Return to Rory of the Peaceable Kingdom…

Posted on 27. Aug, 2008 by in Literature

This essay on Rory Walter written by Norb Blei was originally published in the DoorCountyCompass.com on December 11, 2002 but it deserves to be shared once again. Find more of Norb’s latest publications at
Blei’s Door County Times.

It’s been a while since I last checked in with the greatest Caregiver for Creatures on the Continent–certainly the greatest that County Door has ever known but as some wise-guy once said: the more things change, the more they remain the same. Some of the old dog characters like Nimrod may be gone, but there are always others looking to hang out in her place: Dufus, Pearl the bloodhound, Itchy, Snuff, Helen the basset hound. A population of 150 to 300 creatures on any given day. Farm animals included.

The good news: Rory is still in place, (All Creatures Home for Animals, Box 155, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202) still dedicated to her special animal-calling life, still laughing, still a little crazy at times, trying to keep her whole kingdom of fallen-down houses, broken trucks, and sick, hurt, aging, abandoned and lonesome animals together. The place has become a kind of Olds Folks Home for old animals. A kind of hospice for others. The Old Ones garner her special attention. She turns no one away. And continues to spend her last cent to make any sick creature’s life as comfortable as possible to the very end, “Some people think it’s out of control. But I can do it. It’s more of a healing thing.”

To engage her in conversation is an experience in multi-voice channeling: you and her; you, her and the dogs; the dogs and the dogs, and the cats, horses, sheep, goats, cow, pigs, donkeys…with the thread of conversation between the two humans frequently lost to a growing conversational chatter of creature sounds, and Rory periodically calling out, “Time-out, guys,” in the gentlest of tones. And the miracle of miracles: everything becomes still again. You can almost hear a dog’s thinking.

“A lot of people who do this work walk out if it eventually,” she admits. But if you know Rory, here’s a creature with a human heart so big, hands so strong, determination so boundless… her life has definitely “gone to the dogs.” In the most positive, giving, spiritual way of living imaginable.

On the bad news front: It’s still money and physical assistance she needs to keep her special Ark afloat. Since my last visit, her old house is gone-gone beyond repair–totally uninhabitable. And rumors that she’s moved into the barn with the animals a few years ago for her own shelter, are true. Friends helped her secure a tiny, insulated room there (9′x18′) with a small oil heater for winter. “I am warm for the first time,” she tells you. She loves where she lives, “I can hear the pigs snoring, the babies being born.” So what if she has no hot water! And is in need of a new house probably more than a newcomer to Door building his/her third vacation home.

There’s a lot of negative energy out there, she admits. People who don’t understand her. People kind of snooty… people who might complain they don’t want to live near an animal shelter. People with unexplainable (and unfounded) fears-like “dogs running in packs.” Which just ain’t true. Not her peaceable creatures. But for the most part, she assures you, her neighbors are very supportive.

Well, it’s Christmas time in Doordom again, folks. And instead of buying a little more of what you probably don’t need, keep this good woman and her cause in mind. Here are Rory’s Christmas wishes. Be thoughtful and generous. It’s time to help all creatures, great and small, who make all our lives so miraculous. Help a real Caretaker who cares, keep the peaceable Kingdom alive and well:

1. Donations:

All Creatures Home for Animals
c/o Rory Walter
Box 155
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

2. Food drop off:

Place food items in the barrels located at all of the major grocery stores.

3. And some real specialty items:

Skilled labor. More housing. Repairs galore. A pole building. A dependable truck. Drop her a note, give her a call.

“Every moment is so full,” she says. “It a wonderful life here. I’m deeply happy here.”

And that’s about all she wants for Christmas …”Except if Denzel Washington should be driving by and his car breaks down…”

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  • Heather

    My heart hurts for Rory, and for the animals. Her heart is as big as the whole world… I just think she got overwhelmed. And while of course the animals need to be well cared-for (I have six of my own and would have countless more if I could), there’s no doubt in my mind that they loved and trusted her. She’s that kind of soul. She tried to do a very good thing, and for that I take my hat off to her. It’s such a crying shame it had to end this way. There are no winners here… it’s a sad situation for everyone involved.

  • http://doorcountywihumanesociety.org/ Ellen

    Did you read the paper on Sept 3 2008: Animals removed from Baileys Harbor shelter- A petition filed Wednesday in Door County Circuit Court enabled the Door County Sheriff’s Department to remove and euthanize animals from a private animal shelter in Baileys Harbor.
    Horses were being loaded onto trailers and officers could be seen stuffing items into black bags early Wednesday afternoon from Rory Walter’s All Creatures Home for Animals on Highway 57 at All Creatures Lane.
    Sheriff Terry Vogel confirmed animals were being removed and some had to be euthanized.

    How about supporting the Door County Humane Society that is taking care of the negelected animals.

    P.O. Box 93
    sturgeon bay, Wisconsin 54235
    Phone: 920-746-1111
    Fax: 920-746-4681
    Email: dchumane@dcwis.com
    Website: doorcountywihumanesociety.org/

  • http://www.hsus.org GoAcres

    Do not feel sorry for Rory, all those people who that they were helping were enabling her to her problem.
    Do some research – from the http://www.hsus.org website:

    “Hoarding is very often a symptom of a greater mental illness, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Animal hoarders quite often appear to lead normal lives, it’s important to recognize when a person’s fixation with animals has gotten out of control. The HSUS defines an animal hoarder as a person who has more animals than he or she can properly care for. Another defining characteristic is the hoarder’s denial of his inability to care for the animals and his failure to grasp the impact his neglect has on the animals, the household, and the human occupants of the dwelling.

    What’s more, hoarders are usually well-educated and possess excellent communication skills. Many hoarders have an uncanny ability to attract sympathy for themselves, no matter how abused their animals may be, which is often how hoarders manage to fool others into thinking the situation is under control.

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