Page 26 of Summer at the Cornish Garden Café

Thomas drove away from the village and through country lanes until he reached the crossroads that led to the next seaside village, central Cornwall, and the road that led to the animal sanctuary. He turned left and followed the road to a locked gate with an intercom on a post to the right of it. He got out and pressed the buzzer then waited.

After he’d given his name and car registration, he was buzzed through, and he followed a gravel driveway through tall well-established trees until he reached a farmhouse. He parked next to a white van with the animal sanctuary logo on the side, got out then looked around.

The sanctuary was on private land, surrounded by trees, hedgerows and acres of open fields. It was green, yellow and brown for as far as he could see, with fields lush with various crops and those left fallow. The farmhouse was at the front of the buildings with several converted barns behind and the kennels made from converted stables.

He headed for the reception area and went inside. The walls were painted primrose yellow with black and white photographsof animals in frames on every wall. There was a reception desk, some chairs, and a large weighing scales with a chart about ideal weights for different dog breeds pinned above it. Soothing instrumental music played softly from hidden speakers and a receptionist behind the desk typed into a computer. The place smelt of lilies and a lemony disinfectant, along with the scent of animals that Thomas suspected permeated the plaster of the walls and the tiles of the floor. It reminded him of the smell at the vet’s when he’d been there before to drop off a Christmas card.

On the reception desk behind the computer were open boxes of leaflets about the sanctuary and its mission, ways to make a donation and adoption procedures. To the side of the desk on the wall was a pinboard with information about upcoming fundraising events and ways people could help.

He approached the reception desk and gave his name to the young man sitting there then waited. About five minutes later, Leanne emerged through a side door.

‘Hello there, Thomas! It’s good to see you again. Please come with me.’

She led him through the door and along a corridor to an office. She sat behind the desk and gestured for him to sit too.

‘Right, I’ll just print out some forms and we can get you sorted.’

While she printed the forms, Thomas gazed out of the window that overlooked a courtyard. He could see the stables opposite and one of the barns. A few people passed the windows carrying small scruffy looking dogs in their arms.

‘We had an emergency call last night. A runner found a dog tied to a tree with a box full of puppies next to her. Thankfully, itwasn’t too cold out last night but even so, the puppies are only young, and the poor mother was trying to keep them warm.’

‘God that’s awful,’ he said.

‘It happens a lot. We take as many dogs as we can here but there are more and more desperate cases arising all the time.’

‘I want to help,’ he said, filled with a determination he hadn’t felt in some time. ‘I want to do what I can.’

It was as if the clouds had cleared and a light was shining down on him from the heavens, making it obvious exactly what he was meant to do. All it had taken was for him to take a step in the right direction and now he knew.Thiswas what he was meant to do. He’d spent three years healing and mourning who he’d been before, but there were animals being mistreated and hurt every day, and he was in a position to do something about it. This could be his mission.

‘I’m happy to hear that, Thomas,’ she said. ‘If you can read through these and sign them then let me have your driving licence and another form of proof of address, we can get you started around here.’

They went through the paperwork, which didn’t take long as Thomas had already sent in references, and then Leanne shook his hand. ‘So, this will be on a voluntary basis for now but as soon as we have a paid vacancy, you’ll be welcome to apply for it. Getting experience to ensure that the work is right for you, just as we need to ensure that you are a good fit for us, will help with your application for a paid role. Does that all sound OK to you?’

‘Absolutely.’ Thomas nodded.

‘Right then, I’ll show you around.’

Leanne had given him a virtual tour with her phone previously, but he was keen to see the place for himself, especially the kennels where the dogs were housed. Also, he really wanted to meet the dogs and get to know them before he started working there.

They walked around the whole site. Leanne took him into the barns where they had the cattery and a small animal section, then to the reptile house, next to meet the goats and ponies, and then, finally, to meet the dogs.

‘We tend to encourage our volunteers to choose where they’d prefer to work as then people can develop a specialism. This helps if you decide to pursue a career in something like veterinary care or want to study reptiles, for example.’ Leanne opened the door to the kennels and gestured for Thomas to go in before her.

Inside, there was a long corridor with windows to the right and doors and interior windows to the left. Each door opened into a small room where there was at least one bed, a stand with a water bowl and space for a food bowl and a basket of toys. At the rear of each room was an opening that Leanne told him led through to the outdoor space. It could be closed off at night and during cold weather, at which point the heat lamps would be turned on too.

‘It looks very comfortable.’ He peered into the first kennel where a Doberman was stretched out on the hammock style bed, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth as she slept.

‘We do our best to give them comfort and plenty of exercise and attention, but we always want them to have a home of their own. There’s no substitute for that.’ Leanne smiled as she gazed at the Doberman whose name, she told him, was Fifi.

They walked slowly along the corridor and Thomas looked in at all the resident dogs. There were Labradors, chow chows, greyhounds, terriers and a few crossbreeds. Leanne opened each kennel in turn so he could meet the dogs and then she told him he could hang around there if he wanted and spend some time getting to know them.

‘That would be awesome, thanks.’ He nodded his acceptance.

‘I’ve got some paperwork to get through so come over to the office when you’re ready and we can have a coffee.’

‘Thanks, Leanne.’

She showed him how to lock everything up properly then headed back over to the office and Thomas was left alone in the kennels. A few employees came in and introduced themselves, took dogs out for walks and meet and greet appointments, and Thomas spent the next few hours taking turns sitting in each kennel. He thought all the dogs were wonderful, but Fifi the Doberman won his heart. She was only eighteen months old and very sweet and playful. She kept picking up a ball and dropping it in his lap, so he’d roll it away, she’d chase it, then return it to him.

---