LILY'S LAST DAY - 6/9/2006 - 7/13/2013

LILY'S LAST DAY - 6/9/2006 - 7/13/2013.... 

I believe that my little girl knew that today was the day. She gave me subtle signs that I didn't want to see but understood once she was gone. At 7 AM we went outside, she peed and decided that she wanted to stay outside. She rested, enjoying the cool, wet grass and mild breeze running across her tired body. She would get up and move when the shade went away. After 3 hours she decided it was time to go in the house, she promptly got up, went up the deck stairs and retreated to my bedroom. She spent another 2 hrs and 15 minutes on my bed. She had enough energy to jump up on the bed. Lily claimed my bed as her own on the day I first brought her home, she was spending her last hours in a place she felt safe and secure, it was our bed. I tried giving her meds and water, she wanted none, was adamant about it, my heart started to crack. I came out to the living room and sat down and she followed me out, she wanted to be by my side, she looked at me with so much love. I knew it was time and rushed to her side, hugging and crying as her soul left her body. Kenyon, who I lost 4 yrs ago was waiting for her and they are reunited, back to their old wrestling and horsing around. I take comfort that they are back together. I love you my little Lil, Lil. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ to infinity and beyond my little girl.

Walking with my dogs in spirit...

It was time to take my evening walk. It would also be the first time I took a walk without Lily at my side.

I dragged, I putzed and with a heavy heart I finally pushed myself out the door. My legs felt like lead weights as I moved forward. My hands were empty, no leash to hold, no beautiful white Lily to talk to and admire.  And then they were there… I sensed them, felt them and could envision the 3 of them walking with me.  Lily was in front on the left side, Kenyon was to her right and Maxine was at my right side.  Lily was happily giving Kenyon body bumps and looking at him with adoration.  She had her buddy back and she was  loving every step.   I felt so honored and blessed that they were with me. My steps were easier, quicker as I watched them walk with me. I laughed at remembering when I first got Lily and she would never pee on our walks and would always watch Kenyon do his business.  After Kenyon passed, she would imitate him and get as close to a tree or pole as she could, like a boy dog, to pee on it, cracked me up every time.  To see Maxine at my side, looking up at me with love, I felt much better, comforted.  They are all happy, loved and at peace. Though I miss their physical presence, I know their spirits are always with me.  Xoxoxo to all my furbabies.

My thoughts turned to how I spend my Sundays...

On my drive home tonight my thoughts turned to how I spend my Sundays.  Last week I turned 54.

At my age I am blessed to be in good health, strong, full of energy and to have a passion that fills my heart.

Today there was no normal to my routine.  I think the main theme of the day was “mini-donkeys”.   I was able to get the barn animals fed before I needed to load up one of the mini-donkeys who was just adopted. She was one of the mini’s that had been part of a county farm seizure.  Her new owners will love her, she is friendly and enjoys attention.  Shortly  after  the donkey adoption someone came to pick up 6 ducks they were adopting that were part of the same farm seizure.  I ended up giving them a short tour of the place. I think I probably walked around in 20 circles before figuring out the next priority. LOL.  I had to finish cleaning out a room in the barn and set it up to move a very pregnant mini-donkey, so she can give birth safely and quietly. Once done, had to move said donkey. Luckily she was very cooperative, I was very amazed.  I tried to give worming medicine to an uncooperative  draft horse. ( think Budweiser Beer size horse). With it being muddy and all the horses acting up, I decided after several attempts it was not worth risking. I tried to give a mini-donkey wormer too, gave up on that after a donkey rodeo.  I moved 4 mini-donkeys into the pole barn and “wrassled & dragged”, (that is not an exaggeration), the male for a good 20 minutes trying to get him to the outside pen.  I was able to get everyone fed of course, squeeze in cleaning the goat hut, goat feeder, top cleaning the straw in the emu house, cleaned a horse stall, filled up a few water tubs.   And all the little things in between.  It was now dark.  With a heavy heart I walked over to the Mississippi pen.  It was time to say goodbye to Roary.

He was released from his pain and sent over the Rainbow Bridge to be free.    I also had to help with moving his body.  There are many sides to volunteering at Valley of the Kings.  The painful aspects, such as saying goodbye to these wonderful animals when it is their time,  the body aches and pains from the physical labor,  it is all outweighed by the joy & love we experience by just sharing their space. 

Love and Light, to Infinity and Beyond.  Life is what you make of it, and my life is GREAT.

Tonight we said goodbye to Roary the lion, he was surrounded in love as he peacefully drew his last breath.  He was truly a wise and majestic soul.  He had been in a lot of pain from bone cancer in his leg, he was ready to say goodbye.  As his soul passed from his body the roars of his siblings and fellow lions at VOTK vibrated the sanctuary, it brought us all to tears.  He came to VOTK in 1996 from a horrific situation in Mississippi.  He lived the last 16 yrs of his life at VOTK, loved and spoiled.  He was in his mid 20's.                                                                                  

 When I first started my volunteer work at VOTK 4 years ago I wrote a story about Roary.  I would like to share that here. Because since that day we had connected, I always made sure I said hello when I passed by. :)  Love & light to you dear friend.

WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, A LION SAYS HELLO.
I volunteer my Sundays at Valley of the Kings, a big cat sanctuary.
This past Sunday was a particularly grueling day. The weather and conditions were a toss up between ice, slushy snow and bare ground. We use sleds in the winter to make it easier to transport food and garbage ( aka poop & other yuck).
The sleds work great over the snow and ice but not bare ground. I felt like an ox dragging a wagon, heave/ ho, back and forth across the compound . It kicked my butt.

When it is cold and near dusk the lions tend to go inside their enclosures, so it is usually pretty quiet. It was around 5pm, I was walking through the compound to finish a chore when I noticed one of the the Mississippi lions out near his house and staring at me. They have always been an aloof bunch and I have stopped many times to talk to them but I usually got a yawn in response to my chatter.
So of course I was intrigued, I immediately stopped and asked him if he wanted company or to talk. He then promptly walked through the feeding area and came over to where I was standing and stared me right in the eyes, face to face. I was no more than 10 inches away from him. I had no idea how massive he was until he was right in front of me and he was so beautiful it was breathtaking.
He was right next to his dinner but he was not possessive or aggressive in anyway. He continued to look at me, a very content look on his face. He let me know that he just wanted to exchange energy. He knew that I was dragging, as I mentioned above, and he wanted to help. Wow, how cool is that.
******
ROARY, you were beyond cool. Thank you for always being there. Godspeed.

LIONS & TIGERS & BEARS (my grant winning entry)

This was my Grant winning entry for a $5000 donation to Valley of the Kings! WOOT!

LIONS & TIGERS & BEARS…and many other exotics as well as farm animals reside at Valley of the Kings. Valley of the Kings aka VOTK is a Big Cat & Exotic Rescue and Sanctuary founded 38 years ago and is nestled in the sleepy countryside of Southeast WI. I started volunteering at VOTK the first week of January 2009 during a wicked ice storm. Let me add that I hate the cold, but my first day of hard labor sold me. For the past 3 ½ years I have volunteered every Sunday and work 7-9 hours. I also go some weekday and Saturdays when needed. My hours can easily add up to 500 in a year in labor and fundraising efforts.

VOTK is strictly non-profit and exists solely on donations and memberships. Operating costs are between $10,000- $12,000 per month , electricity alone can reach over $2000 a month.

I have always loved big cats, the panthers being a favorite since childhood, but it was RC, the horse with no eyes that stole my heart. RC came from a local farm that had a seizure of approximately 40 horses due to neglect. RC could not be placed at a regular farm due to severe infection in both eyes caused by living in filth. VOTK committed to taking in RC and had her eyes removed to relieve her pain. She has a seeing eye donkey, Monchee, who is her best buddy. To watch how she maneuvers around her small field area is always amazing to me. I committed myself to make sure she always had a spotless stall before I left at the end of the day. While I work in her area she stands at my shoulder listening to every word I say. She loves when I talk to her. I will occasionally stop to give her nose kisses and back rubs. When it is time to put the shavings down she waits until I tell her that I am all done, then she proceeds to roll around in bliss in her clean stall. I then brush her down, telling her how much I love her with each brush stroke. The bond I share with this amazing horse is beyond words. She completes my soul.

It is difficult to keep my volunteer experience short as there are so many stories I could tell about all the wonderful animals and people. I started writing a blog called animalbond.blogspot.com and added animal photography (flickr.com/susanR58) to share my many enriching encounters. Volunteering at Valley of the Kings is one of the most personally rewarding experiences of my life. I have learned firsthand about the circle of life, the sadness and joy that accompanies an animal’s passing, to see the love and trust these once abused animals now have for their caregivers. Volunteering is to give back and not expect anything in return. I satisfy my desire to help animals (my passion), provide service (something we all should be doing), get lots of healthy exercise and it all brings peace and unconditional love into my life. -Susan Reinholz

“They need us as much as we need them”

A friend asked me how I was able to continue bringing new animals into my life when losing them is so painful.  She had just made the difficult decision to put her dog to sleep after an unfortunate incident.

My immediate reply was “They need us as much as we need them”.  

God created us with an unending capacity to love and be loved. 

I could not imagine life without any of my pets.   I have 10 of them right now, 8 cats and 2 dogs.

There are many people with many more pets.  If I could afford more, I think I would be open, but it is a struggle, however, a worthwhile one.

There was a time when I thought I would not be able to adopt another dog.  My Maxine was the perfect dog and I could never find one as smart, loving and devoted as she was.  I also thought about the constraints that come with a dog.   Did I really want to start all over again?

My thought process turned completely upside down one weekend in November, 5 years ago.  My daughter was home from college, she wanted to see the German Shepherd puppies at the pet store. I reluctantly agreed, she also tried to convince me that Maxine needed a friend and that she was getting old ( she was 12 at the time).

At $1200 it was a no brainer, no way.  I told her that there are rescues for many breeds.   

Though I didn’t know of any personally I decided to just check on some to show her.   A quick Google check brought up White Paws German Shepherd Rescue located in Green Bay.  The feature dog was Kenyon.  I read his story and my heart melted.  He had been through hell and back in his 5 years and had been in his foster home for 9 months, he was a hardship case.   I knew in no uncertain terms that we belonged together.    

It was 9 pm, late but I couldn’t hold back, I had to call and ask about him.  Though WPGSD is located in Green Bay, he was actually being fostered just 18 miles away from where I lived.  I made an appointment to see him the next day.

It was a drizzling, overcast day but I was going to meet him, nothing was going to keep me away.  His foster dad, Keith, lives on a gentleman’s farm.  He had Kenyon in the barn, he was well taken care of, but he was wild.  As soon as he let him out he ran all over the barn and up and down the hay bales- boy oh boy, what was I doing???    I put him on the leash and we walked together towards the house.  He walked well, he behaved and was happy to be walked.   I leaned over and asked” what do you think boy, do you want to live with me?”  He responded by giving me a nuzzle, our fates were sealed.

Bringing Kenyon into my life was one part of the beginning of my reawakening.    It was a rocky beginning, but once he understood that he was in his forever home, that Maxine was the alpha and the cats were off limits, he quickly settled in.  He opened a gateway to my soul and brought out more love in me than I thought was possible.  Kenyon was an amazing dog, his transformation from a dog who was tied to a tree for 5 years and abused, who was terrified of storms and men wearing dark clothing,  to a loving dog who was always by my side, who slept next to me every night, who trusted me wholeheartedly, he was 110 lbs of pure love and devotion.   I could go on and on of how wonderful he was and how much we both grew together.  But his story is still a difficult one for me, it still hurts my heart more than any other companion I have had.  He was with me a brief 2 ½ years and left my side abruptly due to bloat.  It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but I knew his quality of life was first and foremost.  I knew he was ready, he put his massive head on my shoulder and we held each other as he quietly passed.  I’m not sure how I got home that night, it was 3 am, I bawled and moaned in grief the whole way home.  What I do remember is when I was ¾ of the way home there was a big marquee and on that sign it said RAINBOW BRIDGE.  That was my confirmation; he was home and would always be with me in spirit.  

I guess where I was going with this was that once Kenyon opened that door to my heart,  I have had 3 dogs since Maxine passed.  I adopted Lily, another White GSD on the day she was to be euthanized.  Lena came in to my life 30 days after I lost Kenyon. I was not ready to have another dog so soon.  A friend of a friend of a friend knew someone that needed to find a home for Lena.  Her options were a shelter or donate her body to the vet school, she was 7 ½ yrs old.  I fought it, and even though I tried to find her a new home because I knew she was a danger to my cats, I would look in to her eyes and see that she needed me.  So she also found a place in my heart.    Two and a half years later, she is still stalking my cats, yet  I have never regretted the decision to keep her or any of my pet companions.   I have several seniors.  I lament the day I start noticing a decline in their health and that I will have to make a decision to help them home or let them pass naturally.  They will always have quality of life, unending love and a notch in my heart and soul forever.  We need to open our hearts for new pet companions, for they need us as much as we need them, for that I will always be certain.

Sharing VOTK with friends

I  wanted to share that this weekend I had several friends come out to VOTK to visit as my guests.  I went out Saturday morning with Patty, a long time friend, and she got the most personal tour one can get as one on one. On Sunday I had more friends come out, including 2 children.  I love being able to express my passion for the animals and the rescue in general.  The residents have mostly sad beginnings but what we see are the happy, loved faces, we hear the purrs, the chuffs, the chirps, squawks, whatever noise they make to show pleasure and contentment.  Looking us eye to eye and expressing "thank you" and "I love you" with the depth of their very being.  At the end of a very long day I got to see Zipper move out of his old enclosure, down the hallway into his new palace.  He chuffed and chuffed and checked out everyone helping on his walk through, there were no dry eyes. Zipper is old, and has been having trouble walking, we think he has had a series of mini strokes & or seizures.  So to see him so happy just welled up our hearts and our eyes.  Raj, our new tiger was then moved from the trailer into Zipper old home. It was dark and he was slowly working his way through Seava's area to get to his new home.  I had to leave because my own pets at home, especially the dogs were probably crossing legs until I got home.  I look forward to seeing Raj and Zipper enjoying their new homes.  Sheba, the new lion has been adjusting well, she loves to jump up on her new house.  Her orientation /exposure with Satchel looks very promising :).   I love my life!