Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Baby Fawn - Baby Kittens

It was quite a stressful day at the hospital. Two more days at this clinic and then I head home. I enjoy this practice because it is busy, with challenging and interesting cases. I've known the staff since I moved to California and I call them friends.

This day was ugly, inside and out. I have never experienced more mean, angry, difficult people in one day, ever. I try to be understanding, I try to be a good listener, I try to help the critters.

Today I have definately decided that I want a new career; a trail guide perhaps, for a select small group, traveling to exotic places. Tom Seleck can be my first client.... *sigh* I am probably not really going to be a trail guide for Tom.

I have thought about it tonight, I don't want to be the one creating the grumpy clients. I don't think I was, but by the end of the day I was fed up and grumpy myself. I have a theory though. My guess is, that it is the weather. It is very hot and still. The fires in the foothills and mountains are still burning (hundreds of them from the freaky lightning strikes) The air is palpable. The setting sun is a dull red orb straining to be seen through the murky grey atmosphere. There is no relief. We have to shut ourselves away inside our homes and work places.

I decided to share some sweetness from a few weeks ago.

Not all that begins badly, ends that wasy.


Did you know that new baby fawns were so tiny? The gentle hands belong to a wildlife rescue fella, his heart is with the injured wild animals.





He brought her in a little dog kennel. The fawns struggle less if kept in a confined area, kind of like swaddling a baby. Her little rump had been shaved for surgery a few days before, to repair dog bite wounds. She was found after dogs got her and her momma didn't come back. Wild life rescue picked her up and the doc at this place fixed her up. I just looked at her for a recheck.



Remembering my severe allergic reactions to handling fawns over the winter, I just 'looked' at this one. No hands-on exam needed. After her injuries heal, she will be placed with other orphans and bottle fed in a manner that restricts any human contact with them. The goal is to release them back to the wild, with the ability to fend for themselves and have a healthy distrust of humans.

This story begins with a country home owner hearing pitiful cries coming from a small wooded area on her land. Deciding that the cries were not birds as she originally thought, she investigated. She found these three kittens...... duct taped to a tree trunk..... the tape binding their little bodies and heads tightly to the tree. Over 100 degrees that day, if she hadn't found them as early as she did, well, things would not have ended well for this trio.
I saw little Moe on Friday, he was the weakest of them, and sent him home with his rescuer with a few medications. Monday all three came in for exams, blood tests, wormings, and vaccinations. They are sweet and in general good health. Kitty rescuer says she will keep them, she is not about to trust them to any one else.
Big hugs to all of you animal lovers.
I'd love to read your favorite rescue story in comments.

7 comments:

Courtney said...

The kittens story made me tear up. Who would do that?

Debbie in CA : ) said...

How precious is that fawn? And those kitties? Adorable! (I don't even want to mention the duck-tape villian ... grrrrr!) Thanks for stopping by my little spot. It's a delight to "meet" you. Yes, I agree, the eerie sunsets and blurred landscape viewed only through windows wears one down in the cheerful department. Looks like another day of indoor fun. Oh joy! I'm going to stake out a good reading place right now. I'll bring my girls back by later to "see" your cute pics and heartwarming captions. : )

p.s.
My gardens started with a single pony pack of color and just grew from there. ; )

Jenn said...

The fawn is absolutely adorable! I also never realized how very, very tiny they are. Her face kind of reminds me of my baby goats...they have very similar head structure.

How could any one do that to an animal? Duct taped to a tree? Absolute cruelty. Those poor kittens are so lucky to have found a good home.

I know several rescue stories but one of the most amazing ones belongs to one of my friends, a former jockey. She is involved in horse rescue (among many, many other things) and became a foster mom to an elderly pony who hadn't seen a farrier, vet or quality feed for several years. He had been left out in a field with a bunch of cows and basically forgotten. His feet were a disaster, he could barely walk, had almost no teeth left, had an almost full coat of winter hair in July, and you could count every vertebra in his back he was so thin. Someone had seen him in the field and called animal control who managed to get custody of him. My friend spent months nursing the old guy back to health and showing him that not all humans are bad. He ended up being a favorite "babysitter" pony for many of her off-the-track Thoroughbred rehab projects before he finally died last fall of old age. The vet estimated he was nearly 30 years old. He only had a few years with my friend, but those years were good ones. He died fat, happy, finally comfortable on those terrible feet and in a field with his friends.

We are meant to be the caretakers of all animals. Those who abuse, neglect or mistreat them completely baffle me. I feel horrible when I accidentally step on my dog and make her yelp. I feel bad when I'm late feeding my horses because I know they depend on me every day.

Anonymous said...

i think it was 2 years ago that Kev and I rescued 2 baby ducks. We found them scurrying along the road one morning while walking the dog. Kept 'em safe and enjoyed watching them swim in the wading pool then released 'em once they learned to fly.

Anonymous said...

How someone could be so crual to animals, but there are few of them out there. So sad.

Luckie kittens and that little fawn, to be found by good people.

Hope all in Calif. get good, clear, nice weather real soon. Before there is no CA. left.

To bad you just can't walk away from the grouchy nasty people, as soon as they first open their mouths. May even say "Excuse Me but I need to use restroom" and let someone else take over.

Kathy said...

Di, that's a neat story. Do you ever see ducks hanging around your place that you think may be them stopping by?

Aw Jenn, that is so sweet and sad at the same time. Thanks for sharing.

Mom, good thought but we have to all share the grumps. Today was better. The smoke and air is even worse tonight.

Debbie, welcome to my blog! I just love yours and plan to link to it if that is OK.

Courtney, me too. Sometimes I see the most awful things and you just have to do what you can do.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!