Those who adopt a dog often think of how much they have to teach their new family member, but few consider how much the animal kingdom has to teach us, even about childbirth and childrearing. As Jennifer Verdolin, author of “Raised by Animals” would tell you, they have lots and lots of good advice for humans. But since animals can’t talk, Verdolin has researched that information and consolidated it into an easy-to-read, fascinating book.
Animal lovers know that animals aren’t really that different from us. They can express affection, experience joy, get lonely, copy our actions and have families. But Verdolin explains that animals do much more than merely reflect human values; often, animals teach their offspring those very values. In fact, do our values spring from the combined knowledge of what we’ve learned from the animals around us? Verdolin might very well argue for that theory.
In fact, it took a long time for the volunteers at The Humane Society of Aurora, Illinois, to get her to trust them. Finally, Baby decided to trust a few of them, and to everyone’s surprise, she is a very loving girl! While her abusive history has made it difficult for Baby to trust many people, with patience and love, she does return affection.
