The Animals We Love

For years now, Todd and I have delightfully referred to the delightful creature as just “Don Potts’ horse.” And Little River is definitely a miniature horse, and most certainly not a “pony.” Now that we’ve moved to Fondren, my morning walking routes are planned around visits to Little River, as I’ve learned the horse is called. And I even got special permission from mom Becky to give Little River a wedge of organic apple from Rainbow divided into thirds at certain times. Let’s just say that Little River isn’t quite as stand-offish anymore to Big Donna.

Rosie & Juno
by Ronni Mott
Photo by Ronni Mott

There’s just something about the largest land mammals on the planet. I love the way Rosie and Juno respond to their keeper, Percy King. I love how they gingerly place their great big flat feet, the way their kite-sized ears flap, how their prehensile trunks pick carrots delicately off the ground, and I love their 2-foot-long eyelashes. Elephants make sounds we can’t hear to communicate across the African plains. They have phenomenal intelligence and memory, recognizing individuals—human and elephant—after decades apart. They grieve their losses, and recognize their bones. What a privilege it is to know them.

Nero
by Maggie Burks
Photo by Christine Hearst

The “official greeter” at Little Big Store in Raymond, Nero would uncannily saunter up to visitors and let out a series of soft meows. In May 2005, Nero showed up on the steps of the store like many of the other strays that owner Christine Hearst feeds, but there was something special about him. He became a fixture in the store, and could often be seen cradled in the stacks of records or moving about the store sleepily. Last year, sadly, Nero died after a vehicle struck him. He is surely missed among the records by his owner and the visitors to the Little Big Store.

Ernie aka Catzilla
by Donna Ladd
Photo by Lori Gregory

It’s hard to believe, but “Ernie” just walked up to our back door in Belhaven when he was a teeny kitten. He wouldn’t let me touch him, but loved the canned food I gave him on the doorstep. Several days later, he let me scratch his head while he ate. Then I had him, and he became the 9th or 10th cat I’d rescued since moving back to Jackson. Per usual, he came to live in my office until some soft-hearted JFP type decided to take him home. This time, it was Lori Gregory. Needless to say, she has not underfed the creature she sometimes calls Catzilla.

Cash
by Adam Lynch
Photo by Darren Schwindaman

After Donnie Register’s “miraculous” brush with death in December 2007, new Police Chief Malcolm McMillin—at least for a time—decided to install deputy mounted patrols of the area, putting an undeniable police presence in Fondren.

Jackson Free Press Editor Donna Ladd, while thankful for the special attention to the area, couldn’t resist the occasional nag over the remnants. I could not help smiling at the deputy parking his horse in the front parking lot of the JFP offices, pausing while the critter lifted its tail and—in a very small way—made the world a better place. Maybe we’ll see them again soon.

Zero
by Sage Carter-Hooey
Photo by Sage Carter-Hooey

It is questionable when a dog walks up to you without a leash in public. But if you’re on the Cups porch in Fondren, that dog is most likely Zero, Ron Chane’s furry gray dog with the bright orange collar. It also isn’t too often that you see guard dogs in stores. But if you are in Wilai, that dog would be Zero again. And skate parks and dog parks don’t mix very well in most places. But at Swell-o-Venue, if you want to skate, you have to use Zero’s dog park. He’s one of a kind and a local favorite.

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.