A modern-day fable

Some years ago I had a foster dog named Penny. She was small, smooth-coated, mostly black with just a touch of white, and with very large ears. Even among Border Collies, she was rather extraordinary for her intelligence and sensitivity. At the time we were studying the writer La Fontaine in my French class, and the teacher assigned us to write a fable in one page in one week. I wondered how I could possibly do that.

Perhaps with those big ears, Penny heard my thoughts and showed me the scene described below. In my limited French, I made my best effort to describe what I saw and heard.

Penny went on to become part of a wonderful family and gets a lot of love.

The Ambassadors

Once upon a time all of the animals of Earth came together for a great conference to discuss a very serious problem – humanity. Ever since people became people they have seen themselves as different from other animals, and they believe themselves superior to others.

The representatives of all the species arrived at the palace for the congress, the beasts, the birds, the fish. All of the living things there are.

President Lion began to speak. “Do you believe that we must kill the people?”

Almost everyone shouted, “Yes! We will kill them and eat them!”

And then, in all the noise a bark was heard. It came from a small black dog called Penny. She said, “I am listening to you and I understand you very well, but I am not in agreement. The reason that people are the way they are is that they don’t know how to love. If they were able to love like us, they would be able to live in peace. Me, I propose that we send ambassadors who are able to help them and instruct them. Who would be better than us, the dogs, to teach them to love? I will be the first to go.”

The other dogs joined in. The large, the small, those who hunt, those who guard the home, and those who can do nothing but give comfort.

A horse spoke. “People are very weak. They cannot run or carry heavy loads. We too can help them.”

And then the goats, the cows, the pigs, the chickens decided to do their part. The canaries said they could sing to give happiness. Even the goldfish offered to give pleasure.

Finally the cats consented to go, but they insisted on guarding their independence.

And so, like that, the ambassadors left the palace to live with people, to help them and teach them to love.

But the people did not understand, and they made slaves of the ambassadors. They ate the cows, the goats, the pigs, and the chickens. They made the horses work without rest. They put the canaries in cages and the goldfish in bowls. Even Penny found herself without a family and without love.

People regarded the ambassadors without respect, and continued to make war among themselves while destroying the planet, the home of all animals including themselves.

The ambassadors and the wild animals became discouraged. Still, it was Penny who always insisted that they continue to help and love people. “We will continue until they understand how to live in peace and love.”

And the cats continued to guard their independence.

Corrales photographer Joyce Fay founded Bro & Tracy Animal Welfare in 2000, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping animals find the right homes.

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