"I like some animals more than some people, some people more than some animals." - Jane Goodall
In the past few weeks at the paper, I have been blessed with assignments involving animals. When humanity gets to be too heavy in this world, I turn to the lighthearted stories of animals and the good they have to offer.
So when Ellarry told me to hunt down a dog and a duck in the countryside, it was a total game changer. She pitched the whole thing to me with a slightly unimpressed tone as she handed me a piece of paper with a few key details.
Animals expose a softer side of me. My external shell of sarcasm and cynicism seems to melt away when in the presence of animals. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a child, and when that dream morphed into an orca trainer at Sea World, which looking back on, I'm really glad that dream was fleeting, I knew that no matter what I wanted to be surrounded by animals.
Reading Ellarry's column a few weeks back about her hobby farm made me jealous in a feel-good kind of way. To be surrounded by that many creatures and have that many anecdotes, I wanted to be transported there for an afternoon to see the menagerie myself.
Petting zoos were always a hit when I was a child. Even as an adult, I see the State Fair as just one big petting zoo. I have been known to wander off and have completely one-sided conversations with goats and sheep. I might look insane, but it comes from a place in my heart that yearns to be with animals all of the time.
I grew up without pets. In St. Paul, circumstances never allowed my family to have anything with fur. I had my fair share of fish, tree frogs and salamanders, but nothing I could pick up and cuddle.
Then came Earl.
A black and white domesticated rabbit, Earl wandered into our yard one October afternoon. We had no idea where he came from or how he got there, but he didn't leave. I took it upon myself to take care of him, and since I wasn't allowed to keep him indoors, I strove to give him the best outdoor life possible.
When the weather changed and I would come home from school, Earl was the first to greet me and I would wrap him in my jacket to keep him warm. There were a number of snowy afternoons and evenings that I happily risked frostbite to keep that rabbit warm.
Earl brought out my resourcefulness, using the bare minimum to provide comfort and security. I was in the seventh grade, unable to drive myself to a pet store, let alone build a hutch with power tools. I fashioned a sturdy home for him out of flower stems and branches. I fed him with leaves and vegetables from our garden as the final harvest was wrapping up. I loved him, and I like to think he loved me back as we kept each other company.
And then he was gone.
Adopted by my sister's friend, our last moment together is the kind of memory that I never fully recovered from. My mom, whose sincere apologies for the situation still ring clear in my mind, brought him up to her bedroom in a laundry basket. It was the first time Earl was allowed in our house. I gave him one last tear-filled cuddle and when I put him back in the basket he stretched up to try to hop out, looking at me as he was taken back downstairs.
The memory has haunted me for over a decade, and I wish I could have let him come back to me as he tried to escape the basket.
Earl will forever remain a crucial character in shaping who I have become. The situation that brought Earl into my life taught me that caring for another being is one of the most rewarding things in life. Being selfless, compassionate and helpful towards another is gratifying and at times humbling.
When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, the display of kindness humans had toward stranded animals was remarkable. Horses, pigs, dogs, cats and even a hawk were a few examples of how rescuers worked to bring animals to safety and provide shelter. Animals bring out the best in everyone, and acts of kindness towards those who are different than you go a long way.
So when I found myself on the side of County State Aid Highway 28 coming face to face with an elderly dog named Max and his best friend, a duck named Quackers, I became reminded once again that animals are truly amazing in their ways. Seeing beyond differences, they bonded with each other and look out for one another. It really is a touching example of unconditional love.
Animals teach the most valuable lessons. They provide humor and affection when it's most needed and they leave behind a legacy of kindness when they are gone. They reward those who have empathy and compassion with loyalty and unwavering admiration.