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This edition first published in 2008 by
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
665 Third Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94107
Copyright © 1997, 2008 by Stephanie LaLand
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Originally published as Peaceful Kingdom in 1997 by Conari Press, ISBN: 1-57324-094-X.
Interior Design & Production: Claudia Smelser
Cover Design: Jim Warner
Cover photograph: © adithep chokrattanakan / shutterstock
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
LaLand, Stephanie.
Random Acts of Kindness by Animals / Stephanie LaLand; foreword by Doris Day.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographic references.
ISBN 978-1-57324-350-6 (trade paper)
1. Altruistic behavior in animals—Anecdotes. 2. Human-animal communication—Anecdotes. I. Title.
QL775.5.L35 2008
591.5—dc21
Printed in the United States of America
MAL
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter
For Binti-Jua, who showed the world that animals can be kind.
And for my cats, Pie and Little Utz, whose very existence is an act of kindness.
contents
What separates the beast from us?
Our hands—our brains so ponderous?
What makes us feel superior?
We walk on two legs; they on four.
Abandoned; even pets go feral
Without love, we the world imperil
Through brutish greed, forests we ruin
And make sweet paradise a dune.
As animals respond to kindness
We humans need help with our blindness.
We mustn't be so quick to judge
We, too, must all be tamed by love.
foreword
As much as I love and cherish our animal friends, I must tell you it is very difficult for me to read stories about them or to see them portrayed in films. Even if the stories have happy endings and they impart a positive message, I am always moved to tears.
I've thought about the reasons for all of this emotion, and I feel it's because I'm so overwhelmed by the beauty and innocence of these “earthly angels.” What comes to mind when you hear these words: Compassion, loyalty, devotion, forgiveness, tenderness, empathy, affection, acceptance, selflessness, LOVE. These are qualities that our animal friends have in abundance and oh, how I wish I could say the same about us humans.
Animals have always touched me in beautiful and profound ways. My fascination with them began as a young girl, when I was convalescing after a horrible automobile accident. My constant companion was my doggy, “Tiny,” and he taught me how much love, affection, and undemanding companionship a dog can give. Through the years I have known and loved so many animals, and each one has given his or her own unique gift to me. Literally hundreds of tragic little orphans were rescued by my Pet Foundation and many found their way into my home—just until a proper home could be found, of course. As the song says, “Just one look, that's all it took.”
That tender connection—the bond between all living things that we call love—is what this little book is all about. As you read and enjoy these stories, I hope you will recognize all of the wonderful qualities I mentioned and realize that our animal friends are living souls who deserve only the best. It's our duty to see that they get it.
—Doris Day, Spring 1997
survival of the kindest
This book is a collection of true stories about animals who have displayed the sort of love and humanity we humans aspire to achieve. Dogs are well known to have put aside their own safety in order to save a fellow animal's life or aid an injured human. But in this book, you will discover the compassion, heroism, and incredible caring, not only of dogs, but also of many other animals, including cats, monkeys, geese, turtles, fish, and even a wild seagull! Some animals have dedicated their whole lives to helping others. In addition to the well-known Seeing Eye and hearing dogs, there are also handi-dogs who help paraplegics.
That animals can act with courage, love, devotion, and compassion is dramatically demonstrated in these stories from around the world. Often animal acts of kindness have a unique poignancy to them—like that of an English cat, who, when barred from the funeral chamber where her beloved mistress was being mourned, laid a
