When I saw these pictures in facebook friend's album titled simply: Jeff, with comments like, "Jeffrey waiting for his morning coffee and toast," I couldn't resist asking about the little fellow. Within a few hours, I received the following tragic yet heartwarming tale from Jeffrey's kind caretaker, John Lindner. It is with bittersweet emotions that I share Jeffrey's story with all of you.
Oh, Jeff. What a great squirrel. My favorite. His story ended as tragically as it started. Jeffrey's brother, (guessing on genders here) my daughter Nicole named Jeffrey, wandered out of a tree and was killed by my dog, Seven. Jeffrey remained in the tree crying and cussing the rest of that day and the next. Finally hunger drove him out of the tree. This time, I found him before the dog did. We hung out on the lawn for a bit. I called Bonnie and Nicole out so they could see him. While they were hanging with him, I started walking toward the house. Jeff followed. Stole my heart. When ever I moved more than a yard or two from him, he'd drop what he was doing and coming running to me. We called everyone we knew who might be able to help him. About half a dozen places said they couldn't or wouldn't take him. We kept him outside in protected nest for two days. Despite special water for newborns and a variety of food, he seemed to weaken. On the third day, I held him for the last time. I thought he might be exhausted, but no such luck. He died a short time later. I still miss him. -- John Lindner
Oh, Jeff. What a great squirrel. My favorite. His story ended as tragically as it started. Jeffrey's brother, (guessing on genders here) my daughter Nicole named Jeffrey, wandered out of a tree and was killed by my dog, Seven. Jeffrey remained in the tree crying and cussing the rest of that day and the next. Finally hunger drove him out of the tree. This time, I found him before the dog did. We hung out on the lawn for a bit. I called Bonnie and Nicole out so they could see him. While they were hanging with him, I started walking toward the house. Jeff followed. Stole my heart. When ever I moved more than a yard or two from him, he'd drop what he was doing and coming running to me. We called everyone we knew who might be able to help him. About half a dozen places said they couldn't or wouldn't take him. We kept him outside in protected nest for two days. Despite special water for newborns and a variety of food, he seemed to weaken. On the third day, I held him for the last time. I thought he might be exhausted, but no such luck. He died a short time later. I still miss him. -- John Lindner
1 comment:
Great pics! But what a sad story, almost had me in tears.
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