Joyful Sky and his Big Buddy A dog with a special

By Carie Broecker

Sky was just 12 weeks old when he was given to Ellie Laks, the founder of a nonprofit farm sanctuary called The Gentle Barn. His original guardian knew he was in over his head after having shoulder surgery and realizing caring for an exuberant puppy was more than he could handle. He trusted Ellie to find Sky a loving home. Being a rescuer all her life, Ellie had placed thousands of animals in new homes all over the country. One itty bitty cute puppy would be a piece of cake.

Sky is sweet, gorgeous, and loving. Ellie took him everywhere with her at The Gentle Barn, and everyone who met him lit up. The Gentle Barn rescues farm animals, as well as cats and dogs, and also hosts special-needs children and at-risk youth, seniors, veterans, and people dealing with addiction. The idea is to help those who are shut down and need healing by giving them a chance to connect with the animals. By experiencing this unconditional love, it will in turn help them relate better with all beings.

Ellie saw right away that Sky has a special ability to connect with the children and adults who visited the Gentle Barn. Some might start out closed

down and defensive, but as soon as they meet Sky they are smiling, petting him, laughing, and getting licked. One young man, in particular, was enchanted with Sky early on. He was 17 years old, gang affiliated, and on probation. He came to the sanctuary as part of a violence prevention program. He had a cold, defensive vibe and was not warming up to Ellie or the animals. And then Sky went up to him. And immediately his whole demeanor changed. This tough teen started giggling like a child. He started smiling and asking questions. That is when Ellie knew Sky was meant to be with her at The Gentle Barn forever.

Everywhere Sky goes people gravitate to him and find comfort. He oozes joy and it is contagious. Sky seems to live life with a smile and a wag for everyone. It seems there is no one he can’t get through to.

Now back up to last summer after the start of the pandemic. Covid spread rapidly amongst the employees at slaughterhouses who worked in tight quarters. It was only a matter of time before the slaughterhouses would have to shut, so they were rushing to get as many animals to slaughter as possible. Yes, a grim scenario indeed.

The Gentle Barn has always had an agreement with the slaughterhouses that if a cow was giving birth on the way to slaughter, Gentle Barn would take the cow and calf into their sanctuary. Ellie and her staff started getting numerous calls about moms and calves needing rescue.

And then came the call about a one-week-old orphaned calf. The mama cow was sick and ended up going to slaughter. Could Ellie take the orphan without his mom? He was only a week old. Ellie rushed over to pick him up. He was sick and scared. He had pneumonia and a fever. Ellie

named him John Lewis after the civil rights leader who passed away in July 2020 because she could sense he was a fighter.

Sky took to John Lewis the moment they met. When Sky saw him, he gave him kisses and did a play bow, and then John Lewis, as skinny as he was, leaped about, and the two started running around and playing together.

Ellie set up an area in the living room to care for John Lewis, and she moved downstairs so she could be with him 24/7. Since Sky was always at Ellie’s side, that meant Sky and John Lewis also spent all their time together and became the best of friends. They would curl up together and lick each other. If John Lewis woke up and needed a bottle, Ellie usually woke up. But if she slept through his feeding time, Sky would gently nudge her to make sure John Lewis got fed.

It took four months of tender loving care to nurse John Lewis to health. When he was up to it, John Lewis and Sky would enjoy racing around the backyard—one playing like a calf and one like a puppy, but somehow they adapted to each other’s style and made it work.

When John Lewis was six months old, Ellie knew it was time for him to start to acclimate, little by little, to cows. So she and Sky started taking him several times a day to hang out with the cows in the pasture. Then at eight months, they took him to “cow kindergarten,” which meant leaving him with the cows for the whole day, with volunteers nearby to watch over him. When he got home after Sky and Ellie picked him up from the cow pasture at the end of the day, he would tear around and play with Sky as soon as they were in the backyard. At eight months, John Lewis was too big to sleep in the living room and the house was too warm for him, so Ellie made a makeshift barn in the backyard for him. She and Sky tucked him in with his blanket and gave him a bottle every night before bed.

Eventually, when the weather warms up and John Lewis gets bigger, he’ll sleep in the pasture with the rest of the sanctuary cows. One cow, in particular, has already taken John Lewis under her wing. Her name is Holy Cow, and she came to the sanctuary as an orphan at eight weeks old. She appointed herself as auntie to all the orphaned calves who come to the sanctuary. She licks them and grooms them and gets them used to being a cow.

As of this writing, John Lewis is about 600 pounds, but he and Sky still run around and play with each other. They are brothers from another mother.

Sky has a special gift. The gift of joy. He seems to feel and exhibit joy every day and it is contagious. Sky reminds us all that no matter what we are going through, there are always reasons to feel joy.

Our veterinarian eye care specialists Ann Gratzek and Elizabeth Curto along with our amazing staff make your pet' s eye health our top priority.

Dr. Debra Rackear received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida. After graduation, she completed a one year small animal internship at Animal Medical Center in New York City. Following her internship, she completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California at Davis. Dr. Rackear has been board certified in internal medicine since 1989. Her professional interests include ultrasonography, endoscopy, endocrine disorders including Cushing's disease and diabetes mellitus, hepatic and renal disorders, and cancer diagnostics and chemotherapy. When not at work, Dr. Rackear enjoys hiking, tending to her orchids, singing and playing guitar, and cuddling with her German Shepherd, Blitz. We are excited to welcome Dr. Debra Rackear to Pet Specialists of Monterey starting this October. She is available on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for appointments and same day referrals. This will compliment Dr. Jonathan Fradkin’s Monday, Tuesday and Thursday schedule providing a robust 6 day a week Internal Medicine service. Pet Specialist of Monterey is your complete

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