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 quite 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 run by a
man named Geoff
Grewcock, and known
as a haven for
animals abandoned,
orphaned, or
otherwise in need.
Geoff 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.
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...and such is the
order of God's
Creation.
And, just in case
you wondered,
Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/photos/
animals/jasmine.asp
has verified the
truth of this
wonderful story and
the reality of these
photographs which
accompany the story
- so you can pass
this story on, and
help make someone
else's day to be
just a little
brighter!
