We all have or have had pets in our lives, and the memories of those times bring happiness to many of us. I am not 'officially' a house pet owner today; although, I had pets throughout my life. I remember a German Shepard that I once had when I lived in Bolivia, whose beauty lay in his spirit. Later on while residing in Argentina, we got a female yellow Labrador Retriever for the kids, and in time, we brought to our household a small white poodle.
Pets have been around me and my kids for many years, and just as we bless people that surround us, the same should apply to the pets that we love--even if they happen to be 'wild' or abandoned. Blessing an animal by sprinkling holy water over them, is a way to provide them with protection.
I have also discussed in the past that holy water is used for blessing ceremonies, in addition to its healing power, and that includes in my case: personal injuries, family members, cars owned, my apartment, and just recently a large cargo ship.
Today, between my university daughter and me, we feed daily a couple of animals: one was abandoned by its previous owner, and the other is natural to Florida. A few years ago when I moved into my apartment, I noticed an abandoned calico cat being fed by my neighbors. When they moved out, the cat lost her 'adoptive owners.' My daughter decided one morning to feed her outside the front door, and a few weeks later 'her cat' was named Isabel. Isabel continues to live outdoors, but now she looks healthier and happier than ever.
Every morning you can find Isabel right outside our door meowing for her food. She visits us periodically throughout the day. Being a 'smart cat,' she has developed an "uncanny ability" to know when my daughter Marli leaves and comes home from work, the gym, or university. That's a whole day affair, from seven in the morning until ten at night.
Me, I 'adopted' a muscovy female duck that hangs around the back of my apartment. Muscovy ducks abound all over the States, and a new brood could be as many as nineteen and more per mother duck. The elements take care of wiping out many of them very early in their lives. Mating season is in early spring. At an average, I have seen at most twenty percent of the newborn live their lives. The male duck parents don't protect their young. The mothers will keep the baby ducks for a month to two at most; then they leave them totally unprotected to survive on their own.
My adopted duck has been hand fed by me for seven straight years. I don't know how long they live, but Beatrice is getting on with age. I named her after Dante's beloved "Beatrice" in his book "The Divine Comedy." Beatrice, the duck, her single and most outstanding feature has been her devotion to me--besides having a small hole on her left foot that I used to identify her when I first met her.
After all these years, she still visits me; and early in the morning, you'll find her either sitting on the guardrail in my back patio, or lying on the grass waiting for me to feed her. In the past, she used to fly away and I wouldn't see her for a month or so. Some years, she would bring her newborn for me to meet them and feed them. For the last two years, she hasn't bred at all.
What makes Beatrice special is her ability to be very patient. When I first got divorced in late 2003, there were moments of despair in my life. I felt the pain of seeing thirty years of marriage go down the drain. I would sit in the patio planning my new life, or reading a book. Even after I fed her plenty of multi-grain bread, she would remain by me very quietly--almost like she was trying to say to me, "Okay, get over it and let's get going!"
Since then, the years have reached Beatrice quite fast, and her feathers are no longer shining black, but they are rather a dull brownish color. Her energy level is also fading. She still continues to come by most every day. Sometimes, I don't see her for a few days and then she reappears again. However, she has difficulty walking now, so she sits on the grass patiently waiting for me to give her bread.
The other day, my new next-door neighbor let his dogs loose, and they chased the ducks in the yard of the complex until one of the dogs was able to catch a female duck. The one that he caught, he killed her instantly. She was a new duck born this spring, and a good-size too! I had just walked out to the patio to feed Beatrice, when I saw the dog with the duck in his mouth.
I immediately jumped the guardrail and looked for Beatrice, but she was nowhere to be found. Had she been sitting around quietly resting and waiting for me, most likely she wouldn't have been able to take flight and get away from the dogs.
When I went chasing the dogs away from the other ducks, they took-off. The "killer dog" weighs around sixty pounds, and it's a mix of chow and husky. A true and mean mutt! I have seen dogs loose before chase after ducks, but they normally don't maul them. I suppose that's not the case with this particular one!
Had Beatrice been caught by the dogs, I would have been helpless to come to her rescue. So you leave it for God to take care of our loved ones, including our favorite pets, even if they are 'wild' or abandoned, and let Him watch over them.
A few minutes later, I spotted the two large dogs and their owner in the parking lot, frolicking and enjoying the moment. I told him about the incident with the duck. Just as I was watching his dogs walking with him by his side and without a leash, the killer dog spotted my daughter's cat Isabel sitting quietly by the bushes. Right there and then, the dog took chase. I immediately blocked his path, and I screamed at him so loud to stop that it must have scared him. The dog stopped 'dead-on-his-tracks,' and the owner then took him away. I advised him that they don't allow dogs to run loose in the complex--it didn't seem that it made any difference to him at all!
I guess it was one very lucky day for both Isabel and Beatrice! Since I told my daughter of the close call on our adopted pets, she has since sprinkled Isabel with holy water. Beatrice and all her duck friends were also given a sprinkling of holy water, just for good measure.
At the present time, we might not be 'official' pet owners, but nevertheless, both Isabel and Beatrice have been faithful and loyal to my daughter and me, and for that reason they deserve to be loved, blessed, protected, and fed every day.
For now, we will continue taking care of Isabel, and my old and wonderful friend, Beatrice.
After the incident of the other day with the dogs, I came to the realization that even the abandoned and the helpless are protected. For instance, Beatrice, the female duck, was coincidentally absent in the middle of the melee, and she's normally around and sits close to my neighbor's patio. That's where the 'mean dog' and his other companion dog stay all day long. Isabel, the calico cat, had me at exactly the right place, and at the perfect moment to keep the same dog that had just killed the duck a few minutes before away from her. I would call that very good timing all around!
Tony McCleary
http://www.prayer-be-strong.blogspot.com
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