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Subj:.....Jasmine
The Greyhound (S699b)
From: satam3 on 6/6/2010
Source1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1103645
........./Meet-Jasmine-rescue-dog-surrogate-mother-50th-time.html
Source2: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/jasmine.asp
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.
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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." |
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"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." |
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| 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. |
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"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.
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| 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. |
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And, just in case
you wondered, Snopes.com
has verified the truth of this wonderful story (type in Jasmine at Snopes
search) and the reality of these photographs which accompany the story. |
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