Surely there is no one better qualified than the revered St. Francis of Assisi as the ideal model for animal lovers. And I too include myself among the billions who’d find life unbearable if animals were no longer here to keep us company.
I could even love rattlesnakes if they weren’t so mean. In fact, I recall that not so long ago when I found one in my garden I voiced a resolve to my wife that, like St. Francis tamed the ferocious wolf of Gubbio into a gentle creature, my snake would eventually respond in like manner to my love and kindness.
Luckily for me, my wife persuaded me to abandon that noble mission. Truly, I don’t know what I’d do without her.
– David Quintero
MONROVIA
