My baby turns 3!
Posted on Jul 19, 2023
By Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn
Jay and I have had many animals in the house with us over the years, including sick pigs, baby goats, disabled chickens, senior turkeys, an injured pigeon, an orphaned gosling, and a mouse with a head injury. But I will never forget the time we had a cow in the living room!
John Lewis Thunderheart was dying of pneumonia, and we knew we were losing him to the extreme heat in our quarantine barn. Jay and I looked at each other and shared the same idea: Let’s bring him inside! We cleared the furniture from the living room except for the couch, and I moved downstairs to become his mom. I made warm bottles, cleaned up after him, spooned and cuddled him, and slept when he slept. I awoke every two hours to his face staring into mine letting me know he was hungry again, and the process started all over. Like any new mom, I did not sleep much for the first few months but treasure those memories as one of the best experiences in my life. I would not trade a second of it.
Eventually, with the help of donors sending packets of puppy pads, a homemade oxygen tent that Jay built, great veterinary care, and prayers coming in from around the world, Lewis healed, grew, learned to eat hay, and lived! Once he was cleared of pneumonia, the fun began. Jay and I took Lewis for hikes on the trails, to explore every inch of the barnyard, and to meet the other animals. He came when I called him, walked beside me on a leash, raced around with our dog, Sky, and seemed like any other ordinary, sweet, fun, large puppy dog.
I have been vegetarian since I was eleven years old and vegan for twenty-four years. Since I was a very young child, I could hear and understand animals. Animals have always been my greatest teachers, healers, and friends. But after having a cow in our house, raising him with love, and sharing so much time together, it is completely, one hundred percent clear to me that though some might perceive animals as different, the soul in each of us is the same!
There is no difference between a dog, cat, horse, bird, cow, pig, chicken, turkey, or human. We might make different sounds, have different habits, and look different, but, nevertheless, we all feel happiness and sadness, love family and friends, feel fear for the same reason, and just want a good life.
Every morning, I bring Lewis a bottle made of warm water and Sun Chlorella Algae SuperFood. I have long ago weaned him from cow’s milk stolen from someone else’s mom. Every night, I bring him and the others bedtime cookies, and, as long as I live, John Lewis Thunderheart will always be my baby!
Lewis turns three this month, and we will throw him a big party on July 23rd with cake, song, and cheer. As we celebrate Lewis, we will also remember his mom, who could not be saved, and all the animals out there who don’t have names and who have never known kindness or love. Lewis lives for them, and for the hope that one day, humanity will awaken to love and finally realize that we are all the same!