chosen by a horse

To close out a series on the special connection we have with horses, I wanted to share one of the more poignant animal-themed books I've read, and one of the first I reviewed for not one sparrow. Susan Richards'
Chosen by a Horse is an honest and beautiful account of two intertwined stories of tragedy and redemption, the memoir of a scarred middle-aged woman wrapped around an unexpected adoption of an abused and emaciated racing horse breeder.

Susan's own story had quite a few ghosts in it, along with two horses of her own, when she suddenly got a call from a local chapter of the SPCA that several horses needed immediate rescue and housing from a filthy and derelict Standardbred farm.  The horse she ends up taking home, appropriately called Lay Me Down, fights to restore her health while at the same time demonstrating an unbelievably tender and loving spirit despite all she'd gone through. 

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animals are God's creation

The Donegal Democrat of County Donegal, Ireland recently posted a noteworthy article by Siobhan McNamaraz titled "Animals are God's Creation."  It features "one very dedicated lady" named Margaret Plunkett, a volunteer and spokesperson for Animals in Need of Donegal (which you can find on Facebook) who has loved and cared for animals all her life, including as a little girl rescuing chickens designated for slaughter:

“Back then helping animals just wasn’t done.  When I would see an animal that needed help I used to wonder why it affected me so much.  As I grew older I realised that what I had was a gift, a gift from God to love his creation.

I hope you'll have a chance to read more about Margaret and her work with Animals in Need in "Animals are God's Creation," which closes with another heartfelt quote from Margaret which I know all of us would lend a hearty amen to.  I'm grateful to Liz Jakimow for sharing this beautiful piece.

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Eddie the rescued dog and grace

Ellen Painter Dollar is a Christian who writes on "faith, family, disability, and ethics," including the genetic bone disorder which she and one of her three children live with.  She's penned an honest and heartfelt post on her family's rather awkward first two months with a rescued dog named Eddie, who lived in at least three other homes previously, and is extremely shy and often nervous.  Here are just a few lines from "What my Dog is Teaching me About Grace," which I hope you'll have a chance to read in full:

There were times in those first weeks that I was so baffled by this animal and so certain I could not ever understand what he needs, much less provide it, that the foster mom’s offer [to take Eddie back if necessary] was tempting.

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new life for rescued lab beagles

A couple of friends just shared this very touching video from Beagle Freedom Project, which shows 9 rescued research lab beagles taking their very first, tentative steps outside.  It's such a simple thing, to see a dog walk on grass for the first time, but a profound reminder of God's most basic intentions for His creatures, regardless of how humanity might otherwise designate them for use (and often dubiously) ...

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feel-good Monday

We've been running a few posts on companion animals, and it seemed high time in general to share some uplifting and cute stories about our four-legged friends ...

- First, a heartwarming video of Winston the cat taking care of his canine buddy Zeke just home from the vet and a bad allergy reaction.  Winston licks him clean and then straddles on top of him to sleep (from Purina Animal All Stars).

- This is a cute video of a baby cuddling with an unbelievably amiable and patient cat, one of several clips if you look to the right on the YouTube page:

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goodbye Scooter

I was going through some childhood papers before our recent move, and came across this letter I wrote after the rather tragic death of my first hamster, Scooter, when I was about eight:

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closer than a brother

The last post in our animal death and grief series is a deeply touching tribute to a scarred dog who became the most loyal companion and protector, sent by personal message from our dear friend Cherie Sindall of Bravehearts Horse Haven & Animal Shelter in South Africa ...

One of my beloved rescued dogs died of cancer 2 weeks ago.  I knew he had a tumour and that it was inoperable, so I let him 'be' to live, love and be loved, and have quality of life.  He was abandoned when he was about 3 or 4 years old, and was taken to Animal Welfare.  At the time, I had just relocated to the farm I live on and the only dog I had was a rescued miniature doberman!  The neighbour farmers told me I need additional security reinforcements or I would become another South African farm statistic. 

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things I learned about life from my dog Charlie

Updated on July 28, 2011 by Ben DeVries

Jason Clark, who pastors a Vineyard church in London and leads a doctoral program in Global Missional Leadership for George Fox Seminary, has also hosted blog series in recent years on the connection between our faith and animal welfare, with contributions from myself and other friends.  Jason was kind enough to allow us to repost this touching reflection which he wrote after the passing of his dog Charlie, on the powerful lessons he learned from him and the unique individuality and place which Charlie took in Jason's family ...

So last wednesday night, we went out as a family and scattered our labrador Charlie's ashes in his favourite park.  Carrying my beloved labrador in a box whilst I carried so many memories of him with me.

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tornado miracles

With all of the tragedy and extreme devastation which the rash of recent tornadoes have spawned in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma and much more of the South, along with Massachusetts and other parts of the country, thousands of animals have been hurt and displaced as well.  See the preceding links for information on how companion animals in particular have been affected, and about some of the groups working to help them and their owners.

The entire aftermath and recovery effort warrant our prayer and perhaps even monetary or practical help (much more than I've personally contributed in any of those categories, I hate to admit).  I would think that knowing what has happened to lost animals would be a vital part of the process of moving forward for many individuals and families, and the hope of reunion justifiably hard to let go of. 

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the bond between animals and veterans

Today being Memorial Day, it seems appropriate to honor not just the veterans who have served our country with such faithfulness and sacrifice (thank you), but also some of the companion animals who have befriended and served their military humans with an inspiring faithfulness and sacrifice of their own. 

Sadly, many of the dogs who served alongside military personnel in wars past were not allowed to return home with the soldiers, and were subsequently abandoned or even euthanized as this National Geographic video portrays, featuring tremendously moving interviews with Vietnam vets (shared by Peter Spiegel and Conservative Animal Advocate):

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