Zora

A wonderful story about a dog...

My mother sent me this heart warming story this morning... It has brightened my stress filled days enormously and I wanted to share it with everyone here:    In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It 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 greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.    Geoff Grewcock 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.    The dog had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn �t matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.    Geoff Grewcock 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, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits...    And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 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 in her fur.        "They are inseparable," says Geoff Grewcock. "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.      From left, Toby, a stray Lakelanddog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster,a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine - doing what she does best, being a mother.

30 Mar 2009      

sea camel

A very nice story! I liked reading it . It  brightened my day a bit!  (I hope to finish correcting these exams soon...)   Kristien

30 Mar 2009     

Caroline565

Ahh! a beautiful true story Zora. Heart warming. Thank you for sharing. Regards, Caroline x

30 Mar 2009     

Mar (itxasobcn)

DEAR LINDA,   Could you do me a BIG FAVOUR, please????   Why don �t you write this story in a word document and upload it?   PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Otherwise a lot of people will miss it and it would be a pity!!!!!!!!   I �m off to work now, big hugs!!!!!!   MAR

30 Mar 2009     

Zora

Will do Mar ... never thought of it even! Will add some vocabulary activities to it as well!

30 Mar 2009     

spring

Hi Linda, This is a very touching story.Some time ago,I received an e-mail and I even shared it with some of my eslprintables friends. It is about being a mother.There are some pictures of animal mothers,showing care&affection to their babies.Last picture is a woman and her baby.But I don �t wanna mention about it.As you may guess, the picture isn �t full of love.And the question was :Pick up the best mom.. Ironical.. I am not a mother but I can see that this feeling comes from the heart. It is obvious that Jasmine is born to be a mother and perfect for this job indeed. This is pure love and I realy feel happy after reading this story. Many thanks for sharing it. I am looking forward to download the story..

30 Mar 2009     

appleaday

30 Mar 2009     

Zora

I put the story up as a reading and vocabulary exercise just a few minutes ago, so it will be in the free lot tomorrow. I glad that everybody has found the story as touching as I have.   Hugs, Linda

30 Mar 2009     

eng789

I just got in and after a very difficult day, your story touched me.  Animals always amaze me with their tenderness to others.  Looking forward to downloading the story.

30 Mar 2009     

atsitab

30 Mar 2009     

anaisabel001

A lovely story!!thanks a lot for sharing !!I �ll download it for sure!!

30 Mar 2009