On July 2, 2007 a group of seven children and three moms arrived at the Welcome Center for their guided tour of Best Friends. The youngsters ranged in age from 3 to 11 years. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their fascination with all of the Sanctuary animals was heartwarming.

One of the mothers, Joy, shared with us that her son Michael (who preferred to get to his place on the van by crawling under the seats) is only three years old but has already had three open-heart surgeries to repair a congenital heart defect. Michael’s first surgery was at seven days old; the second one at five months, and his final surgery (hopefully) was in May. This young boy’s amazing spirit was all the more touching in light of the many challenges he has faced in his young life.

It was probably no coincidence that Michael’s favorite animal was Charlie Brown, a partially paralyzed young cat at Benton’s House. Charlie Brown has the same strength of spirit that Michael displays.

Even though he may be small in stature, Michael is a huge animal lover. He helps his mom care for two rescued stray dogs named Gypsy and Cleo at his home in Arizona.

Photo by Sue Francesconi

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