this past summer some little friends of mine had the privilege of meeting OREO, a beautiful horse that lived at Alaqua Animal Refuge. he had a breathing disorder and had to have a lot of extra special care. but he still loved having kids visit. see him trying to get EMJANE'S attention in this picture...
it was obvious right from the start that OREO and EMJANE had a special connection.
when OREO passed away, EMJANE was very sad. she had been trying to raise money to help pay for his expensive medications by contacting some big corporations (including nabisco, the makers of oreos!)
because of her special efforts and special fondness for OREO, she was invited to paint a stone in memory of OREO to be included in the new memorial garden at ALAQUA ANIMAL REFUGE.
the new memorial garden at ALAQUA ANIMAL REFUGE is surrounded by big river stones. the founder of AAR, MISS LAURIE HOOD, hopes to have all the rocks around the garden painted in memory of special animals who have touched people's lives.
her idea is that for a $50 donation, a child will paint a rock in honor of your beloved pet and place it around the garden to be viewed by the many visitors to ALAQUA. you could also choose to paint it yourself if you are artistically inclined as well.
so on this day, EMJANE picked the perfect spot out to place her OREO rock.
also,our friend CROCKETT painted a special stone in memory of JUNEBUG, an injured deer that had been taken in by AAR.
his rock was very heavy.
but CROCKETT was determined to place it all by himself. i saw him pinch his thumb and it must have hurt because he was blowing on it and fanning it. but he didn't want any help.
how sweet is this. there's JUNEBUG at the top with the white spots. and an angel below.
his little brother GARNER is very strong and determined as well...
he painted this rock with a cross. he said it was in honor of ALL the animals that have ever passed away.
MISS LAURIE painted this one for the dog named MIRACLE.
the memorial garden is situated in a particularly tranquil spot in front of the cat shack and kitten cabin.
the cats were curious about what we were doing.
if you'd like to donate to ALAQUA and help surround this garden with beautiful heart filled art to remember a much loved animal, click here for their contact info.
by donating to AAR, you will help many animals have a good life, which is helpful in mending a broken heart if you have recently lost a pet. or you may want to honor a special childhood pet from your past, or any other special animal that has touched your life... just like EMJANE, CROCKETT, and GARNER did.