Within minutes of going outside, Minnie found her rightful place, sitting like the Queen Mum by the donkeys and the sheep while they ate some hay. Loving animals is a tricky thing, full of emotions and decisions. This morning, Maria asked me what I thought we should do, and I said we should return Minnie to her rightful place as soon as possible. It was there, I said, that she would heal, there that she would eliminate in a normal way, there that she would learn  how to live within her new life, eat foods that are healthy for her, adjust to her new reality, find her hiding places. She will never learn these things inside of the house, I said, she is a hunter, not a pet. This was not, to be honest, the advice of the vets, they all felt it is too soon. I understand their caution, but I believe Minnie is ready, and I was sure of it when I saw her this morning, so was Maria.

Maria agreed and we let Minnie out, we stayed with her for about an hour, we were both mesmerized by the sight before us, a free animal returning to their natural life. As I have written, letting animals live as close to their natural lives is one of the great pleasures of living with animals. I do not want them to live my life, I want to help them live theirs. I seek my rightful place in the world, I owe them the same.

We will acclimate Minnie gradually, as so many of you suggested yesterday. But I am committed to her returning to her natural life as soon as possible, it is the most loving and healing thing I can think of. Minnie will also get to spend many copy winter nights in Maria’s lap, a good place to be. In one sense, it was awful for her to lose her leg, in another, she got luckier. We see Minnie as having gone through an awful ordeal, Minnie is not telling struggle stories and pity-me stories about herself, she is ready to move back into her life. There are lots of mice in that wall.