From World Traveller To Chief Servant!

An Unexpected Career Path

It's always fascinating how people come to be the person they are today.

Whilst I have always loved animals, I never imagined that at the age of 49, I'd be Chief Servant to a motley crew of rescue dogs and a local cat colony!

I feel that I am deeply privileged to be surrounded by so much love and I embrace the responsibility with open arms, an open mind and an open heart.

I have over 30 years Project Management and entrepreneurial experience, a boat load of transferable skills and the ability and capability to operate at a senior level from conception to completion.

In accordance with divine will, I am uniquely positioned to take care of the precious Souls I have been sent, all of whom I have welcomed with love onto Amanda's Ark!

How It All Started

Animals have been a major part of my life for the last 8 years, since being in South Africa, beginning with Tricksy, my best friend and Soul mate, who was a little but fierce Maltese poodle.

She came into my life at a time when I was recovering from Chronic Fatigue and I was at the stage of my healing journey where I was managing to do small things, but still not yet going outside.

Tricksy became my constant companion and every second I spent with her was pure joy and interestingly, "bringer of joy" is the meaning of her name, a role which she fulfilled to the fullest.

Tricksy taught me the profound pleasure that animal companions bring and that we in turn bring to them and she irrevocably changed my life, for the better.

We then found ourselves becoming friends with and opening our home to the neighbours dogs who were free to roam around the cul-de-sac in the small town where we lived, and this is how it all began.

The Problem With Tricksy

The problem with Tricksy was that despite the fact that she had chosen me and moved in, she wasn't actually my dog...

This created a whole host of challenges which my neighbour and myself remarkably handled with love, respect and deep care for everyone involved.

Whilst I wanted Tricksy to live with me with all my heart, it was difficult because my neighbour felt that she was her young 2 year old daughter's dog.

I have since come to learn that it is not possible for anyone to own a living Soul, we are simply Trusted Guardians and it's the best interests of the animal that counts.

For a time, we agreed to share Tricksy who chose to live with me, and who dutifully returned to her original home when the children came home from school.

Along Came Tammy, Chico & Marley

One day, one of my neighbours came over carrying a 9 year old Daschund called Tammy in her arms, who she was going to drop off at the local animal shelter if she couldn't find a foster.

I knew that many animal "rescues" put dogs down and I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to this poor dog whose person had moved into an old age home and had to let her go.

We agreed to foster Tammy but unbeknown to me, this created a huge issue between Tricksy and I who was no longer able to come around as Tammy would viciously attack her.

My love affair with Tricksy continued and this of course added fuel to the fire for Tammy and I had to find other ways to spend time with her, creating a growing resentment between Tammy and I.

Shortly after, we saw posts for 2 other rescue dogs who were in desperate need of a lifeline, Chico and Marley, and feeling compelled to help, I quickly became a mum of 3 plus Tricksy.

From One Small Easy Dog To A Pack...

Tammy was struggling with the chickens next door as all she wanted to do was to eat them and she spent all her free time out the back desperately trying to get to them.

That, combined with now having 3 dogs, the house was becoming too small and the whole situation with Tricksy not being able to come in was really hard.

Foolishly, I decided to move to a bigger and better house not realising the true cost of what I would lose, and this was the beginning of the end for Tricksy and I.

I moved around the corner and told myself that I would visit her every day, but in reality, I barely saw her at all as my life my rescuing dogs got really busy and I rarely had a moment.

Before I knew it, I had 7 dogs...

From A Pack of Dogs To A Colony of Cats!

With 7 dogs, we needed a much bigger space and we moved to the Cederberg to a small cabin in a remote rural area, with the mountain directly in front of our house, which was perfect for the dogs.

Unbeknown to us at the time, our journey with the cats began when Christian found a small kitten he thought was abandoned, who he brought in, named Kittyji (Afrikaans for small kitten) and hand fed.

A couple of days later he noticed a momma cat hanging around and instinctively knowing she was Kittyji's mum, he promptly returned her.

The cuteness overload was too much and he made friends with the rest of the litter once they had come out of hiding, started feeding them, and before we knew it, we had 30 cats!!!

Of course, we had to build a house for them as it's über hot and über cold in the mountain and with all this lovely treatment, they told their friends, who told their friends, who told their friends, and then they had babies, who also became our friends and Amanda's Ark was born.

Exponential Population Growth

Cats, like dogs, are famous for having big litters, and the cats that we know of, have had anything from 1 to 6, this happens several times a year, and it doesn't take a genius to do the maths!

In the wild, many don't survive, and if left to nature, the population has a way of taking care of itself, however, we were taking such good care of them that this naturally increases their lifespan.

The ones that allowed us to get close crept into our hearts, those we had been able to handle since birth had become tame, and all of them became part of our family.

It's a hard life living in the bush, lifespans are short and bearing in mind that the cats had become our friends, we found ourselves wanting to take care of them and provide for their every need.

We gradually made improvements to their house, filled it with snuggy boxes and blankets in winter, cooked for them, gave them fresh water, kept their space clean and took care of any medical needs they had, gradually progressing from friends to family to caretakers.

From Thirty To Seventy!

The population was increasing at a rapid pace, and so too were the costs and most importantly, the time needed to take care of everyone and ensure their health, safety and wellbeing.

Having cats in the back and dogs in the front created all sorts of challenges and we had to come up with various security measures, maintenance and vigilance to ensure their separation.

The pool was also an issue as if any fell in they were unable to get out and then there were special needs that we had to attend to such as our special cat Courage who was suffering from seizures.

We quickly became aware of the challenges that we faced and the sheer maintenance required and we needed to come up with ingenious solutions.

Also, we were struggling to manage the population growth and we started to think about what would happen if we were no longer here to take care of them.

Friends, Family & Trusted Guardians

The cats, especially the ones that regularly frequent the catio (not a cage, they have free access from outside!) and allow me close to them, have become my friends and have come to depend on me.

I resolved to always be there for them for as long as I have breath in my body, and I intend to make a will that makes provision for them, in the event that they outlive me.

It has become my responsibility and joy to care for them and managing this, in a culture that considers them disposable and worthless, is essential.

We had unwittingly become caretakers to an entire colony and for the cats that had become our family, we had to find a way to look after them for the duration of their life.

This means that we had to start thinking responsibly and long-term, both in the short-term, medium-term and the long-term when I'm no longer here, all of which I will plan and prepare for.

Our Lives Have Been Changed Forever

From providing support to a little kitten who seemed to be alone in the bush, to making friends with a couple of sweet homeless cats who lived in the recycling yard, our lives took a dramatic turn.

This was the start of a whole new trajectory of life, love and learning and our lives are forever changed, in the best possible way.

Whilst I have no children in the general accepted sense of the word, the animals I serve have become my children and it is my duty, honour and privilege to provide for them.

This part of my life is a classic example of how God laughs when we're busy making plans, as He clearly has other plans, all of which serve a greater good when we are operating in love.

I am deeply blessed to be living so closely to God's glorious creation, and whilst it's the most responsibility I've ever undertaken, it's the most rewarding too and I am surrounded by love and joy.