Love…..

In the animal world there are some disturbing things I see… so I will address them after some cool information….

Here is a collie in the 30’s at the home of Edsel Ford!  In the min-cars are Josephine Ford, known as Dodie who loved animals till the day she died donating large sums of money for their care.  Josephine Ford was the daughter of Edsel Ford who was the son of Henry Ford. Edsel was a kind man who did not like many of the antics his father pulled.  Edsel was not only President of Ford but of Lincoln and Mercury. He founded Mercury and had a big role in designing all Ford cars after the advent of the Model A which was his first Ford design.  While all that endears me to Edsel, he had a collie!!!!

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The other child is William Clay Ford who is the youngest child of Edsel and Eleanor Ford.  William Clay Ford is the only one alive of Edsel’s 5 children.  He is presently 88 years old and he owns the Detroit Lions….. too bad he can;t have success on the football field that his family has had with their cars!

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-My love for Tractors is also well known on this blog.  Here is a picture of a Ford 9N tractor and beside the back tire is Henry Ford and in the middle of the picture is Edsel.  Next to Henry Ford is Harry Ferguson.  Ferguson developed the revolutionary hydraulic three point hitch that changed the tractor world forever!  He later had Ferguson tractors after working with Ford till Henry died and then later was merger with Massey-Harris to build the Massey-Ferguson company that still thrives today!

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To further see a quick shot of their collie as a young dog go her and go to 2:33 on the film to see Eleanor playing in the snow with the kids and the collie!

 

Those who live nearby should know you can walk your dogs there and they have dog days so check out the website. 🙂

Henry Ford at Fairlane created a refuge for wild animals having many brought in from threatened areas.  One of his specialties were bird. Five Hundred bird houses were built and he loved watching them……

In 1912 and 1913 Ford threw his weight and money in to help pass the Migratory Bird act.  It still serves as protection for the Geese and Ducks and others whom you see flying south in the fall and north in the spring.

So, what is the point of this post?  Well part of it is that I like the Fords and love animals and that they had a collie.  But, the other is that saving animals, helping them and loving them is not relegated to just average folks or working folks or what have you.  It is a spectrum of people from the poorest to the richest who work for the betterment of animals.  W don’t get political here on Collies of the Meadow but in today’s world I think it is important for all of us to remember animal care is not just the realm of self-proclaimed protectors or activists who seem to pour scorn upon the wealthy.  It is for ALL of us to do.  People like the Fords could pour in money and pull favors from connections while people like you and I help where we can and take in what we can and try to care for animals around us through everyday activities that include kindness and love.

Together we all can make a difference….  I dont care if you are rich or poor….. just do what you can like build a birdhouse, feed the birds in the winter, take in a stray cat or dog, give money to no-kill shelters, even $10 helps!  Donate your time…… whatever….. it all helps.   So what about the tractor?  Well, I love them but planting corn in the part of the world I live in has helped the deer, migrating birds and squirrels as well as raccoons and others eat all winter so they dont starve like they used too.  Yes, despite protests of some there is a place of modern technology in helping to feed the animals.

For me, I love animals.  We take in all we can, feed all we can, find homes for the unhomed we know of and give them all love.  Animals from the wild seem to know we love them and many come to our home to spend their final days till they pass away such as the woodchuck who showed up one day and whom I picked up (which horrified everyone for they thought it would bite me) and wrapped in a blanket and put under the big Maple with food and water. He never ate or drank but stayed till he passed in peace.  We have had injured birds come, injured bats and squirrels and while all of them were beyond saving they all were cared for till they died feeling cared for.

One doesnt have to do great things for animals.. just be kind and loving…. for even the most wild animal has to have love….. just love them….. it will change your life.