From as early as I can remember, I have loved "all creatures, great and small." Like my heroes Dr. James Herriott and Dr. Doolittle, I have always known that my life's work would somehow center around doing good things for animals, one way or another.
In the real world, I own and operate a pet food company that I founded over 20 years ag
From as early as I can remember, I have loved "all creatures, great and small." Like my heroes Dr. James Herriott and Dr. Doolittle, I have always known that my life's work would somehow center around doing good things for animals, one way or another.
In the real world, I own and operate a pet food company that I founded over 20 years ago. You may know me as Aunt Jeni of Aunt Jeni's Home Made.
In my spare time, I continue to learn more about our wildlife friends as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the state of Maryland. I never thought I would hear myself saying that possums are cute! But these gentle spirits have taught me so much and I have become a big fan through my activities with BARC.
Working with wildlife can be messy, smelly, expensive, thankless and heartbreaking. But it is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. No juvenile squirrel ever pauses to look back and say, "Hey, thanks for saving my life!" before scampering up the nearest tree. But seeing them healthy and able to live their lives as they should is the best reward I can hope for.
I always strive to share what I learn with others, to foster understanding and acceptance of all kinds of animals. Please visit the BARC Facebook page to track the progress of current residents and join me in cheering for their successful release when that happy day comes!
The Starfish Story
by Loren Eisley
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the e
The Starfish Story
by Loren Eisley
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
BARC was formed to:
BARC was formed to:
BARC became official in May 2013 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is officially tax-exempt.
BARC became official in May 2013 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is officially tax-exempt.