10/04/2022
Penelope came to us from our good friend Fran and we are better for having known her, even for just a few short months.
Penelope's friends and family were killed earlier this summer in a racoon attack. She was injured but survived and was left alone. She was a very old bird but Fran brought her to live with our flock because chickens are emotionally complex animals who seek companionship and are not suited to a solitary existence.
Much like dogs and humans.
Penelope was too old to really make many new friends but she fit in with our much younger flock. She was a bit of a loner but they did not pick on her and soon she had found a rhythm within the group. She enjoyed her private space but sought the security of the group when she needed it.
In the last few weeks she really began to slow down. I first noticed her sitting down to eat and drink. When I spread out worms on the grass in the evening, a happy time for the birds, she would often sit right in the middle near a particularly large pile of worms to chow down.
However, her circle of daily explorations got smaller and smaller each day.
In the last couple weeks her travels became less and she was to be seen sitting by the food or water more and more often. Getting up onto the perch at night became impossible for her. Deb started bringing her in at night to be with us and after a few days she became a house/office girl. She could not walk anymore but she was an enthusiastic eater and was still alert and seemed happy to hang with us.
She slept beside our bed in her cage and sat with us in the office throughout the days. She was easy to be around and we are fortunate to have spent these final days with her so close to us.
Over the last week though, she rapidly declined.
Fortunately Fran was able to come by last week and spend some time with Penny in her last days.
Yesterday, Penelope was no longer able to open her eyes to find her food and water. Deb sat with her and made sure she had a huge meal of banana, strawberries, grapes and mealworms. Her favourites. She enthusiastically gobbled down the soft fruit from Deb’s fingers since she was unable to find it herself.
Once her crop was full and she was sleeping contentedly we took her to the Summerland Animal Clinic where they were so kind to euthanize her for us even though they do not typically do chickens.
For most of my life I would not have hesitated to end a chicken’s life myself, either for food or to end it’s suffering. While those ends were quick they were not without final moments of terror. Something I did not want for Penelope.
So, in the same way you would want your dog or cat to go as peacefully as possible, we sought that end for Penelope and her last moments were peaceful and she was touched by hands that loved and cared for her.
Which is what we all want in the end. Just to feel love.
The path to veganism is one you walk not because of a dietary choice, a desire for better health or because you are concerned about the environment. All those things are side effects of veganism but you become a vegan because you take the time to look at all animals just as you look at your dog or cat.
You take a moment and really look in their eyes. You see how they are all alike and not how they are different. You recognize this undeniable fact, all animals only want to live, free of fear, abuse, pain and suffering. All animals are emotional complex beings who have dynamic worlds filled with complicated relationships and a constant desire for companionship, security and love. However love is experienced by them.
People hate vegans, not because there is something in the vegan as an individual they cannot stand, it is because a vegan shows them they can live without cruelty to others. Without reducing living, emotionally complex being to objects to be used and discarded for brief pleasures. Dismissing vegans as “extreme” says everything about you and nothing about veganism.
Likely most will dismiss these ruminations as crazy, vegan ramblings. However, those same folks would likely say, if asked, how they are opposed to animal cruelty and would further proclaim how empathy and compassion are qualities to be applauded and encouraged without even a moment’s thought to the cognitive dissonance at play there.
That we do not need to treat animals so cruelly is something most people would rather not admit because they are not willing to forgo those fleeting desires simply to end the suffering of an animal we have been conditioned to accept is beneath us. A notion manufactured entirely by our egos and supported by no biological evidence.
Next time you have a chance to be around a cow, a pig or a chicken, take a moment and really look in their eyes. Watch their behaviour and truly see them. Allow yourself to accept how they are alike ourselves and the animals we love and not how they are different.
You may be surprised how treating them with compassion, empathy and dignity saves you as much as it saves them.
Thank you Penelope for spending your final months with us. You were loved and will not be forgotten.
