From Flora: “I may seem like a plain white goat. I used to think that too. Just a goat with nothing to offer. I had no purpose. I had run out of hope. I just kind of survived each day with my other goat friends. But as I grew old, I outlived all of my other goat friends. It was in the space and the silence that was left behind that I found something different. I discovered I was more than just a simple plain goat. I found out I have lots of different colors in me as well. As I found new friends, I found faith again. And I found out that I had a lot to offer and a lot to learn in this life. I am now the matriarch of two adorable and oftentimes whimsical little goats as well as my new sheep companion. It has offered me a chance to look at my life differently. I now have purpose. I have something to teach them and share with them. They look to me for guidance. And I look to them to lead me to a whole other way to live this life with purpose. I am forever grateful. Out of a lot of loss came a treasure I’d never expected to find.”
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
From Noah: “There is so much in life to be grateful for but sometimes difficult times can cloud our minds from knowing the truth that is in our hearts. Our hearts know the truth of love and gratitude and kindness. Anger, bitterness, hatred, and judgement are not natural to the heart at all but are often layered over the heart so that the heart cannot see what it knows to be true. During those times, we need to tend to our hearts and to the hearts of those around us to heal those wounds so that the heart can be free once again. This is what my friends and I do here. People and other animals come in with very burdened hearts sometimes. But we know that kindness and love is a source of healing unlike any other. Your hearts yearn to be bathed in love. That is what the heart knows. Given the gifts of gratitude, love, acceptance, and peace, the heart can heal even the darkest of clouds. I have seen this over and over again myself. Be kind to your heart. And then let your heart lead in being kind to others. You will change your world ….. in a heartbeat.”
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
From Pizazz: “I’ll tell you what I appreciate is when someone takes the time to get to know me before they label me and judge me as something I’m not. I’m frequently misunderstood. I’m different. Not difficult. Just different. The only thing about me that is difficult is that people don’t try to understand me. Feeling understood is a great gift. If you have someone around you that seems grumpy or edgy, maybe they just are not being understood or seen for who they are. That is enough to make me grumpy. We all are different. Yet we are all connected if we take the time to be grateful for one another and embrace our differences. There are no two of us alike. Trying to make others like yourself is a waste of your energy. You need to just be yourself and let others be themselves too. That would help a lot in this world.”
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
From Nell: “I love to feel the wind on my face on a nice day. I love to feel the sun on my back. But none of that would be as meaningful without my friends beside me. I have come from great pain and upheaval and even lost an eye. But I am grateful for the one eye I still have and to have the gift of friends who keep me secure. To never be alone again is a blessing I will cherish forever. One day I thought my life was over but I discovered instead that it was just beginning. Don’t give in to despair over endings. Endings are just doorways and where one thing ends another begins. There isn’t even a gap. It is just a step in awareness. Look past your endings to your new beginnings and embrace the gifts that await you there. And hug and cherish your friends. May your heart know the comfort of love and may you be warmed by sunshine and a soft breeze on your way.”
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
From Clark: “Oh my goodness! Let me tell you how fun it is to be a goat. I mean, seriously, it is an absolute blast. I love my goat body. I’m little and cute and people like to hear me make my cute little goat sounds. It always makes them laugh. So when I see my human friends coming, I call out loudly and they are almost certain to greet me with a big smile. I like that. Goats can smile too. Did you know that? I’m inspired by sharing a moment of joy with my goat friends and my human friends. It makes the warmth of the sun fill up every cell in my body. And I store that love there and cherish it.”
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
Each day from November 26 – December 31, as has been our annual tradition now for many years, we will share with you a message from one of the animals of Spring Farm CARES. We hope this will provide you with a bit of inspiration for your day.
But first, Dawn’s dog Jessie just had to say a few words to start.
From Jessie: “We animals know that you humans are going through a rough stretch here. As a dog, I wish I could help to lighten you up a bit. It’s easy to smell worry in the air everywhere. Please don’t lose hope. I am fortunate to be Dawn’s dog. I told her she had to say that. She has been working really extra hard to get some messages from the animals at Spring Farm CARES again this year. I am very thankful to get to introduce both my mom and the animals of the farm. Together, they will join in this project to try to give you some inspiration. We animals give her the messages and she puts words to them for you. We hope you can come visit sometime. We know you can’t right now, so we will come to you as best we can. Please check in each day to get a dose of inspiration.”
This memorial is difficult to write because there is so much to say. Today, we said good-bye to the last of our SFC dogs, Mack. Mack was a giant of a spirit. He was estimated to be at least 15 years old and he was with us for the past 12 years. Border Collies are dogs with special missions in life and Mack was no exception. So, if this memorial gets long, it is because his story is worthy of telling, and his life and the hearts he touched are immeasurable.
Mack was a complex dog. There was nothing easy or simple about him or his care. Yet, it is nearly a miracle that he lived and thrived with us for the past 12 years, given the complexity of his medical/health issues. And to be able to say that Mack literally died as a result of aging is an awesome accomplishment, on his part and on ours.
Mack did not live the normal life of a border collie. He was brought to our good friends at Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue after he had been found running lost in the Adirondacks. Locals there said he had been seen for at least 6 months, but no one could catch him. Yet, the day he saw a car pull over near to where he was running, Mack understood intuitively that his ride was here to get him. A volunteer for the rescue was driving by and saw him and thought he looked lost. And after 6 months of running away from everyone, he decided to run to them. But Mack had great injuries from his life in the wilderness. Most likely hit by a car at one point, he had been rendered unable to use his back legs by the looks of the scars on his feet where he had been dragging them behind him for some time. But the fact was that he had a spinal fracture just at the base of his tail, and although he had use of his legs when found, he was totally bowel and bladder incontinent.
Mack was not a prospect for adoption. So, he came to live here at Spring Farm CARES. Thus embarked a 12 year career in teaching and touching hearts. Mack was strong willed. He was a true border collie in every way. He ran the show. In fact, to this day, our entire farm operation was based on Mack’s schedule. When the tractors could be driven, or the goats turned out, or when and where people were free to walk around where it wouldn’t interfere with Mack’s schedule. The whole farm ran on Mack time. Today, it is hitting all of us, just how much that was true.
Mack alerted us to every visitor. Some saw him as an annoying barking dog. Those people never saw Mack for who he was. And then, there were those, who truly understood this magnificent being with all of his interesting games in life. Mack’s mind never stopped. Because of his incontinence, he lived in a kennel that was set up in the main hall where he could have privacy yet be a part of everything. Because he insisted on being a part of it all. And he was. He had a beautiful dog yard where he could run free and play ball and frisbee and do all of the normal active things a young athletic border collie liked to do. From his yard, he could herd the tractor as it went by. He liked to herd the ducks out on walks. He was the man in charge.
And then, there were the people. HIS people. While many humans found Mack to be extremely difficult – and make no mistake he could be – there was a method to Mack’s entire being that took us a while to understand. But we finally did and we learned to move with Mack’s direction. In other words, he herded all of us too. You see, Mack picked his caretakers himself. There have been many animal caretakers here in the past 12 years. But only a select few became “Mack Walkers.” These were the people who Mack himself chose. It didn’t matter how much dog experience or lack of dog experience you had. We quickly learned that unless he was the one who chose them, he would not let anyone handle him or walk him. The Mack Walkers are like an exclusive club. And while they were all helping care for Mack, he was the one who actually was looking over them. Because Mack chose people not based on their work experience but based upon what he thought he could give to each of them. And while they took care of him, he was taking care of them.
There is no way we could list all of the Mack Walkers over the past 12 years and not be afraid we’d miss someone’s name. But many of you still follow us on the website and social media and are reading this now – you know who you are. On behalf of Mack, we thank each of you for all you gave to him. And we hope you treasure the gifts he left with each of you.
The silence in our big hall is deafening this morning. No border collie barking to let us know he’s there. He wasn’t there for his morning walk around with Bonnie as she did the early morning chores as they did together for 12 years. He wasn’t there to greet the staff as they arrived. But there is not a single one of us who couldn’t still feel him today in our hearts. His reach was massive. His mission was huge. His life was so well lived. Many looked at Mack and felt sorry for him that he lived in a kennel. But, none of us ever referred to that pen as a kennel. It was always called “Mack’s House.” And that is what it was. It was his safe place. His home. And his base of operations for all the work that he did. His happiness and contentment were palpable.
We knew he was failing these past few weeks. At 15, it was getting harder for him to get up and harder for him to walk. We all knew the time was coming to set him free. And all of us agonized over that pending day. This dog was so well loved. Deeply. Completely. Whole heartedly. And it was that love that helped guide us to listen to him one last time. Because it was clear that morning that Mack was tired. He was spent. He had eeked every ounce out of that body that he could have. But now, he needed to stand down and take a well-deserved rest. Mission accomplished. Job amazingly well done. What an amazing run. What an amazing spirit.
None of us wanted to say good-bye, but we all knew it was time. The light suddenly dimmed in his eyes. And it was our turn now to help him.
That’ll do Mack. That’ll do.
And with that, Mack ran free. Our hearts are breaking yet they are also filled with love and great memories. One border collie on a mission helped us to find our mission again too. And for that, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
We would like to give thanks to the three current Mack Walkers who we know have very heavy hearts right now. Thank you, Stephanie, Jordan, and Kellie. And to all of the current animal caretakers who were also touched by Mack and who loved him equally as much.
And from the Directors, Bonnie, Dawn, Margot, and Peggy….. thank you Mack. Thank you for all of it. And you know what we mean.
From Flora: “I may seem like a plain white goat. I used to think that too. Just a goat with nothing to offer. I had no purpose. I had run out of hope. I just kind of survived each day with my other goat friends. But as I grew old, I outlived all of my other goat friends. It was in the space and the silence that was left behind that I found something different. I discovered I was more than just a simple plain goat. I found out I have lots of different colors in me as well. As I found new friends, I found faith again. And I found out that I had a lot to offer and a lot to learn in this life. I am now the matriarch of two adorable and oftentimes whimsical little goats as well as my new sheep companion. It has offered me a chance to look at my life differently. I now have purpose. I have something to teach them and share with them. They look to me for guidance. And I look to them to lead me to a whole other way to live this life with purpose. I am forever grateful. Out of a lot of loss came a treasure I’d never expected to find.”
