Its official, the charges against Jeff and Jennifer Counceller have been dropped. Jennifer posted the following to Facebook a short time ago:
"Hello everyone!!! It is now official! I must first start with saying THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to all those who have supported us through this. I have followed the comments and have been touched by many! You have no idea how grateful we are. All of this support proves that you all love Little Orphan Dani just like we do! It also shows me that others share the same compassion and would have done the same thing to help and protect a defenseless baby animal. I truly believe that God led us to Dani that day because He knew we would take care of His little creature who was desperately in need of care and love, for her chosen and nature mommy had no choice but to leave her behind when she could not stand on her own to run away. For those of you who have made negative comments about what we chose to do, I would hope that you would never be able to look your daughter or son in their eyes if ever faced with that situation and say, “There’s nothing we can do but let it die” and walk away from a defenseless and injured animal. We did not go looking for, or want, a “pet” deer to raise…we simply were faced with a helpless and wounded baby deer that would require lots of time… and money… to save. She deserved the chance to live and our love and compassion gave that chance to her. My nature is to heal, whether it be a human or an animal. God led me to a career where I can always exercise the love I have for healing and taking care of others. And God also expects us to teach our daughter right from wrong and to respect what He has given to us and what He has done for us. We chose to make the decision that was right in God’s eyes and our hearts that day. I was raised to always stand up for what I believe in if I know in my heart it is the right thing to do...no matter what anyone else says. I was also taught to “be kind to animals” and no state law should punish an act of kindness and compassion…especially when an animal is saved! I feel that society and imperfect laws can lead one to make the wrong decisions for fear of the consequences. But when this imperfect world ends, who will be the final judge of what we have done…only God. It was difficult at times to be strong through the social media circus, but in the end, we stood for a decision that we made and our commitment to saving Dani’s life…and for the love we have always had for her! And to our surprise, we had thousands of supporters from all around the world who stood behind us and helped! I cannot even begin to tell you what that has meant to us! Some people say we are not experts and we imprinted Dani and made it worse for her but Dani would tell you otherwise if she could talk. Dani would tell you she survived two death sentences and that we did an excellent job in caring for her and that she is happy with her deer friends today because we loved her enough to save her. That is the outcome we wanted for her all along. Some focus on the fact that Jeff is a police officer but that does not take the humanity out of him. This public outcry was not about him being a police officer..it was about compassion, goodness, common sense, and humanity… and no criminal intent or harm to anyone! In our hearts, we feel that anyone in this situation…no matter who you are…would deserve the same support and outcome. We would be the first to give it! This whole situation obviously shows that there is room for a change in the law…some laws are imperfect just as people are. This will not deter me from helping an animal in need and never will I believe the immediate answer is killing it! Again, thank you so much to those who have supported us and showed love and compassion for us…and for Dani, for she is the real winner in the end! Your kind words have helped us stay strong. For the few who did not, you are entitled to your opinion but please understand that we did what we felt was right in our hearts. I would show the same respect for you! No law should punish compassion and good intent and the saving of any animal! We are not criminals or selfish people! God will not punish us for what we did. That is what’s wrong with this world today…God has been removed from too much of it! You have all showed what standing up for what is right can do for others in time of need. We would do the same thing for you if ever needed! Again, THANK YOU ALL! Love to all and God bless your compassionate hearts!"
In a world that often seems to filed with hate this is a good win for humanity, animals, animal lovers, and the Great Mother.
If you would like to view the efforts that lead to the charges being dropped please see the petition to drop the charges against the Counceller’s, Little Orphan Dani Counceller’s Facebook page, the Facebook fan page, or the fundraiser for the legal defense of the Counceller’s. The Pagan community in the Pacific Northwest stands behind you and sends you our love and support.
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