In 2003, police in Warwickshire , England, opened a garden shed and found a  whimpering, cowering dog.  She had been locked in the shed and abandoned.  She was dirty and malnourished and had clearly been abused. In an act of  kindness, the police took the dog, who was a Greyhound female, to the  nearby  Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff  Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or  otherwise in need.  

 Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the  dog to full health and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually  both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine and they started to think  about finding her an adoptive home but Jasmine had other ideas. No one  remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all animal arrivals at  the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any  other lost or hurting animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and,  where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.  "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings.  She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose," said Geoff.  Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

 And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old,  was  found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the  sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm,  and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine  the  greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with  affection  and makes sure that nothing is matted.  "They  are  inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks between  her  legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk  together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see  them. Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until  she  is old enough to be returned to woodland life.  When that  happens, Jasmine will not be lonely.  She  will be too busy  showering love and affection of the  next orphan or victim  of abuse.