Jasmine

In  2003, police in Warwickshire , England , opened a garden shed and found  a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and  abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been  abused.

In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was  a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife  Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing  haven for Animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in  need.   Geoff and  the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims to restore the dog  to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but  eventually both goals were achieved.

They named her Jasmine, and  they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
                                                               
But  Jasmine had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but she  started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't  matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or  hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where  possible, deliver a welcoming  lick.
                                                       
Geoff  relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been  abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they  arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the  scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she  fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling  them."

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the  rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not  only feel close to her but to settle into their new  surroundings.

"She  has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits  and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her  nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the  animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might  have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has  cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight  guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer  fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field.  Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her  warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound  showers Bramble the Roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.

"They  are inseparable," says Geoff "Bramble walks between her legs and they  keep kissing each other. They walk together round the  sanctuary.
It's  a real treat to see them."

Jasmine  will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned  to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She  will be too busy showering love and affection on the next Orphan or  victim of abuse.