It’s been a week of living creature events. On Tuesday, an injured black cat was discovered hanging around the trash can by our front door. It had a collar and appeared to be injured. Though our camera system, it was revealed that it had been hit by a car. There was a bit of blood by its mouth but any other injuries were not visible. Our compassionate leader, Danielle, sprung into action and sat near the cat, comforting it as we waited for its owner to come and retrieve it. She put the cat in a container to keep it from bolting into the building. A steady stream of arriving parents and students passed by, making comments such as, “The cat really knew how to pick a good spot, coming to the Seed!” This went on for about 45 minutes, until the cat was claimed by its owner, who had been looking for it.
In the mean time, there was a request from the playground for a box and something soft, like a blanket. As it turned out, someone discovered a baby rabbit. When I first heard the request, I thought it might be similar to the bunny we found a couple weeks ago that was about eight inches long and was capable of hopping around. Tuesday’s rabbit was a tiny newborn, only around five inches long. Its eyes were still shut, and it was quite fragile. Once again, staff members jumped into action, gently collecting it, and bringing it to the office for Debbie, our office manager, to deliver it safely to Liberty Wildlife.
This morning, while I was away for an appointment, two stray puppies showed up in our parking lot. Evidently one ran over to a parent near her car, and was soon joined by the second puppy. The kind parent offered to take them both, check to see if they had microchips, and find a placement for them.
All of these situations were visible expressions of compassion for our students to observe in the adults who surround them. Some of the most important life lessons come from moments like these. I’m not an expert in animal rescue, and generally defer to others with more experience. I do have deep respect for all living creatures, however, and appreciate the level of skill in this area possessed by those who surround me here at the Seed.