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Name: Lynda Mc Connell
Superpower: Started the Joey Gracie Mc Connell Foundation
When Lynda Mc Connell isn’t out rescuing birds, horses, dogs and bunnies, she can be seen helping moms and dads train and bond with their furry kids.
I first met Lynda when I needed help with Vegas, my dog. Lynda happily arrived at my front door with a human friend and a little bird she’d just rescued. Vegas and I were later invited to a dog training course at her house, where I got to meet many more of Lynda’s rescues and Vegas got to play with a cat called Amy Winehouse.
Lynda is a heroine in so many respects and she is one of my favorite animal lover buddies. Here’s her inspirational story.
So, who is Lynda Mc Connell?
Hmm, I’m a free-spirited, wild child that can’t be caged. I have a huge heart and a massive sense of loyalty – two things that can often lead to heartache and disappointment, sadly. I have loved animals and felt more connected to them than people for as long as I can remember. If I had a nightmare when I was little I would often crawl into the dog basket with Bonnie, our family Labrador, and sleep there until I felt better instead of going to my mum or dad.
My mum and dad were both born in the United Kingdom, but they met, fell in love and married in South Africa. They waited 7 years before I came along and then my sister, Tracy.
I love reading books like Alice in Wonderland and The call of the wild. When I’m not reading, I’m writing, drawing, doing some graphic design, cycling, horse-riding or hiking. Oh, and I’m a HUGE English football fan.
I’m hoping to start my own blog soon called ‘Lyn Mac verses the Universe’ – watch this space.
We are making a difference one paw at a time.
What is the Joey Gracie Mc Connell Foundation?
The Joey Gracie Mc Connell Animal Foundation was founded in 2008 to help needy animals in South Africa. We are a registered foundation and our mission is to change the world one paw at a time.
How did your foundation get started?
Joey rescued me after I lost my pup of 19 years, Wendy. I swore off getting another dog and three months later, poof, along came Joey! When only a pup, Joey was abandoned with a car guard one day in a shopping center’s parking lot. I happened to stop there and this beautiful adventure began. The full story is on our website: http://jgmanimalfoundation.org.za/about-us/.
Joey’s my soul-mutt and best friend. I don’t know if the foundation would be where it is or even have started without her.
Meet Joey, Lynda’s soul-mutt and the inspiration for starting the animal foundation.
We are blessed with some great sponsors that contribute where they can here and there – Lizelle Du Plooy from Apple Property Connection, TMC, Kilnerpark Vet, Little Folks Montessori and Tim Boschoff Inc., to name a few. With the support of these amazing people and other volunteers, sponsors and donations – no matter how big or small – we keep going. Teamwork makes the dream work.
I know you’re qualified to work with animals – what is an animal behaviorist?
An animal behaviorist is best described as an animal psychologist and translator to me. We learn how animals interact with each other, their environment and other living things.
I studied a course by TTouch and did another on training. It’s amazing how much our animals communicate, not just with themselves but with us as well. Now I’m able to better understand what an animal is trying to convey. Animals also offer us a lot of information through their body language.
I hope to do my honors in future and complete my TTouch qualifications, but this will have to wait for a lottery win, a sponsor, or an economic change in South Africa. Things are tight on us all right now, but together we make a plan to get by.
What big dream are you pursuing?
I want to grow my animal foundation and animal behavior practice into a full-time career and facility. It’s my goal to not only do what I love full time, but also to give back to animals in need in the community.
I fully believe that people in pain from mental illness, addiction or disability can also benefit from working with or rehabilitating animals. It’s a win-win situation all-round.
I sadly wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, let alone a gold one, so I work full time in graphic design and do as much as I can to help animals where possible, while running the animal foundation on the side.
What does a typical day look like?
A typical day at the moment is chaos lol! Organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless.
I get up around 5:30 or 6:00 and make my mum, myself, my 4-year-old niece, Katelyn, and my sister tea … dad has water in the morning, don’t stress. I also make tea for Noah, my 12-year-old Husky hybrid who I adopted with quite a struggle from the SPCA when he was 4. He’s super-old now and we are on borrowed time, but I’m spoiling him and keeping him comfortable.
Noah, Lynda’s husky hybrid rescue.
Noah helped me learn a lot about animal behavior and we have had many lessons together – he’s a good teacher. I make him tea and he has toast with my mum later for breakfast as he’s off dog biscuits at the moment.
Anyway, I then sort out the rescue birds and lifers (those that will never fly wild again) and feed the dogs their brekkie. We have a bunny called Ryder as well.
Ryder the bunny.
When this is all sorted out, which includes hot water bottles, seed, water, vitamins, TLC (tender loving care), sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning, meal worms, bunny treats and formula feed, I open up the rescue aviary. I have to do this while our cats are still inside eating their breakfast. Some of the birds go out for the day.
It’s then off to work through traffic and I get home again around 17h30. Then I go through the same process as the one I do in the morning ha ha and let the birds back into the aviary that have returned from their day out.
I then play catch-the-bunny to get Ryder back into his den for the night. Sometimes, after work, I’m lucky enough to make it up to my horse Chobee, who is also a rescue. He’s my heart and soul and we also rescued each other, but that’s a story on its own.
It’s then back home to let the indoor lifers have a fly around my room and get some much-needed TLC. My niece often helps with the birds, bless her.
Then it’s bath-time, supper-time and extra-work time for me, followed by a final hot water bottle run if anyone needs one and getting all the animals to bed for the night.
I then go clean my room (birds are messy), answer emails in bed and try to stay up to date with the foundation’s emails. I also see if I have any behavior clients. Sometimes I do house- or pet-sitting for extra money, so I need to fit it all in. I’m not sure how, but I do lol.
Animal training is usually done on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. Behavior consults are done on weekends or after work, and I still freelance for my sister’s firm.
What challenges have you faced along the way or in everyday life?
My challenges are mostly related to money and time…
Due to finances I have to do more than one job to survive, and then time becomes more limited than ever. We have no sponsor for the birds at the moment, so this all comes out of my personal pocket and I’m blessed with a stunning vet who helps me a lot.
Tell us a funny or inspiring story that happened while you were working with animals
Only one? I have quite a few!
I lost focus one day when teaching Noah how to walk on a lead. He saw a field mouse that looked very interesting and off he went. I ended up lying in the bushes full of grass, then running after a very lively husky lol.
Lynda with her rescue horse, Chobee.
My boy Chobee hates boxing and when we box him I feed him a carrot nearly every minute – he’s like Oprah and stress eats. I was sitting in his stable crying one evening and he offered me hay in the sweetest way. It was if to say, ‘When I’m upset I eat, so have some hay, Mum’.
Teddy, Jeffrey, Titus, and Chuck – some of Lynda’s feathered friends.
Every bird released back into the sky inspires me – it’s so amazing to see.
Sometimes people call and ask to speak to Joey … Joey is a doggy and sometimes they still want to speak to her, so I stand with the phone to her ear while the kids say hi.
The stories and inspirational moments are endless and infinite.
What’s your personal motto in life?
Two come to mind:
Dream big, dare to fail.
Impossible is nothing.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
My animals, my faith, and my writing.
What advice would you give someone who is following a dream?
Don’t give up. Ever. You are stronger than you think.
Where can we find you online?
WhatsApp: +27 (0)72 868 1993
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
And via our website: Joey Gracie Mc Connell Animal Foundation
How can we support the foundation and the work you do?
Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated’. Let’s be a great nation!
We are in need of financial support and sponsors to grow and continue to change the world one paw at a time – if anyone can help, please contact us.
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Wow, Lynda. Thank you for sharing your big heart with us and for caring for those who cannot fend for themselves. Your contribution to this world is priceless. You are such an inspiration and a ray of light.
I have four rescues and rescues truly are my favorite ‘breed’. None of them were planned, yet they all found their way into my heart and house – which then became a home.
Just to remind everyone that the Joey Gracie Mc Connell Foundation is a registered charity. This means that there is a tax break for donations, so if you or the company you work for is looking for a worthy cause to support, please consider this one!
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