I've been an avid book reader my whole life. As my interests in life have changed, so have my choices in what to read. Since getting Isabella, our first husky, I've become more interested in dog-related books. A little over two years later, we now have two more dogs, Jake and Champ, and I can't seem to get enough of reading about dogs and their humans. The stories touch my heart, make me laugh, make me cry, and many times make me want more dogs (don't tell my husband...). Many of these books also inspire me to want to do more for other dogs out there, in shelters and rescues. To foster, adopt, or somehow make a difference in their lives. One individual can go a long way towards making a difference.
Devon O'Day, author of My Angels Wear Fur, has rescued many animals over the years-- dogs, cats, horses, and birds. Some have stayed with her, some boomeranged back, but most have been successfully re-homed with what turned out to be their perfect match. Some of the animals were deemed "unadoptable" for various reasons-- temperament, sickness, old age-- but it didn't stop her from giving them a chance.
One of the things I love about this book is that through the stories of these animals, she relates the lessons she's learned from each one back to daily life and a way of thinking about life in general.
Some of my favorite excerpts from her book:
"In animal rescue, there are often many ports before a safe harbor is reached. All are a necessary part of the journey and none is more important than the other. Often we opt not to be a port, because we feel we can't offer a permanent solution. But if all we do is offer a temporary home, pay a vet bill, or pick up a hurt animal on the roadside and take him to a shelter, we have done what we were commissioned by God to do."
"Every kind action leads to another and another. If we all begin each day with a kind action, chances are the chain will reconnect to us by the end of the day. Whatever order we are in the links of the chain, we are integral to the connection of that chain in the plan of the universe."
"We have all been given a ball to retrieve. We have a simple calling that has been given to us, and we have been given the gifts to accomplish that calling. It all comes from God. When we lose that focus on the gifts we've been given and the calling that God has made, we find ourselves awash in unhappiness and frustration."
"I can't help but see how God teaches us the lesson of the old forgotten ones through animals. There are elderly people filled with joy and wisdom of the ages forgotten in nursing homes and retirement centers everywhere. They watch the clock tick off minutes of precious life, just waiting for someone to stop by and give them a moment of conversation. They know so much. They have lived it. Yet they are just sitting in the hope that someone will stop and hold their hand, listen to an old repeated story, and brighten their day."
"I always find that when we pray for something, God has an answer. Sometimes it's yes. Sometimes it's no. And sometimes, it's just the peace you get in knowing He's listening that makes all the difference."
"Sometimes animals are yours for their whole lives, and sometimes their lives are just yours for a passing glance. Either way, you are changed forever by their presence."
My Angels Wear Fur is a wonderful read...one that I highly recommend for any animal lover.
For more animal stories, see the Recommended Reads section in my sidebar, and the Recommeded Reads for Animal Lovers in the sidebar of my other blog.
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