O, heavenly Father, protect and bless all things that have breath;
guard them from all evil, and let them sleep in peace.
Hear
our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
especially for animals who are suffering;
for animals that are overworked, underfed and cruelly treated;
for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put death.
We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,
and so to share the blessings of the merciful.
– Albert
Schweitzer
I've
loved animals since childhood. Not only have they been among my
greatest friends and companions, they have been the focus of my
activism and advocacy, ever since I was old enough to lend them my
hands, and to express, not only to them, but to anyone who would
listen, what was in my heart.
I
decided to start this series of articles, which will be ongoing, to
share my lifelong passion for those of God's creatures whom I have
known, and some whom I wish I could have known.
The
series will include photos, of my companion animals over a period of
years, of those of my friends and family. Photos of demonstrations,
protests, marches on Washington, D.C., in some of which I was
arrested for my activism, though never convicted of any crime.
(Is
it a crime to love animals? You certainly might think so, considering
you can be arrested for defending them from abuse.)
There
will be articles I have written, editorials for newspapers, periodicals and
whatnot.
So
I will state up front: I believe animals have rights. Not just
“welfare”, as controlled and decided by human beings. I believe
they have souls. Animals are vibrantly sentient creatures, they have feelings,
they have a love of life, and a desire for self preservation. They
think, they dream, they have various forms of intelligence that are
rarely, by most human beings, even imagined. They are capable in many
cases of as strong a love and loyalty as any person.
One
reason that animals have not been accorded the most basic rights in
most societies is that they have no 'legal' standing of “personhood”.
A corporation is considered a “person”, but not an animal.
I've
done all in my power to change that, and will continue until the day
God sends the chariot to take me home.
I
know that some of my regular readers are animal lovers and/or animal
rights activists. I hope they will enjoy this series as much as I
will.
Barbara
Hartwell Percival
May
16, 2016
Angel
I
adopted Angel in November, 2015. Friends from my church found her for
me, at a vet's clinic not far from where I live.
After
my beloved Kyra passed away in June, 2015, at age 15, I lived for 5
months without a companion animal, this being the longest period of
time in decades when I hadn't had at least one animal living with me.
My largest 'herd' of cats at one time was 9 precious feline friends, of which Kyra was the
youngest.
I
searched for animals in the shelters and rescue operations online,
thinking it might be best to adopt an older male cat, someone who was
of a sedentary nature, perhaps, a fellow senior citizen. But I didn't have the money for the
adoption fee, so I waited and prayed that the right 'person' would somehow
appear.
And
sure enough, she did. She wasn't an older male, not a senior citizen like me, and she is anything
but sedentary. But as it turned out, the perfect companion for me.
My
friends sent me a photo of her which they'd taken at the vet's
clinic. She was alone, the last of the kittens who needed a home. I
then went to visit her at the clinic, one day after church. The first time I could only see
her through the front window, as it was Sunday and the clinic was closed.
The
next time I went inside and was able to speak with her. She was six
months old, gorgeous, friendly and affectionate, and I could not believe that no one had adopted her. She
had been there for months, no takers. She must have been waiting for
me.
My
friends paid the adoption fee, for all her medical needs, and gave me a
generous gift certificate for food and other supplies. God bless
them!
I
was now the proud grandmother of a beautiful little girl. I named her
Angel. Her birthday is in the month of May, now one year old.
Happy birthday, Angel.
Here she is, at 8 months old.
Angel
aka “The Hooligan”
Her
motto: “My way or the highway”
FOR THE LOVE OF ANIMALS
More
photos and stories to come...