Life can be a hard journey. I did not have much of a childhood, or perhaps I've
blocked a lot from my memory. But by the age of fifteen I was all grown up. I
had to make decisions for myself; admittedly, some were not very good ones. It
wasn't that I believed I was a bad person. I just made some bad choices about
some people and some of the things that I chose to do. Looking back, it really
didn't take all that long before I came to the end of my rope, but once I got there I
turned around. I grabbed on as tight as I could, and soon I was pulling myself up,
one grip at a time. And I've made a lot of changes in my life since then, mostly to
make it a better one.
The first time that I was in contact with an animal, it changed me forever.
Looking back, I wish I might have been a little smarter concerning my career
choice because I would have loved to be a veterinarian. But life can throw you
curves, and I've learned to make the best of every day. And the day I held that
warm, soft creature in my arms made me feel happier than I'd ever been. Happy
deep down inside where it matters the most.
The day eight years ago when we bought our “ranch”, I realized just how much
I loved animals—all kinds of animals—and how much it meant for me to have
them around me. We developed a piece of raw land into a working ranch and it
was a lot of hard work, pulling weeds, putting in a fence line, and building pens
for the animals we purchased from a local auction. And it was worth it, because,
as I said, I love all animals of every kind, each with its own special interests and
personality. I can spend endless hours just relaxing and watching them run and
play with one another. We have thirty-seven animals on the ranch right now, and I
love each and every one with all my heart. Most of them were adopted, saved from
horrible situations, and still need lots of love and attention. Eventually, living with
us, they come around and forget their past lives of neglect and abuse. Our animals
live their entire lives on our ranch where they also get special attention from our
friend and vet, Dr. Coughlan. There they live to be very old and die of natural
causes—the way it’s meant to be.
Unconditional Love
We believe that every animal has a right to live—and live well. We respect their
wishes and they respect ours in return. It is out of this deep respect that I say that
animals are not toys; they have feelings and hearts beating inside them just the
way we do. And it is from animals that we receive unconditional love.
I know, because it is their love, total and unconditional, that changed my life
forever.
