Gone, but not forgotten. Although the spirits of these animals have since left their physical bodies, their souls are eternal and the memories that we shared will never be forgotten. Until we meet again, my friends and family.
Theodore
Theodore was a legend that was truly larger than life. He lived at the Sanctuary for over a decade and was one of the many animals we transported from Alberta when we moved to the Island three years ago. Theodore passed suddenly on New Year’s Eve of 2017, the day that Lucie, the RASTA Sanctuary’s founder finally returned home from a very long hospital stay. Lucie never got the chance to say goodbye to her beloved Theodore and has been left heartbroken ever since. Theodore’s passing has left a huge hole not just in Lucie’s heart, but in the heart of the Sanctuary itself. He is dearly missed.
The following is Theo’s rescue story
Barely alive, this day-old calf was found discarded on a manure pile at a B.C. dairy farm. Taken from his mother at just a few hours old, Theodore was denied the basic care that he so desperately needed since his veterinary costs would exceed the potential profits he would make for the farmer when slaughtered for veal. Fortunately Theo’s story, unlike most dairy calves whose sad destiny is to end up in pieces on someone’s plate, is one that ends happily at the RASTA Sanctuary.
In the end, Theodore weighed over 3,000 pounds and lived to be nearly twelve years old. Not bad for a calf that wasn’t expected to survive the first night.
While most compassionate people who are aware of the cruelty involved in raising and slaughtering young calves for veal would never support such an atrocity, many are unaware that the veal industry and the dairy industry go hand-in-hand. In fact, the veal industry is just a by-product of the dairy industry. Like all other animals, cows must give birth every year in order to have milk to feed their young. However, in the dairy industry calves are typically taken away from their mother’s when they are just a few hours old and rather than receiving the milk from their mothers, they are fed an artificial iron deficient diet as their mother’s milk is collected for human consumption. The calves, which are considered to be waste products of the dairy industry, are kept immobilized in tiny crates or hutches (so their muscles remain underdeveloped and their flesh is tender to the taste) until such time that they are slaughtered for the human delicacy known as veal. The sad fact is; if you drink milk or consume dairy products (cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, milk chocolate, etc) you are supporting the veal industry. To learn more, please visit; www.milksucks.com
Brutus
I picked up Brutus’s mother Jessie, a Rottie Lab cross running as a stray around the Millarville area. She was in terrible condition; starved, full of fleas, mange and parasites and to my surprise, a belly full of puppies. Brutus was born at the RASTA Sanctuary on October 11th 2002. Two months later, all of Brutus’s brothers and sisters got adopted along with his mother Jessie. Surprisingly, Brutus was the puppy that no one wanted and so he remained with me at the Sanctuary and grew up among the many different animals in our care. As he truly was the most gentle and relaxed dog I had ever encountered, he accompanied me to various fundraisers and helped raise money for the Sanctuary ever since he was a young puppy.
Brutus was a regular at the Millarville Farmer’s Market where he was admired by hundreds of people as he napped on his very own cooling water bed on top of my display table full of pet toys and treats. He and his little brothers Benson and Pedro were the only animals that had a “job” at the Sanctuary which required them to look cute, be petted and nap on a water bed for a whopping five hours a week.
In his spare time, Brutus enjoyed hanging out with his smaller doggy friends, exploring forests, camping, swimming in rivers, more napping and going where ever the walks took us.
As time allows, I will continue to post the many stories of our amazing animals who have since crossed the rainbow bridge.
– Lucie Cerny