Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 14, 2015

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

 

A 
WHISPER CAN SPEAK LOUDER 
THAN A SHOUT

Learning from the Heart of a Horse

When I was a kid, I begged my parents to let me 
have a horse. We had domestic pets along with 
a back yard full of chickens and rabbits, and I 
often went to the local barn to ride my friend’s 
horse, but my lifetime dream was to have a 
horse of my own. My parents were missionaries, 
so we weren’t exactly in the financial position 
to become horse owners, but my hope sprang 
eternal!

When I think back on those days growing up 
as the “baby” in a family of seven with limited 
monetary resources, I find it interesting that I 
never noticed we were poor. I suppose it didn’t 
matter because we had everything we needed, 
and most importantly we were rich in love. My 
mother sewed most of our clothes, my father 
did all the yard work and home improvements, 
and we kids were expected to do chores for our 
weekly allowances. Maybe that’s why money 
never seemed important to me as a kid, and it 
still isn’t important to me as an adult. My parents 
taught me to be content with what I have, and for 
that I am grateful.

When I turned thirteen, my father finally broke 
down and bought me a pony. Unbeknownst to 
me, he had been watching the classifieds in the 
local newspaper for quite some time, hoping to 
find a horse that we could afford. He finally came 
across a Welsh pony for sale at a nearby farm and 
surprised me with it on my birthday. He paid 
$75 for “Coco”, and even at that price, I know my 
dad was going out of his way to accommodate 
my burning desire to have my own horse.

Coco came with nothing more than a halter 
and lead rope, so I learned very quickly to ride 
bareback and handle him without the force of a 
bit and bridle. My sister, Vicki and I had so much 
fun doubling up on Coco and traipsing about 
the rural areas close to our neighborhood, riding 
on the local mountain trails and playing in the 
back woodlands surrounding our town. Those 
are some of the best memories of my life and I 
wouldn’t trade them for anything.

When I realized how much responsibility went 
into owning a pony, it was a rude awakening 
for me. Every day after school, I had to go out 
and find Coco in the field, rope him and bring 
him back to the barn, groom him, clean out his 
stall, feed him, and let him rest a while before I 
could finally enjoy 
the fun of taking 
him out for a ride. 
Coco was a bit of 
a curmudgeon, so it was 
a challenge to ride him at 
times. If he preferred to stay inside the fenced 
area that day, he often got his way at first. It 
took me a while to convince him that I was “in 
charge”, and I’m not real sure if I ever was!

I later learned that Welsh ponies are known to 
be headstrong, so they require a lot of patience 
and loving discipline to help keep them in line. 
According to my memory, I suppose I did OK 
working with Coco, considering he was my 
first pony and I had little previous experience 
with horsemanship. I bonded with him 
immediately, which made it easier to be patient 
and understanding when he tried to buck or 
bolt. Little by little the two of us learned what 
to expect from each other and eventually we 
established a close relationship based on mutual 
respect.

Caring for Coco and learning about his way 
of thinking was such an important part of my 
teenage years. My folks used a good balance of 
encouragement and discipline in raising us kids, 
and I was lucky enough to have had an excellent 
education, but there is nothing like working with 
a horse to teach a person how to live gracefully. 
A few years later, after graduating from high 
school I bought a beautiful registered appaloosa 
named Charity and my education for living, 
taught from the heart of a horse, continued.

All these memories flooded back to me after 
watching a documentary entitled “BUCK”, a bio-
pic focused on the life of a gentleman named Buck 
Brannaman, who inspired the story behind the 
film, “Horse Whisperer”. I remember seeing “Horse 
Whisperer” when it first came out and being very 
impressed and emotionally affected by the story, 
but until I watched the ‘Buck’ documentary, I had 
no idea “Horse Whisperer” was based on a real life 
character.

The film is about a man who has a unique ability 
to communicate with horses, and he uses that 
ability to train and handle them in a very calm 
and humane manner. Ultimately, the character in 
the film succeeds in bringing new life to not only 
his equine subjects, but to the humans involved 
as well. It was such a heart-warming story and it 
validated what I always believed to be true about 
the relationship we humans can have with animals. 
If we are willing to take the time to understand the 
mind and heart of other species, we are far more 
apt to succeed in living our lives with grace and 
dignity. 

Many lessons in life are learned while sitting in a 
classroom with printed curriculum and constant 
correction, but some of the most important lessons 
can only be learned by spending time in a dusty 
field under an open sky with beautiful beasts who 
have ages of knowledge to share with those who 
show them due respect. If we have the desire to 
learn, and the patience to be silent and listen with 
an open mind, we are sure to benefit greatly from 
what horses have to teach us. I am on a constant 
quest to learn from the animals, and I will always 
appreciate the age-old knowledge I gained from my 
two equine friends, Coco and Charity…knowledge 
that can come 
only from 
the heart of a 
horse.


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND??

So is Andre! He is being called a Border Collie mix, 
although his size is quite large for that breed, so his 
“mix” must be a much larger dog. He has the familiar 
black and white coloring of a Border Collie, and his 
coat is quite beautiful, long, and silky.

Andre came in to the shelter weighing close to 100 
pounds, which is overweight for his size. He is on a 
special diet and exercise program. He is walked as 
often as volunteers are available to take him out, and 
he has dropped a bit of his extra weight, which has 
increased his energy level. 

Andre’s age is estimated to be about 12 years old, 
but he has good energy for a senior dog. He is quite 
playful if he has the opportunity to interact off leash. 
He is a smart boy with a gentle disposition.

Andre enjoys his walks with volunteers and has a 
calm, mellow personality. He does not react to other 
shelter dogs that bark when he walks by their kennels; 
he just prefers to mind his own business and make the 
most of his exercise time. Volunteers describe him 
as “determined, active, and easy going.” He is easy to 
manage on leash, and does not pull. When he is in his 
kennel, you will find him lying near the gate, quietly 
watching the activity going on around him.

Andre would make a great companion who does not 
demand a lot of attention to keep him happy. A nice 
shady yard, a few easy walks, and a soft bed at night 
near his family would be a good life for him. Please 
consider giving this beautiful senior boy the loving 
home he deserves for his retirement years.

He currently 
resides at the 
San Gabriel 
Valley Humane 
Society located 
at 851 E. Grand 
Avenue in San 
Gabriel. We 
are located off 
San Gabriel 
Blvd., north of 
Mission and 
south of Las 
Tunas. 

To arrange 
a ‘Meet and 
Greet’ with 
Andre, please 
stop by any time 
from 10:00am to 4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. 

His adoption fee is $135 which includes his neuter 
surgery, a microchip, first vaccinations and a free 
wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. 
He is available for the shelter’s ‘Senior For Senior’ 
reduced-fee adoption program. Feel free to call us at 
(626) 286-1159 for more information on Andre. 

 

See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for 
information and photos of all our available pets. 

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


DogWalking & Sitting ServicesSierraMadre, Californiawww.canyoncanine.comchris@canyoncanine.comChris LeclercCanyonCanine626-355-8333 626-533-9536CCConCaCanyonCanineCanineeeieCCChris LeclercChris Leclercae,
chris@canyoncanine.com.canyoncanine.comwwwnCaSierraMadrare, CaliforCaalking&SonDogWWalking & Sitting ServicesonCa626-355-8333 62onCayeclercinnia6-533-95362eclerccanine.comanine.comani,CaliforirnanineSittingServiceseaninee
PET OF THE WEEK Hazel: Animal ID #A4804216

Meet a stunning beauty with 
a personality to match, the 
amazing Hazel (A4804216)! 
Hazel is a five-star 2-year-
old black-and-brown female 
Doberman Pinscher and 
Cattle Dog mix who came 
to the Baldwin Park Animal 
Care Center as a stray from 
Baldwin Park on February 27th. 
Weighing 56 lbs, Hazel earns the 
“five star” rating because she has 
so many wonderful attributes. 
First off, she’s beautiful—sleek, wonderfully colored, 
and just (in the words of her handler) “strikingly 
gorgeous.” She’s also unaffected by the shelter 
environment, which seems to say she’s well adjusted 
and self-possessed. She’s affectionate with people; 
she’s also responsive to them and eager to please 
(for example, she was eager to get out of her kennel 
but showed self-control as the handler led her out 
and about). Add to all this fact that she has a gentle 
demeanor and is playful, curious, and smart, sizing up 
her surroundings with a sort of can-do attitude. She 
pulls on leash, so we assume she’ll benefit from some 
training, which should be easy given her eagerness 
to please and intelligence. She has no problem with 
little dogs—she merely sniffs them and wags her tail, 
as if to say they’re sort of funny! Bigger dogs should be 
introduced properly, however, since she’s less at ease 
with them. We think the five-
star Hazel will be a definite plus 
as an indoor pet and buddy for 
any active individual or family 
with room for a big, beautiful 
girl to take along on walks, 
hikes, and other excursions, and 
to play with, care for, enjoy, and 
love. To watch a video of Hazel, 
please visit the following link: 
http://youtu.be/dL22g7BWQns

 To meet Hazel in person, 
please see her at the Baldwin 
Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin Park, 
CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). 
She is available now. For any inquiries about Hazel, 
please reference her animal ID number: A4804216. 
The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 pm-7 pm 
Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. 
This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for 
adoptions. For more information about Hazel or the 
adoption process, contact United Hope for Animals 
Volunteer Adoption Coordinator Samantha at 
Samantha@hope4animals.org. To learn more about 
United Hope for Animals’ partnership with the 
Baldwin Park Shelter through its Shelter Support 
Program, as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, 
and sizes available for adoption in local shelters, 
visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/.