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By "learning" we don't just mean facts and figures about animals, but emotional learning that creates a deeper sensitivity, even a bond, between humans and another species. One of life's most satisfying experiences is to earn the trust and devotion of an animal. We think stories are one way to create this emotional learning that prepares children to relate to animals. In that way, they may realize how much animals are a part of our world and how we're a part of the animal world. In the past, animals have given us far more than we have ever given them. Humans have taken, and still take more than they give back to animals. We can all start to create equity with our pets, but we can also reach out to those young creatures we may only see in zoos or on television programs. There's so much we can all do. Writing stories and creating this web site is our part. In the end, it's not what we get from animals, it's what we all become. About the people and animals at
Wild animals live up here too. A family of red foxes yips and howls on cool nights, a herd of mule deer jump back and forth over pasture fences in search of whatever food pleases them. A clan of crows congregates in a tall pine tree, buzzards sun themselves on the rocks in summer, but our great favorites are the pair of red-tail hawks who circle over the valley and then silently watch us from the top of a nearby utility pole. |
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The Animals Who Inspire Us |
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Border Collies, Dalmatian, and a true friend Adam. Our five border collies, (from left to right ), Padre, Paloma, Blanca and
Sierra form a tightly knit pack who thrive on intense work and play.
The newest addition to the pack is Poco, far left.
The top right picture shows three females born July 4, 2000 to Sierra.
This was her first litter. Paloma is the puppy in the middle. Ariel is our ever-loving Dalmatian. We dearly remember Adam, one
of the most gentle, devoted Standard Collies you could ever know. |
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| Our Horse - Prima Donna |
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| Prima Donna is our 13 year old Peruvian Paso, which is a breed gradually developed hundreds of years ago by the Peruvian ranchers who needed a strong but gentle horse for comfortable distance riding. Prima learned to accept saddle and bridle at four years. One of our great thrills is learning how to communicate with her. |
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| The Parrot Cinco |
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Cinco is a Magna Double Yellow Amazon who was kidnapped from his home in Mexico and then intercepted by U.S. Customs and sent to an animal center where he was handled and fed by many caretakers. We discovered Cinco at a pet shop and immediately took him home. He is very talkative, and often squawky when he doesn't know how to say what he wants. Cinco loves to hear classical music. One of his favorite lines is from The Marriage of Figaro, where Cinco sings, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Fiii-gaa-roh!" Cinco is 7 years old and will probably live to be 75 years old or more. |
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's mission is to connect kids and animals, especially with young animals who, like our own children, let us unfold our future. Whether it's a manatee calf, a koala joey, a mustang colt, or a new Labrador puppy, we believe kids can learn essential life lessons from the experiences of young animals. In learning, children gain deeper appreciation of the feelings and needs of these young animals.