All Creatures May - June 2018

MY NAME IS GRACE, and I am a golden retriever of three years. Recently I got sick. I’d never really had anything serious. Until now. I got weak and dizzy. I am told that my white blood cell count fell and I had a fever. All I know is that I felt horrible. I just wanted to sleep and be reassured by my people. I didn’t even want to eat, which is really unbelievable for me. I learned some things about being sick that I want to share in case you are ever in my situation. Rest. This is something that I am usually quite adept at. Who doesn’t like to nap? Except I felt bad that I wasn’t doing my usual duties—guarding the front door, scaring the deer from…

Pam Ahern, the founder and director of Edgar’s Mission farm sanctuary in the rolling fields outside Lancefield, Australia, was surprised to receive a call from a Melbourne pound asking her not to take in Cheesecake, the pig they’d originally requested that she rescue. Tarzan, a timid billy goat, had become so attached to the confident sow that he panicked whenever she wandered out of his sight. It was clear they couldn’t be separated, so Ahern brought both animals to the sanctuary. The two are so close, they eat from the same bowl. They love to chase each other and sunbathe together. Rather than socialize with the more than 30 other pigs on the farm, Cheesecake lives with Tarzan. As Ahern told Nat Geo Wild, these best friends “share so much…

It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are. Share a moment of connection you’ve had with one of God’s creatures (poems and prayers welcome). Send it to allcreatures@guideposts.org  or All Creatures, 110 William Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038.…

FISH OUT OF WATER When lakes dry up, African lungfish burrow into mud tunnels and “hibernate” in a mucous cocoon. They have gills for breathing underwater and a primitive lung that allows them to breathe air—sometimes for years—until rains come. SLOW AND STEADY Even though seahorses are the slowest fish in the ocean (the dwarf seahorse travels only five feet in an hour), they’re able to watch their surroundings from all angles with eyes that move separately. The female lays eggs in the belly pouch of the male, who rocks back and forth by grasping a piece of seaweed with his tail until the eggs hatch. SUPER›TASTERS Humans have about 7,000 taste buds. Catfish have more than 27,000 covering their bodies and whiskers to help them feel their surroundings and…

I ADOPTED SANDY from a shelter in 1977 for $7 just 24 hours before he was scheduled to be euthanized. At the time, I desperately wanted to be an actor, and I was promised a part in a production if I agreed to find and train a dog for the show. Little did I know that my scruffy rescue mutt would find stardom playing Sandy the dog in the original Broadway production of Annie. On Broadway alone, he appeared in 2,333 performances. Sandy is the reason I’ve had a successful career as an animal trainer. He was the catalyst for my life as I know it. My beloved Sandy died at age 16. Twenty-six years passed before I commissioned a life-size bronze statue of him to hold his ashes. It…

PETEY approached the leashed bulldog in the testing area, tail wagging a bit too much. He wriggled, his tongue lolling joyfully. I was nervous. If he was too excited, he’d fail his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. The test administrator looked at Petey, then me. “How old is he?” she said. “Six months,” I replied. She chuckled and nodded. The test involved greeting a friendly stranger, moving politely through a crowd and reacting with confidence to distractions, among other things. Thankfully, Petey passed. We’re still working with him on simple commands, and he needs to learn to rein in his puppy energy. Just because he passed the CGC test doesn’t mean he’ll graduate as a therapy dog. But he’s well on his way. COULD YOUR PET BE A THERAPY DOG?…