A slip of amber

amidst monochrome; watchful,

bright and beautiful.

I’m proud of him. I didn’t expect to start this appeal that way, but I am. He came to us along with his brother, Kirk, and we were told from the off that Matty was the more timid, the less overtly domestic of the two. The one who stuck to the margins. The outsider who was always looking in. Therefore, I appreciate that tenderness and affection between him and people is not something that comes naturally or easily – and yet he’s trying. He’s trying really hard.

He bows his head ever-so-slightly when my hand brushes between his shoulders and along his spine. He shapes himself when I touch a feather to his forehead. Just a bit, just enough to let me know that he feels it, just enough to tell me that he might grow to like it. Bit by bit by bit. As the gentle waves roll over the shore, the rocks lose their coarseness and become smooth. Time, quiet, love. The holy trinity of Matty’s salvation.

Written by Richard Grainger | Animal Care Assistant