Miss Clementine and the power of kindness

The first time we saw Miss Clementine was only hours ago, as blood stained tears and misery dripped from her left eye. The legacy of an attack by crows. Her old bones and emaciated form were covered in wool that told of a recent shearing. And our hearts sank. Hers clearly has been a world devoid of kindness.

19/04/20 Miss Clementine and the power of kindness.

Yet despite all she has been through, and all she has been denied, Miss Clementine had not given up. Which dictated neither should we. As soft words and gentle arms carried her to a heated stall, our team swung into action, placing IV drips, administering medications, and offering every comfort possible. A loving hand too caressed her weary face offering the words, “come on my lovely, another world awaits”.

And now we wait, trusting all the while in the power of kindness. Her story continues…

20/04/20 Miss Clementine – the power of kindness continues…

In the early hours of this morning our power failed, taking with it too the camera that had been our constant companion throughout the cold, wet and windy night. A camera that had been dutifully eavesdropping on Miss Clementine’s every move and reporting it back to the comfort of our beds. Making haste, we rushed to her stall, hoping beyond hope that she too had not succumbed to the night.

But she has felt your love and the incredible and overwhelming kindness that has poured out around the globe for a dear old ewe who would have otherwise slipped from this world and no one would have even noticed. Miss Clementine, although still frightfully weak, is proving resilient beyond measure, and gentle and trusting beyond what her past dictates she should. Enticed by the sweet smell of oats, she is now eating and drinking on her own; her left eye, or what remains of it, will shortly be assessed by our vet, and therapy sessions have commenced to remind her weary legs of their greater duty to help Miss Clementine stand. Aiding this all too, and something we take the greatest comfort in, is your well-wishes to help her do just that.

22/04/20 Miss Clementine – and the power of kindness continues…

Today, with the sun sending her warming rays down to earth, this image of dear Vet Nurse Ruby standing guard dutifully by Miss Clementine more than warmed our hearts. With good nutrition slowly filling her belly, and medications setting to work, Miss Clementine inches closer to her strength meeting her will to stand. But what strikes us most with this oh so resolute gal is the familiarity she affords us, one akin to that of old friends – such is the power of kindness.

24/04/20 Miss Clementine – and the power of kindness continues under the kindness tree

Transformations such as hers do come at a price, a price we are only too willing to pay, and a price we can only pay because of your support. Whether it is monitoring her throughout the night as she lies on a bed of golden straw in a heated stall; early morning exercises to remind her joints of their duty, gaining strength as she rests in a specially designed sling; sitting by her side raking our brains to determine which delicious treat to offer her to tempt her world-weary taste buds; standing patiently by, keeping a watchful eye should she need assistance to lie down, get up, take a pee, or just have a look around; or having an arsenal of kindness and medications on hand to help keep her on the right side of living. And never before have we been more reminded that our duty is to serve those forgotten, maligned or “compartmentalised” animals who truly deserve so much more, and never before have we been more grateful of your support to help us do so.

28/04/20 Miss Clementine – we’ll stand by ewe 

Now off most of her medications, Miss Clementine, although far from out of the woods, is showing clear signs that she is ready to leave behind that forest of sadness and neglect that once cruelly claimed her. While we still hold grave fears for her sight fully returning to her left eye, it is most certainly more comfortable than it has been. This has been aided in no small measure by applications every two hours of artificial tears, ever so diligently applied by Kwok, these actions earning him the title of Mr Celluvisc.

Watching the strong bond that Miss Clementine has formed with her carers should move us all to the irrevocable thought that the emotional world of sheep is rich and full, and that it is based on an internal judgement by these animals on how they would wish to live. Perhaps too it is time for us all to listen to this, for when you do, we’ll stand by you too.

06/05/20 Miss Clementine – kindness becomes ewe 

Guiding Miss Clementine each day, along with your well wishes, has been a team of humanities finest. From teaching her to walk again, carefully and skilfully placing intravenous drips to ensure hydration would not only pump up her sunken eyes but pump up her spirits too, to tempting daily her taste buds with a bevy of delicious and nutritious foods and accepting of her whim that was once considered tasty and mouth-watering one minute would not be the next, then wading into the long hours of the night until the dear girl decided to sleep ensuring her comfort would be maintain with strategically placed pillows and towels. And we couldn’t love her any more if we tried, yet somehow we always did.

The greatest hope now that lies for sweet and vulnerable animals such as Miss Clementine is this. That change for them will not come about through lawmakers or even those in animal agricultural industries, no changing the world for the better for farmed animals lies with us, the people, to not partake in a system that harms animals and reduces them to mere commodities. And for when we do this kindness will become us too.