Animal Blessings Redux

My most recent post, Blessed by Animals, generated a lot of commentary — both here in the Comments section and in messages to my private email. I have loved hearing from so many people. It is unusual for me to post more than once a week, but I thought you all might enjoy the heartwarming story one of my friends sent me in response to that blog post. (I have her permission to share the story here.)

When Maryli (pictured below on the right) was visiting her friend JJ (on the left) in New Zealand, she got to witness an amazing story right up close.

Here’s what Maryli says:

My dear college friend, who now lives in New Zealand, has five aging rescue dogs who share her life, home, and all sleep in her bedroom wherever they like. She’s acquired them from the area shelter, who call her when they have a very special placement — one they assume will not get a home before they die.

JJ has taken in one after another, preparing meals with tenderness, bringing them to an equally attentive vet, administering salve, medication, and going on communal walks around the lush countryside where she lives. They resemble a herd of various breeds as they follow her about. They even howl altogether, daily at about 7am.

Being in NZ makes it possible for her to leave her doors open - even at night - throughout all but the cold/rainy season. This allows them to usually go out whenever their bladders need.

Oh, and JJ has goats, too . . .

“just cuz they need to have a chance to be free-roaming and she has some space for them to do just that. She doesn’t milk them or anything. Just brings them composting foods on the am.”

And then there are the two calves that live with JJ because somebody needed a place for them to stay for a while:

Now, I suppose it might be easier for JJ to take in all those animals than it would be for a lot of other people to do so. She has the space. The animals can come and go as they please. That wouldn’t work so well where I live. The dogs wouldn’t be allowed to run free in my yard. I would have to walk them on leashes. And, goodness knows, there is no space for goats and cows. Not to mention the fact that town ordinances would probably forbid me to have farm animals on my small, residential lot, in any case. (When my neighbor built a chicken coop a few years ago, she had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it approved. And then she could house only 6 chickens there — 6 being the upper limit of what our town will allow in our residential area.)

But I suspect JJ’s heart — not her abundant land space — is the crucial element that allows her to care for so many animals. Without heart, no amount of land would be adequate to do what she does. Just to underscore that heart element, here’s another piece of the story: JJ also takes care of her sister. And one element of that care is creative and heartwarming. Here’s what Maryli says:

“One of the dogs lives just a bit away in a house where JJ’s sister lives. JJ has figured out how to help her sister live ‘independently’ while having dementia. One of these ways is to ‘have a dog’ who actually simply stays with her at night.”

I have lost count of how many good things there are in this story. Far more than “one good thing,” for sure. So, here’s to JJ. To creativity. To open hearts. To generosity. To kindness.

And to animals, who bless us in so many ways.

Love,

Sylvia