ANIMAL MEMORIALS 2008
We have been so blessed by the many animals who have shared their lives with us. We have learned much from each other, laughed together, cried together, and taught together. Each and every one of them has their own story to tell of the many hearts that they have touched. We have shared these special beings with the many people who pass through our facility, whether it be for workshops or tours. But by far the most precious memories we all have here are the private ones that they gifted us with. Their heart relationships that they formed with each of us, who think we are their caretakers, only to find out that they are really taking care of us.
Our lives will forever be blessed by the time we were allowed to spend with each of them. They will never be forgotten. And their energy and love will still fill this farm, making it all the richer for eternity. We thank each and every one of them for giving freely, loving unconditionally, and for teaching us the fine art of forgiveness.
DULCIE - 12/18/08
Dulcie was an amazing Welch/Arab pony, approximately 35 years old. She had been a part of this farm for 21 years and will live in our hearts forever. Dulcie came to us when she was no longer reliable to be a school pony due to an eyesight problem that made her spook and less safe for children to ride. She had the true personality of a pony. Strong, determined, stubborn, but always kind. She had an incredibly dry wit and an impish side to her that both made us laugh and at times made us curse. No matter what the weather, Dulcie loved to be outside each day. Even in her declining years, she insisted no matter how cold, rainy, windy, or snowy she HAD to go out. Once out in horrific conditions, we would watch her figure out how tactfully to let us know that SHE now decided to come in. We learned years ago the importance of letting her make her own decisions. Dulcie had been with us since the beginning and the birthing of Spring Farm CARES. She left the farm for a brief period of about 18 months when she was fostered out as a school pony for more experienced riders and she loved that for the time she was there, but then decided that retirement was more her style. We brought her back to the farm where she then moved up to Margot and Dawn’s smaller barn and joined horses Tasia and Jeremy. The three of them became very close friends. Frequently, we’d come out to find Tasia and Dulcie mutually grooming each other in the sun. Dulcie took Tasia’s death this past February very hard. She told us that she was supposed to go first and NOT Tasia.
Dulcie helped raise two young donkeys, Felix and Leo, who looked to her for grandmotherly guidance. And then there was Shawnee, the orphaned foal who came at only 12 hours old. When he was little, Dulcie referred to him as the “twerp” and made sure he understood that she was not his playmate. When he was older, well, let’s just say that Dulcie saw him in a different light. Before he could be gelded, she tormented him with her flirting. And after he was gelded, she figured why stop a good thing. Until her dying day, she was a flirt at heart with the boys.
We first met Dulcie when Bonnie and Dawn were doing TTEAM training. Bonnie’s work with Dulcie through and over obstacles convinced the owner of the barn that she didn’t need to be euthanized due to her vision problem, but just needed to be worked with in a different manner. She sent her to us instead. That was a move that Dulcie never regretted. She loved the farm and all of the horses and people here. She was ever patient with children on tours who wanted to pet a horse. And in her retirement up to the smaller barn, she started her self-proclaimed new job, to look after Dawn. Jeremy and Tasia had both moved here with Margot when she came from Idaho. Jeremy loved to brag to Dulcie that Margot was HIS person. So, one day, as Dawn stood near-by, Dulcie informed Jeremy that she had known Dawn for so long that she watched her grow up. “And she is MINE,” she informed him. “I take care of her.” It became the ongoing daily joke in the barn. But it wasn’t really a joke to Dulcie. She took great pride in looking after Dawn and adopting her as her underling. She didn’t hesitate to give Dawn advice or to just flat out tell her what to do and how to do it. And she often used a sharp nudge with her nose if Dawn wasn’t paying complete attention to what she was saying. She was a small pony with a large presence.
Dulcie nearly died twice when she took falls out in her pasture and couldn’t get up. One time in particular, we were all with her after she had fallen and landed on her neck. We thought she had broken her neck. She was conscious but couldn’t move. Her breathing became very ragged, then suddenly stopped, her eyes rolled back and we knew we had lost her. All of us stood crying as we felt her life force leave and then seconds later we were shocked when we felt it suddenly return with great force to her body. She let out a cough, shot up to her feet, and began pushing Dawn around immediately. She said, “Oh NO! Its not my time yet! When its my time I will leave when I say so and not before!” And she then dragged Dawn around the paddock with great strength and purpose. She looked at Dawn and told her, “Remember this. Nothing is impossible.” As Dawn walked with her she constantly was looking up the hill into her pasture. Dawn asked what she was watching. Dulcie said, “Did you see them? They were all here. But I didn’t go with them yet. But they were all right there.” Dawn knew instantly that she was talking about the ghost brigade of horses. So today, as we said good-bye to our dear friend, we knew two things. She was going because it was her time of choosing. And she was met by all her friends. And so typically Dulcie, her final words to Dawn as she left her body were, “Now I’ve got to go give Tasia hell for leaving first! We have to settle this.” We know that somewhere in that great horse herd ghost brigade, there is one stubborn little pony flirting with all the guys who left before her, balling Tasia out for leaving first, and then enjoying a mutual grooming session together in the sun. They have gained the friend and leader that we now miss from our presence. Jeremy, Shawnee, Felix and Leo are lost without you Dulcie. We hope that you will stand up on the hill from time to time and give them some advice.
GEORGE - 11/25/08
Today marks the end of an era. George, the last surviving animal from our 1993 fire, was helped into spirit with all of his friends at his side. George was a truly noble cat. Indisputably, he was the head cat of the farm. George had enough character to fill 3 cat forms, and a gentle but firm nature that leveled many a heart into falling head over heels for him. He was a cat’s cat. Yet he was so much more. George was a friend, companion, and stalwart presence. He enjoyed reading (anyone who was reading would find him on their lap), he enjoyed time with the guys (he had a whole band of male cat youngsters who followed his every step), and he enjoyed carpentry (see below). But mostly, George just liked being here in every capacity. He was in charge of everything, including the dogs. All it took from him was one glance and any dog who was doing something that maybe they shouldn’t be would get his message. He was a ruler.
George’s story is featured in our book IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK, The Miracles of Spring Farm, as well as in the film ANIMAL ATTRACTION, by Kathy High. He was a star for sure. George has been with us many times before. Most recently, he was George Kigercat, cat architect of our small animal facility – Kigercat Hall. So, only George could ask for a memorial that mentioned his past lives, but since that is what he asked of us, that is what we’ll do. When George Kigercat died in early summer 1993, we were devastated. He gave us a message that he would be back soon and that we’d know him because he would be black and white (that is how we always know George, he is always black and white and always named George) and that he would “return with the bears.” Seemingly a riddle that made no sense it gave us little solace. But then in late summer of 1993, a college student called us and said she had found a very tiny kitten whose eyes weren’t even opened. He had been found on a golf course, evidently abandoned by his mother. The student didn’t have time to feed him with her college schedule and asked if we would take him. We said yes and the rest is history. The kitten, very tiny, black and white, arrived to us in a basket filled with teddy bears. How could we not realize that it was George? His, “I’ll return with the bears” suddenly made sense. Bonnie took to the task of bottle raising him. She knew immediately that he was different. He did everything in advanced speed. He was litter box trained at a super young age and seemed to just be the most amazing kitten. On October 31, 1993 George turned 6weeks old. Bonnie had been taking him from the office in the barn where he spent all day with her, to her bedroom in the farm house each night. But on that night she thought he was old enough to stay with all the other cats in our renovated barn/house/office. But she couldn’t bear to part with him yet and she took him in “one last time.” That one last time saved his life as the barn burned to the ground just hours later.
One day when George was about 2 years old, Dawn found him standing in the stairwell of the farm house, looking from walls to ceiling and back again. “What are you looking at George?” she asked. “This stairwell has possibilities,” he said, “a little work here and there and it would be just wonderful.” Not having a clue what he was talking about Dawn just patted him on the head and continued upstairs. Later that night, while settling down for the evening and watching some tv, Dawn heard a strange sound coming from the kitchen. All of a sudden, George came through the doorway into the living room, dragging with him the drill. Dawn was speechless as he placed it in front of her on the floor and ran back to the kitchen. He came back in dragging the screwdriver set. He glared at Dawn and said, “I said we should renovate the stairwell.” That began a long history of George helping Dawn do repairs around the house, most especially helping her set up electronic things. Any carpenter that set foot in the farm house instantly had an assistant. George, the carpenter cat, oversaw every renovation, repair, or addition to his home. We always joked that if you heard a drill in the middle of the night, run.
We all have incredible memories of George and I think anyone who ever worked with or around him has their most favorite story to remember forever. He was one of a kind. Needless to say, we know he will be back again. He always comes back. It is quite a comfort. One last note, as George was preparing to leave his body, a television was on in the background for the animals. Bonnie suddenly realized that the program that was on was the Bernstein bears. He came with the bears and left with the bears. See you soon buddy! (This memorial was written by George himself. For those of you who knew him, I bet you figured that out.)
BEAR - 10/23/08
In November 1997, we got a call from a veterinarian that a small stray female lab mix had just been brought in by animal control with her day old litter of 7 puppies to be euthanized. She had been found under someone's porch. The mother was only about 35lbs and of great temperament so they thought the puppies would probably have a chance to be good natured smaller dogs. We agreed to take them all in and to let her raise the puppies and then adopt them all out.
As promised, the mother, Ginger indeed was a gem of a dog. But 6 out of 7 of her puppies all turned out to be just a bit bigger than she. They were all between 80-95 pounds. But all of them were wonderful dogs. Bear was one of those puppies. He and his brother Ben were adopted by one of Dawn's family members until her untimely death three years later. Dawn and Margot took Ben and Bear back into their home so that they could remain together. They had never known a day apart and were so close to one another. Both Ben and Bear ended up being orthopedic nightmares. And both had their share of other medical problems as well. Bear owes the last few years of his life to the wonderful skill of veterinary surgeon Dr. Paul Bookbinder. He not only gave him a rebuilt knee, but 18 months ago, Bear was diagnosed with anal sac carcinoma. Dr. Paul managed to get the tumor out but they have a very high return rate. We didn't know how much time Bear would have with us, but he did wonderfully right up until just a week ago. We suddenly noticed a change with him and took him to our vets only to discover the mass was back again only this time it was huge and inoperable. It grew at an alarming rate. And only 5 days later, it blocked his ability to eliminate and we needed to let him go.
Our hearts go out to Ben who is now grieving for the loss of not just his brother, but his best friend. They were always together and always helped each other through their various ailments. Together, they brought the humans in their lives great joy and comfort. Ben still has his human family and friends as well as his cat family who are with him. But we know he misses Bear and understands that one day they will be reunited again. In the meantime, Bear joins his beloved human, Jackie, in spirit where we know a big party ensued upon his arrival. We all miss you Big Bear man.
SYDNEY - 10/02/08
No matter how much we understand the connection between life and death, the living and spirit, there is nothing to ever truly prepare us for the unexpected loss of our loved ones. Our horse population has gotten elderly by and large and we knew at the beginning of this year that we would be expecting some heavy losses soon. Whether they are old or not, have been with us for 20 years or 20 hours, their lives touch our hearts in immeasurable ways. Three horses left here in just the last four weeks. Two of them we expected and knew they were failing. We had time to get used to the idea that soon we wouldn't have them here. And we had time to say good-bye. But Sydney was the last horse we anticipated losing. She was the youngest in our main barn and although she had her share of medical problems, we thought her to be in good health and full of life. Yet something happened and we had to say good-bye all too quickly. It has left all of us reeling.
Sydney was a Thoroughbred mare, only 9 years old. She came to the farm as a 2 year old at a time when we were not taking any more horses in to our facility. Someone on our staff came to work very agitated one morning and began telling Dawn about this horse she knew about that was going to be loaded on a truck the next morning for slaughter. The "owner" was selling her for meat prices as the horse proved to be unridable. Sydney's story was that at 9 months old someone was trying to get her on a trailer and she refused. They tried to scare her on but instead of getting on the trailer she reared up, fell over backward, and got partially jammed under a nearby car. She sustained massive neck injuries. It was not known at that time if she'd survive. But they pulled her through. The damage to her body though was extensive. She'd certainly never be rideable. Yet, at age 2, someone decided to try. They threw a saddle on her, got on her back, and Sydney did the natural thing for a horse with immense pain and reared up, dumping the rider. She was instantly declared a dangerous horse and was to be sent to slaughter. The truck was leaving that next day. As the person told Dawn this story, they also said that getting this mare on a trailer was not pretty. In fact, the last time she was put on a trailer, the humane society was called on the people who beat her on. And Dawn saw instantly what the death for this horse would be like. Beat her senselessly to get her on the truck to go to auction. Then she stays in the kill pen until the trucks bound for the slaughterhouse get there to pick her up, beat her again to go to a horrific death. When Dawn heard this, she knew instantly that the horse had to come to Spring Farm. It was as if this horse just called out to her and said, "please come and get me."
Dawn, Bonnie, and Margot purchased her for meat prices and then the huge challenge was how to get her from the barn where she was to our farm. Margot spent hours with Sydney along with two other people trying to gently get her on the trailer. She didn't know any of us and we had people glaring at us who realized that she could just be beaten onto the trailer - something we would not let happen. Finally, after hours of gaining her trust over a period of three days, we were able to get our vet over there, sedate her just enough to ease her fears, and walk her on our trailer. We told her that it would be the last trailer ride she'd ever have to take, and it was.
Sydney was gorgeous. She loved people. She did not like being handled all too much but who could blame her after all she had been through. Shortly after arriving at our farm, we noticed some very strange behavior and lameness with her. It turned out that she had Lou Gehrig's disease. A condition that, in horses, is not reversible but is curable in the fact that it won't progress further. Once we knew what we were dealing with, we began treatment immediately and arrested the disease process. Sydney had experienced a lot of neurological damage and had she been a riding horse, it would have been career ending. But for Sydney, not being a riding horse to begin with, it left her with a bit of an unsteady gait, but she lived a very happy life.
Sydney loved the many tours of hundreds of school children to our farm each year. She was so gentle with them over her stall door. Our staff would put a step stool in front of her stall and the kids would come up one by one to pet her soft nose and to feed her a handful of hay or grass. Sydney took her job very seriously and loved it. She also worked a lot with Dawn's animal communication workshop participants and touched many lives and opened many hearts.
We will never know what happened to Sydney. When our barn manager came in to work in the morning, she was found pawing and obviously in distress. We assumed she was in a colic and began treating her the best we could. Sydney was not a horse we could handle all that much to do things with. We could not trailer her anywhere either. So we were very limited as to what we could offer her medically. Our vet and our staff tried what they could and all the pain meds that we could get into her could not ease her pain. She could neither urinate nor defecate and it was clear that we could not help her except by letting her go. Sydney leaves behind a lot of horses who loved and miss her terribly. She leaves behind a grieving staff who miss her crazy antics and her loving nuzzles. And she will be remembered in the hearts of hundreds of children who had their first experience in touching a horse when Sydney also touched their hearts. This makes it even more ironic and important to note that Sydney's registered name was Heart's First Choice. Rest easy girl.
HOLLY - 9/27/08
A truly beautiful being left our presence today after being a part of our lives for over 20 years. Holly, age 28 years, was a gorgeous horse who learned to give a lot of her heart while she was here. Spunky, determined, and unridable her entire life, Holly's fate could have been one of trauma because she was not "marketable" to the mainstream horse community. But Holly was purchased as a young horse by a remarkable woman who fell in love with her and tried very hard with love and kindness to see if Holly could be ridden. In 1987, we first met Holly when we were called upon by her person, Carol, to see if using holistic techniques could help her. In the end, she couldn't be ridden, but Carol had fallen in love with her and was keeping her safe. Carol met an untimely and unexpected death and we were then approached to give Holly safe haven. For 10 of her years in our care, she stayed in a foster home where she was cherished and loved and a companion to another horse. But when the living situation of that person changed, Holly came back here to the farm to live out her days.
In the past year, Holly developed a mass on her lower jaw. At first we all thought it was from a bad tooth. But tragically, it turned out to be cancer and the mass grew slowly but surely ever larger. Holly made it clear to us that as long as she could eat and enjoy her pasture and horse friends, that she wanted to stay here as long as she could. All she asked of us was that we still would see her beauty through the disfigurement of her face. She was loved, adored, honored, and cared for with such grace by our staff who so diligently kept her fed and cleaned and looking as beautiful as could be. Holly was never a horse for great affection or for being handled much at all. She loved things on her own terms. It was important to her that we recognized her for who she was and that we also honored the animals that lived in her area of the barn and understood them to be a caring and devoted family to one another. While preparing to write her memorial, she asked for two things. She wanted to thank all of us who loved her and took care of her for being there for her right until she left. And she wanted to acknowledge her animal family that she leaves behind. Her horse companion Topaz; her pasture mate mares Tina and Deelight; and her housemates, the goats - Yoda, Nutmeg, and Nanny; and sheep - Michael and Gabriel.
She also wanted us to be assured that Carol was ready to meet her on the other side and although that brought her great joy, she would also miss it here at the farm.
To read a message given to Dawn from Holly moments before she passed, please go to our blog - HOOF AND HEARTBEATS.
ORION - 9/02/08
Today we said good-bye to one of the most determined animals to ever grace this farm. Orion was an inspiration to so very many people. He was a part of our family for over 14 years, arriving at our farm already physically compromised by his past, and unsure how much time he’d have with us, he sure taught us a thing or two about tenacity and the will to live. Orion was a complex character. He was not one who “stood out” and called people to him. He had almost a “Disney” charm to him and was a stunningly handsome horse. Yet, he also had a more distant side to him. Not always sharing who he was and what he was all about. And the trait that probably made his life so enjoyable for him was his incredible sense of humor. Newcomers wouldn’t see it at first, until he seduced them with his charm, and then hit them with a one liner.
Many people who have taken Dawn’s workshops were deeply affected by Orion. Some people didn’t connect with him at all and in fact barely noticed he was there. While others were taken by his beauty and charm and got messages about strength and hope from him. And then there were the ones who were strategically and methodically taken in by him. Orion could pick people out of a crowd who he knew he could manipulate into being his human servants. At workshops, he’d call these people to him and he’d put on the charm. Then he’d look sad and people would ask him what was wrong. He’d tell them that he loved grass and he never got to go outside to get any and his one wish would be for someone just to pick him some grass. Dutifully, these fine students of his would feel honored to be the one to do this for him and would go out and pick him grass and give it to him. He would then say to them, “that was wonderful, but so little, maybe you could pick me more.” What these visitors didn’t know was that they had just been taken in by the cunning wit of Orion. He did get outside but was limited because of his physical condition to how much grass he could have. On days he couldn’t walk well due to his sore feet, our staff would provide him with fresh grass daily. But to Orion, workshops were a chance to see who he could con. And con he did. But he also freely taught people about strength, endurance, and a joy for life that went well beyond physical constraints. Sometimes he let people in to that very sensitive side of his.
And then there was the Orion that his best horse friend, TJ, knew and cherished. TJ went blind gradually and for many years, Orion was his pasture turn out buddy, seeing-eye horse, and best friend. TJ was always in the stall next to Orion and his presence there always brought TJ great comfort. He will miss Orion most of all. Today we know that Orion was welcomed into the great ghost brigade of friends who have gone on before him. And today, some angel somewhere has probably just been taken in to pick him all the grass he can possibly have. We will miss your cheery face and your gentle wisdom Orion. But most of all we all wish you the rest you so deeply deserve.
HELEN OF TROY - 8/28/08
A small kitten with a large name that truly captured the magnificence of her spirit. Little Helen (or H.O.T.y as she was affectionately called by the staff) was not with us for very long but the effect she had on all of our hearts and our lives was enormous. Most especially amazing was her friendship and deep bond with another one of our special cats, Hero. In fact, we knew instantly when this kitten came to us that she was going to be an amazing friend for Hero. And as such, the staff wanted to pick a name that would go with Hero, and Helen of Troy was what came to them. Helen, like Hero, was born with severe birth defects. While Hero has spina bifida, Helen seemed to have some sort of malformation of her mid-spinal area. Her nerves did not function properly and although in no pain, she could not use her back legs correctly. She could stand up on them but couldn't really maneuver them. She was however bowel and bladder incontinent. The fact that her legs didn't work in a normal fashion did not prevent Helen from being a frisky kitten. She could climb and jump and she could get herself around just fine. To her, after all, this was normal. Her incontinence didn't phase her either but was more the challenge for our staff to always keep her clean.
The day she arrived, we put her in a pen next to Hero so that they could meet one another. Hero, almost 18 months old, far outsized and outweighed her stunted little 3 month old body. But it was love at first sight and on day 2, both of them told us to just get on with it and let them meet. It was stunning and many of us watched with tears and laughter as Hero met his new friend. He instantly began mothering her. He gave her a full bath as she played with him all the while. Then, they curled up with one another and slept. It was the instant beginning of a bond that was priceless for both of them. They only had a couple months together before whatever other anomalies in little Helen's body made it impossible for her to stay. Today, she suddenly declined and very peacefully curled into a ball, went to sleep, and passed away. All of us were deeply saddened. But Helen lived life completely to the fullest every single minute of her life. She was an inspiration to so many staff, volunteers, and visitors alike. And she was the best friend that Hero could have ever had. Hero told us: "Don't be sad for me. I will miss her greatly but we had a great time together." What an incredible attitude and lesson about life and loved ones.
ANGEL - 8/25/08
Angel arrived at the farm in 1997 as a young adult. We found Angel when we were looking for a sheep as a companion for our other sheep Magdalen when her companion Mary died. Angel was going to be slaughtered as she was smaller than the farmer wanted and her babies tended to be on the small side. We bought her as a pet and brought her to SFC. It turns out that she had been impregnated before she left her farm and the following spring she gave birth to twin boys at SFC. This worked out nicely as shortly after they were born the elderly Magdalen passed away leaving Angel and the boys as the new sheep flock. Angel was very shy but very loving. She exemplified the perfect mother, enjoying completely her two boys and staying as long as she could on this Earth to be with them. She once told us that as a sheep, we gave her the opportunity of a lifetime to raise her young and watch them grow up. The three of them were inseparable and out hearts now go out to Michael and Gabriel who miss their mother and their friend greatly. She was a magnificent soul in a wooly body.
RUDY - 5/13/08
Left, Rudy the day he arrived at the farm. Right, Rudy after finding his forever home with Karen. Amazing what a lot of love will do!
It is with great sadness that all of Spring Farm CARES joins our Office Manager, Karen, in saying good-bye to her beloved friend, companion, and amazing Sheltie. Although Rudy was adopted by Karen, he still came to the office almost every day. He was as much a part of this farm as all of the animal residents. He was a very special guy. Rudy truly epitomizes the work that we do. To see the condition he arrived at the farm in brought us all to tears. Then to see how he blossomed being loved by Karen and becoming a part of her family again brought tears to our eyes. And the day he left this earth realm, we all cried lots of tears. We are letting Karen write his memorial for him in her own words.
MY LITTLE MAN
Rudy found me in November 2000. I believe he was searching for me from the day he was born. His story can be found in the December 2004 issue of SFC's newsletter ALL THAT IS.
In brief, Rudy had been a stray for many months until a caring couple who called us twice about him were able to trap him using our large humane trap and bring him to us. We had them take him to a vet first where he was given a very bad haircut and it was determined that he had a broken femur. You see, Rudy was a Sheltie, so imagine the burdocks, twigs, etc that had collected in his fur during his journey.
When he was delivered to us, he looked so horrible and sad that I burst into tears. Almost immediately, this dog's warm, sweet essence captured my heart and I knew that without realizing it, I had been searching for him as well. I loved him from the beginning.
I adopted Rudy from SFC as soon as we exhausted our search for his owner. I couldn't wait to bring him home, although he had been to my house a few times to meet my husband and other animals.
It certainly wasn't apparent at first and of course it didn't matter, but Rudy blossomed into an incredibly beautiful animal. He was a dog that people noticed and commented on, but those who knew him well, and there were quite a few, were attracted to his gentle, kind soul.
Rudy died on 5/13/08 of advanced kidney disease. It was my honor to care for him. We don't know how old he was, but he was at least 11. Having Rudy for 7 and a half years wasn't nearly long enough, but 100 years would not be long enough. When he decides to return to me, I'll be waiting.
Roxy - 4/9/08
Roxy was a very special bunny. She taught much in her life and especially in her passing. She left gifts to the people who cared for her and held her in their hearts. When Joanne, our "bunny lady", joined our team, after working at a local shelter, she brought her rabbits and rabbit program with her. Roxy, originally was born next to Joanne's desk after her mother was rescued from a horrible situation and then gave birth to 8 bunnies. All of them were adopted out. But as fate would have it, Roxy was returned to the shelter in February 2002 and Joanne brought her with her to Spring Farm. Roxy had long term health issues and was never adopted out again. She was the queen of the rabbit room.
During her last few weeks, Roxy began to really fail. But she was very clear that she was not yet ready to go. She still had work to do and she savored all the help and attention given to her by Director Bonnie throughout the night and the staff during the day. She thrived on the love and attention but most notably she gave to those who cared for her. She let them know how appreciative she was for all they did and she showed them the importance of taking care of themselves as they cared for her. As so many animals who have blessed our lives here at the farm, Roxy was yet another example of the power of love and the strength of caring. She leaves behind several bunnies who will miss her and of course Joanne and the people who cared for her so diligently and lovingly.
CHRISTOPHER - 4/2/08
After many years of friendship, we said good-bye to Christopher today. Christopher came to the farm in 1996, already an adult cat, he and his brother Perry were brought to us by another rescue who had no place to keep them. We also were full at the time but it turned out that Directors Dawn and Margot had just built a house and barn on the farm and were looking for a pair of barn cats. Christopher and Perry had been indoor/outdoor cats and they quickly adapted to being the head barn cats with access to a heated breezeway and their very own living quarters complete with posh beds and cat trees. Christopher, in particular, made his rounds not just of Dawn and Margot's place but of the whole farm. Everyone knew Christopher and adored him. He was full of amazing character and charm but he also lived his life completely on his terms.
After a couple of years, another female cat was added to Dawn and Margot's barn and for some unknown reason, Christopher decided that she should live out of the barn and behind the manure pile and that is exactly where he kept her. Many attempts at renegotiating his proclamation that Tabby didn't belong on the farm failed to resolve the conflict. And Christopher then decided that he'd start taking on bigger things. We have no idea if he found another cat or raccoon or fox or what but whomever he decided to challenge had some other ideas and Christopher came home severely attacked. It proved to be life threatening but he pulled through. His days of barn cat though were over and Dawn and Margot moved him into their house. But he lacked a job and grew very bored.
One day, a litter of 6 feral kittens were dropped off at the farm. Hoping that we could still tame them, they were moved up into a small downstairs room at Dawn and Margot's house. Christopher suddenly had a job. For the rest of his life, he was fondly known as Uncle Christopher. He took those 6 kittens under his tutelage. Today, these now adult semi-feral cats, still live at Dawn's and Margot's house, and they deeply miss their friendly uncle, their mentor, and their friend. One of the feral cats told Dawn that they called themselves the purr family. So we had Earnest-Purr, Junipurr... etc. Junipurr, the head female cat of the family, told Dawn a few years ago that they cared so much for Christopher that they made him an honorary part of their family. From that day on, he was lovingly known as Christopurr.
Christopher leaves behind a whole lot of people missing him. He endeared himself to staff, friends, and visitors. He touched a lot of lives. He had been failing from age related issues for several months, but he had survived several near fatal illnesses in his lifetime and was proud at the end to say he was dying because his body was ready to go and not because some disease got the best of him. He was a lover and a fighter and that is how he lived his life completely.
BUDDY - 3/4/08
Today we lost our friend Buddy, a mule who was most likely in his 30's. He had been known by Spring Farm for the past two years when his elderly owner could no longer take care of his animals and those not sold were going to auction. Buddy was headed for a not so pleasant end to his life. At the time, having no room, we arranged for Buddy to be fostered until we could place him somewhere safe. Months later, a safe haven was found for him. Recently, the person caring for him and giving him shelter could no longer keep him. He kept busting down her fences and she could no longer contain him although she loved him dearly. Buddy once again found himself with no place to go. So this time, he ended up here on the farm, with his safety guaranteed for the remainder of his years. And we all thought we would have several years with Buddy, but instead we had only several weeks.
Buddy was not in the greatest condition when he arrived. His teeth were not in the best of shape and he had trouble keeping weight on. But in the short time he was with us, he truly blossomed. He had chiropractic treatments as well as other holistic modalities and he was thriving. He had put on weight nicely and his hair coat was shinny as can be. In fact, just the day before he died we were all commenting at how great he looked and how happy he seemed. He made special friends with the two horses next to him, TJ and Dinah. He was the epitome of a content mule.
So our shock this morning was great when our barn manager Steven came to work and walked around to say good morning to the horses only to discover that Buddy was lying in his stall. At first it looked as if he was just sleeping but when he didn't respond to Steven, he went in and discovered that Buddy had passed away. His death is a mystery to us but we can say it was peaceful. No sign of any struggle whatsoever. We didn't have him with us for long but he touched our hearts deeply. He was huge in stature and huge of heart. He was kind and gentle. And he will be remembered here always.
TASIA (Belesema Fantasia) - 2/24/08
Today we very unexpectedly lost our head mare, Tasia, age 26 years. The pages of memorials we have filled over the years contain lots of stories about lots of incredible animals. All of them our friends. All of them having touched our lives deeply. Many of them suffered tremendous hardships and lives of excessive breeding, abuse, neglect, professional careers in racing and showing, etc. But this story is different. Tasia’s story is not one of abuse, or neglect at all. She was never abandoned. Always loved. Although probably misunderstood at times in her life for her dry wit could often be mistaken for haughtiness, being she was an incredible Arabian Princess after all. This is a story about a mare who gave of herself to help so many others who did live through abuse, neglect, and extreme loss and hardship. This is a story of a lead mare, who led with strength, governed with kindness, demanded to be treated with dignity, and expected nothing short of peace and love around her.
Tasia lived at Dawn and Margot’s barn, a smaller barn attached to their house, on the farm. Yet, when she died, and we walked into the main SFC barn of horses, there was that eerie silence that follows all of the horse deaths on the farm. One of complete respect and silence in memory of their herd mates. Her death was immediately felt around the whole farm.
Tasia was Margot’s riding horse and moved here with her to SFC from Idaho in 1995. Of course the fact that she was Margot’s riding horse got to be a comment of jest here on the farm. Because since Margot moved here and became a part of the management team of the farm, she never had time to ride Tasia. A fact that didn’t bother Tasia much at all. Tasia adored Margot and the important thing to her was their relationship. It didn’t matter what they were doing, the point was that they were doing it together. That was all that mattered to Tasia. And with that understanding, Tasia would watch Margot and the work of SFC with rescuing animals in need, and she took over and helped whenever she could.
The first case was with an elderly pony named Dulcie who was not doing well in the larger SFC barn and who moved in to Margot and Dawn’s barn to join Tasia and a rescued horse named Jeremy. Jeremy had already enjoyed Tasia’s bossy yet healing ways when he moved from Idaho as well. They both readily welcomed Dulcie in the herd and many a day we watched Dulcie and Tasia mutually grooming one another in the sun. With 
Tasia’s help, Dulcie literally began to revitalize. Now in her mid-30’s, she looks younger than she did 10 years ago. Then, in 2003, SFC was involved with the rescue of a horrific animal abuse situation. Dawn and Margot took in two emaciated donkeys and kept them in a pen in their heated garage for the winter. In the spring, we’d let the donkeys out to stroll around by themselves in a paddock adjoining Tasia’s field. One day, Tasia said to us, “you know, they really are cute. They should stay here. They are bonded with you. We can help take care of them.” The head mare had invited them in and offered her guidance. Donkeys Leo and Felix moved in the barn soon after and true to her word, she and Jeremy and Dulcie welcomed them into their fold. They were thrilled to have found their permanent home and Tasia began teaching them how to be little gentlemen.
But it was in May of 2005 that we saw one of the most incredibly giving acts of kindness from the heart of this amazing horse. SFC took in an orphaned foal, only 12 hours old, whose mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and he was badly injured on top of that. Orphaned foals are a ton of work. They need to be bottle fed every 2 hours around the clock at first. And Shawnee had even more special needs as he had deep puncture wounds covering his body and some of them became life threateningly infected. The other problem with orphan foals is that they notoriously end up being behaviorally challenged adults. Humans can feed them from a bottle, but they can’t do the work of the mother mare. They cannot provide the teaching of how to be a horse. As the first few days went by and we saw how imprinted Shawnee was on us humans, we knew his future was at stake to not have a horse mom. We would walk him in an area adjacent to our barn where Tasia and crew could see him. Tasia did not act the least maternal towards him as many mares will do. Margot knew that Tasia had one foal in her lifetime before Margot knew her. But one day, looking over her stall, Tasia was watching Margot trying to work with young Shawnee. Tasia said to Dawn, “This is so much work and Margot is so tired. I’d like to help. He could come live with me in my stall.” We couldn’t believe what she was saying. It takes a lot for a non-nursing mare to take in another mare’s foal. It does not happen often that you can get a mare to accept a foal like that. So much could go wrong. 
The foal is bound to try to nurse and if the mare kicks it could be so much trouble. But Tasia gave us all the right cues. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain. We had to trust her. It took two meetings, both of them on halters and lead ropes, and we knew Tasia was offering up the greatest gift she could to this foal. He moved in and she raised him as her own, with us feeding him of course. Shawnee owes so much to her. He has a normal life as a normal horse now. And he was blessed by not one mother but two in his life. One day Tasia quipped to Dawn. “He grew up good didn’t he? One could say he is a good boy and was easy to raise. Or one could say it took two mares to raise that kid!” Said in such typical Tasia manner.
Today, we said good-bye all too soon to this wonderful mare. She took a fall in her pasture and a few hours later she died, something must have ruptured within her. All of us are in a state of shock and grief. Her first thoughts were that Margot would be ok. That was so like her. And then, she sent us the peace that she had found when she left her body. Incredible peace. So deserving for all the peace and love she shared with all of us in her life. Always opinionated. Always ready to tell you about it. Always the boss. And always doing things her way on her terms. But her terms were always based on love, joy and humor….. and if I may add….. with great class. The makings of a true head mare.
She leaves behind a herd of horses and donkeys that are just devastated. Jeremy who shared her life for 15 years asked “how will we all know what to do now?” Dulcie, said, “I was supposed to go before her.” The donkeys said, “she was so smart and she always knew just what to do. We are so sad.” And the one whose words haunt us the most was from her foster son Shawnee, now 3 years old, who said, “now I’ve lost my second mom. Two that were just as precious as one another. I love them both forever.”
Tasia told me to tell her story in her memorial, “but don’t make it sappy!” I think Shawnee says it best of all, Tasia. We will love you forever. You will be felt in our barn, seen in the 3 babies you helped raise, felt in the wind, and heard in the galloping hooves of your herd. But most of all, you will forever live in our hearts. Most especially in Margot’s whose life you blessed the most. You walked firmly on this earth and you gave far more than you ever took. Not sappy, just the truth.
And, now one last note. Tasia had an incredible talent of opening doors. Doors that were even hard for humans to get open, she could open in a heartbeat. If we forgot to put the snaps on the latches, we’d come down to the barn to find all the doors open and Tasia standing there with a gleam in her eye. There was a sign in our barn from Margot to all those who helped in our barn. It read: “My crafty horse Tasia can and will open all of the doors. Please remember to put the snaps on the doors.” We imagine now in the spirit realm of horses, that today, the same sign has been added there.
MARIAH - 2/9/08
Mariah was an 18 year old Thoroughbred mare who had spent every day of her life here at Spring Farm. Before Spring Farm CARES was born, Bonnie and Dawn operated a small breeding farm. This was the birth of Spring Farm CARES when we realized the tremendous over-population of horses and decided to stop breeding and instead go into rescue. Mariah was one of the 8 foals born to us over a 3 year period who helped teach us this valuable lesson and get us on the track to forming Spring Farm CARES.
Bred to be a race horse, Mariah's path was instantly changed upon her arrival. Born with a leg malformation, it was clear she would never race, and her future as a riding horse was at once uncertain as well. After undergoing a lot of remedial hoof reconstruction and leg splints, all we could do was hope for the best. Mariah maintained an incredible friendship with her mother Gypsy and the two of them were virtually inseparable. Gypsy and her half sister Babe were bred at the same time and foaled 
within days of one another. Babe and her foal Breezie anxiously watched the birth of Mariah to Gypsy. When Mariah greeted the world, it was to the excited whinny of her half sister Breezie. All four of them spent the early days of Breezie and Mariah's childhood all running and playing together. As the foals grew bigger, another Thoroughbred mare named Bo reunited with her herd mates Gypsy and Babe and the 5 of them became a very close knit family. Babe tragically died in 1999 when her leg broke while running through her pasture. The Thoroughbred mares all mourned her passing.
Then, life took another sudden turn for Mariah when at the age of 10, she quite suddenly went blind. Mariah was never an easy horse to handle under normal circumstances. Always jumpy and skittish, she was somewhat of a live wire. Now, with her sight instantly gone, she was a basket case. It was then that we witnessed one of the most unselfish acts of kindness in our horse herd. We managed to get Mariah into her stall, but she refused to come out. Life was now terrifying for her. Her mother Gypsy was in a stall on one side and her lifelong friend Bo was on the other. We wondered if Mariah could survive being blind. Barely able to handle her without her whipping around and totally freaking out, she was very dangerous. The thought crossed our minds that we might have to euthanize her. It was summer and the horses were used to going outside all day. What would happen when Bo and Gypsy left, leaving Mariah in the barn by herself? We knew she couldn't handle it. It was then that Bo told Dawn that she and Gypsy would give up their summer of going outside to stay with Mariah to comfort her through this time. Bo said, "if it means her life, we can give up a piece of ours to comfort her." Unbelievably they quietly did so. As all the other horses went outside to pasture each day, not a whinny came out of Bo or Gypsy. They would calmly reassure Mariah that they were still there with her. They did this for several months, into the winter, foregoing an entire season of nice grass and fields to run in.
That following spring, Mariah told Dawn that it was ok to let Bo and Gypsy back out. We hesitantly tried it and the first day they were out, we could hear Bo and Gypsy calling to Mariah every so often from their field, and Mariah would answer back calmly, and all was well. Mariah never did ever again leave her stall. Life for her was secure and peaceful as long as everything was familiar to her. It was the way she wanted it and the way she lived. In the past 3 years, we watched Mariah grow from the skittish insecure horse that she was when she was sighted, to the terrified horse she became when she went blind, to evolve into a trusting, calm, and loving horse before her death. It was an astonishing transformation to watch. She began to participate in animal communication workshops and she taught people what she "saw" in the world even without eyes and she asked them to look within themselves with a different kind of vision. Many people were humbled by her words and her heart. In her blindness she found new light in her life and grew tremendously.
She is the first of our babies to leave. Her death was very sudden and unexpected and still a mystery to us. Something happened neurologically and she went down in her stall and could not get up again. With Bo on one side, and her mother Gypsy on the other, she tried as best she could to get up. They tried all they could do to comfort her. But after several hours, it became clear that something irreversible had happened and we would need to intervene. The life we helped bring into this world, we were now being asked to help out. Bonnie told Gypsy to call in Babe to help Mariah and she told Mariah to find Babe in Spirit. In Mariah's passing, she left us one glimpse of the new vision she had gained. As we stood with her and she left her body, Dawn felt Babe suddenly arrive. When Dawn told her to go to Babe, the last words Dawn heard from Mariah were, "I see her! I see her!" Dawn realized then that she was free of her body and once again she could see.
The following morning we called in a backhoe for her burial. At every burial, we, with our staff, have a memorial service honoring the animal we are saying good-bye to. People offer memorable anecdotes and we all laugh and cry together. This day was no different. As we all gathered, still pretty much in shock, and the backhoe dug the grave, the sky was blue and the sun was out. Just as the grave was finished a huge wind gust came and instantly it began to snow like a blizzard. A complete white out followed with a driving wind over 30 mph with higher gusts. Barely able to stand at the graveside, none of us could speak our words that we would normally share. The wind was so strong and the snow so blinding. It was then that Bonnie realized the message we were being given. Mariah's full name is, Call the Wind Mariah. And she did call in the wind! Mariah leaves behind a barn full of horses who miss her tremendously. But most especially, her mother Gypsy, her best friends Bo and Breezie, all wish her the greatest of journeys and they hold her safely in their hearts as they always have and always will. And we know that Mariah, who could never run with the wind in body, is now racing with the wind in spirit.
