Okay, so this post is a little bit different. If you have been reading my previous posts, I am sure you have gathered that I am a writer (shocker). However, being a writer is not just what I am. Like I mentioned in my post about battling to get published, and failing like a pro, I needed to learn how to re-establish my identity so I was more than just a story generator. And that’s what lead me to bundling young seals into the back of my car.

I decided to volunteer, and volunteer I did. I signed up for anything that would have me: crisis counselling, fundraising support and, of course, animal rescuing. My particular animal of choice was the seal. I love all animals, and seals are just one of many that I have a deep fascination with. They’re like sea-dogs, and when they’re happy they curl up like a banana. I mean, what’s not to love?

I was trained by the wonderful team at Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI) and have been monitoring and rescuing seals for about a year now. The process is simple: you receive a call about a possible pup in need, and you visit the beach and check it out. Once you have assessed the seal, along with the expert team at SRI, a decision is made on whether or not it’s going to be a lift. I should mention that I only approach a seal when it has been approved by SRI: seals are a protected species, and it is actually illegal to lift or disturb these little cuties. Once I have been told it is a rescue though, I then gently encourage the pup into a box, carry it to my car (with help from those that love me and therefore have no choice but to get involved), and then drive it to the next rescuer for transportation. It’s as simple as that… only not at all.

I have been faced with snappers, hissers and runners. I have been in waist deep water, walking across fields for miles, losing my runners (and then subsequently the feeling in my toes), buggied across sand dunes and blown off my feet by random gusts of wind. And then I have been faced with silent, and cold, journeys in the car, because I roll down all the windows to make the seal comfortable. So yes, time tends to slow down during the car rides, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, I would… I’d just have the exact same situation only wearing lots and lots thermals.

But look at the results! See Exhibit A: my first rescue.

This little one had a day of it: it was hiding from people and dogs, had a nasty cough and was underweight and dehydrated. He was also a bit quiet, but that all changed when the team at SRI took care of him.

Named after another protected species, Red Squirrel became a feisty little guy who ate an awful lot of fish and loved bath time. See those little water goggles around his eyes? It means he’s a hydrated, healthy and a happy pup. Shortly after this photo was taken he was released back into the wild, and is now out there doing his happy banana pose and depleting the Irish fish stocks… as he SHOULD.

Rescuing seals made me so much more aware of the importance of protecting our seas. After all, we don’t have just one world on this planet: we have two. Two beautiful worlds. One day, while I was out seal monitoring, I went to the edge of the shore and a pod of dolphins came out of the water to say hello. Honestly, it was pretty cool. These animals, like Red Squirrel, live in a world that is so incredibly special, and if I can spare some of my identity to keep them safe, then I will do just that. This is what makes Seal rescuing one of the very best things I do, and one of the very best things that make me who I am.

Time travels slowly when you have a seal in the back of your car.

Most likely not, no.

Let’s talk about rejection.