… with Helen Wells Downey from Springdale
Helen deserves flowers for all the animals that she has rescued (Photo Helen Wells Downey)
Helen, how many animals have you got right now?
I have 5 cats, my Greyhound dog Benny and a Blue Jay.
Cisco and Max (Photo Helen Wells Downey)
You`ve got a Blue Jay?
Yes, somebody picked it up because it was injured and brought it to me. I took the bird to the vet. It had one leg and one wing broken. The leg has healed in the meantime but the wing won`t heal. It is still drooping and the bird won`t be able to fly. So I kept it.
What do you feed the Blue Jay?
I feed it bird seed, sunflower seed. But he also likes Cheerios and Wieners. I called him Dave, he is young a male.
You must have a pretty full day with so many animals to look after!
Yes, and I work as a groomer for dogs and cats, too. But I have always looked after animals. When I was young, people dropped off stray cats at our door. I always say that is what Gold put me in this world for.
I once even had a spider monkey.
Benny and Yogi (Yogi has since passed away at the age of 17.) (Photo Helen Wells Downey).
You had a monkey?
Yes, it was used to draw people into a store. They had him in a cage. But then they got rid of it. It was passed around to different houses. Then it escaped and I got it.
The monkey was abused, he had his finger broker. First he was scared of me. He would show me his teeth.
But then he learned to trust me. I went for walks with him, he was on a harness. I had it for ten years.
The monkey would groom the little cat we had and wash his food and soak toast in his tea.
What do think about exotic animals that people bring into their homes?
I think it is a sin. These animals should be left in their natural environment. In once worked for a zoo.
Angel, one of Helen`s cats (Photo Helen Wells Downey)
Which zoo did you work for?
It was the zoo at Thompson, Manitoba where I lived for 15 years.
I looked after wolves, bald eagles, bob cats, minx, owls, porcupine, fox and bald eagles. I fed them, cleaned the cages and gave them fresh water. I worked there for 5 to 6 years at least.
Then I worked at a pet store. But I al-ways wondered where the puppies came from. Whether they came from a puppy mill which I am against.
How can people learn how to treat animals properly?
There should be programs at school to educate the children.
The pets should be spayed or neutered in order to keep down the dog and cat popu-lation.
People should follow up on the pets be-fore they purchase them.
They should look up what kind of breed they want. They have to do research be-fore they get a cat or a dog.
You told me that you shake your head when your read an ad that says “Free Kitten”.
Yes, because there is no such thing as a free kitten or a free puppy.
You have to pay for vaccinations, for spaying and neutering, for litter and litter box, for food. That has to be paid for.
People have to look into this before they get a pet!
Benny, a Greyound (photo Helen Wells Downey)
Helen recommends to have a look at the following rescue organisation:
http://centralpaws.wordpress.com/
They always need volunteers!
