! Is there a special rescue in your life? If so, please do share....and if there's not, please consider opening your heart and home to a rescue animal! The kennels are bursting at the seams now, and so many need loving homes...
I'l leave you with that thought, and with this piece, forwarded to me by a collector friend and fellow animal lover (you may need a kleenex):
I Rescued a Human TodayHer eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.
She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.
A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
I rescued a human today.
Until next time,
~ Carolee