In Memory of Angelo – 2003 – 2024

Today we lost a most amazing cat. Angelo was a giant among us. To know Angelo was to love him. And boy was he loved – by his caretakers, volunteers, visitors, and most especially by his fellow cat residents. Angelo was pure love. There was a light that radiated from him. And we reaped the benefits of his most amazing heart for nearly 12 years. Angelo was currently our oldest cat resident at the age of 21.

I will never forget the day that Angelo arrived in 2012. We received a call from someone in a trailer park that there were a colony of abandoned cats living there and one of those cats had a “horrible birth defect with a leg growing out of his back.” They even emailed us pictures where indeed we could see something looking like a leg sticking out of his back. Whatever the situation, it was clear he needed help. We agreed to take him if they could trap him. Angelo must have understood that help was available and he walked right in the trap that first night. We thought he was going to be feral but it turned out he was actually friendly. And the growth on his back ended up being a massive mat of hair. As we started to shave him and unwind this massive mat, it turned out there were actually two of them that had wound around one another. As we got them separated, it looked like he had angel wings growing out of his back. And thus, we named him Angelo.

Angelo became the gentle leader of his cat room. Over these past 12 years, he helped every one of his cat companions adapt to their new lives here in our sanctuary. Frequently, we’d see him in the center of a huge bed with 6 or more cats snuggled around him. This was a daily scene. Over the past few years, Angelo held a space and said good-bye for each one of those cat friends as they passed into spirit. Angelo outlived them all. Although he had many new friends sharing his room and enjoying his friendship, we all know that there was a heck of a reunion when Angelo went home and joined his colony of friends waiting for him in spirit.

Every caretaker here past and present most likely has their favorite Angelo story and photos. Many called him Big Ang over the years. And many cats benefited from his gentle heart and steadfast ways of leadership. He was a rock of peace. He continued to be that rock through all of the 14 months of cat room renovations that we just went through. Always reassuring his cat friends that everything was going to be just fine. He was sure of that because he had been here a long time and he trusted the process even when some of the other cats felt insecure. Angelo always saw them through the tough spots.

Today, we came in to find that our dear friend had passed away peacefully during the night. Whatever happened was quick and at the age of 21 years, his body was tired and he had eked out every last ounce of time that he could. While we are sad for our loss, we are honored to have given him a home, and grateful for every second we got to spend with him. What an amazing soul!

Angelo, dear friend, you will never be forgotten and we will miss you. It is hard to remember a day you were not here and we know your energy will carry us all well into the future. Rest easy with your friends. We are sure they are all rejoicing to have you back with them. You truly are an angel.

Memorial to Xander – August 6, 2024

Another amazing soul has left our embrace. Today we said good-bye to our dear donkey Xander.  Xander was 37 years old and basically died from old age. He enjoyed a good life. In fact, Xander was one of the exceptions in our herd where we can say he lived his entire life loved and cherished.

Xander came to the sanctuary just 2 years ago when he was the last of his little herd of donkey friends and his humans were needing to move from their farm into the village where Xander could not accompany them. Although it was very difficult for his human family to move without him, they also knew he was safe here with us and they still could visit him here. At the time he came, he was already wearing the signs of a long life. He was arthritic and had issues with his feet that made things sometimes challenging for him. Because of the problems in his joints he was more delicate and couldn’t go out to pasture with the other donkeys. But he was always with them when they were inside and he enjoyed the companionship of his new herd of friends here.

Xander was a staff, volunteer, and visitor favorite. He was as gentle as could be. He had a heart of gold. And he had a glimmer in his big soulful eyes that just beckoned people to come over to see him. He was great with adults and little people as well. He was noble and wise and that energy just oozed out of every fiber of his being. You couldn’t pass by Xander without giving him a scratch on his huge ears or wrapping your arms around his neck and giving him a hug. He loved it as much as we did.

He was also the time keeper of the farm. Like clockwork you could hear is loud and very unique bray announcing feeding times and staff arrival times. He put his whole body into every bray. It was comical to watch him. Xander radiated a joy that was so indicative of the life he lived. He loved every minute of his life and soaked it all up.

Xander would want to thank so many people in his life for all the love and care he received. The list would be long, and you know who you are. And I know that right now you join all of his family here in feeling sadness at his departure but pure joy in having known him. He touched so many hearts.

We would like to thank a few people here who really helped make his final two years more comfortable and possible for him. First a big thank you to all his caretakers who loved him dearly and miss him greatly now. A special thank you to his farrier Lauren Waite who adored Xander and who so many times went out of his way to get here in times when Xander was struggling with foot pain to offer Xander relief when he needed it most. Also thanks to Dr. Rachel Fraser for all her help and advice over the past two years. And to Dr. Christine, our staff veterinarian who oversaw his daily care, and who helped him find peace, comfort, and dignity in the end. Thank you.

Xander would have loved to stay longer but his body simply gave out. He was tired. That good kind of tired when you get to the end of a day and know deep down that you did the best you could do and it was a good day.

Rest well old man. Your wisdom will live on in our hearts. And we swear that your bray will always echo through the farm for all of time. You had a great run. A life well done. Rest easy.

Although we knew this day was coming for a few weeks, nothing ever prepares us for saying good-bye. Today we lost a most loving and amazing spirit embodied in a donkey. Our dear Noah reached the end of his comfort level while dealing with a fast moving cancer. At the young age of 15 years, we said good-bye way too soon. But we treasure the 8 years we had with him.

Noah was an amazing being. Besides being incredibly handsome and exceptionally cute, he had a heart bigger than our whole farm. He was the most gentle and loving soul. In a world often filled with anger, bitterness, and turmoil, Noah exuded peace, love, and acceptance. Both animals and humans could feel that in his presence and derived great comfort in being around him.

When visitors came on tours, Noah would readily stick his nose out to greet them. He was fond of “the little people” in particular. We have many photos of children standing in front of his stall petting his soft nose. For many of them, it was their first experience touching a donkey or any farm animal. He was a great ambassador. And he loved his job.

To us he was simply Noah – gentle, unassuming, easy going and steady. To the younger donkeys however, he was known as “Uncle Noah.” Noah was a great uncle especially to our semi-orphaned donkey foal Murfee. We say semi-orphaned because Murfee was born here to Mabel when she was retired here in her mid-thirties and stunned us, when shortly after she arrived, we discovered she was pregnant. She delivered a healthy foal and then declared she was done with that. She refused to nurse him and chased him away. We had to put him in a stall next to her and bring him in to her for supervised nursings multiple times a day.

It was a rough start for poor Murfee. But when Murfee was just a few months old, Noah arrived. It occurred to us that just maybe Noah could be the wonderful uncle that Murfee needed. And indeed he was. Noah helped Murfee find his way and place in life. Noah taught him tolerance and patience which Murfee sorely needed to learn.

Noah was loved by all of his donkey herd. What was not to love? He had a heart of pure gold. Watching him the past few weeks, and understanding that he didn’t have much time left with us, was difficult. Worrying about what would happen to Murfee and how he’d manage without the steady guidance of Uncle Noah, was on all of our minds. It felt like our hearts were breaking.

But Noah reminded us that he was still alive and didn’t want us grieving for him while he was still here. “Just love me,” was his message. “That’s all I want or need.”

Loving him was easy and he had that in abundance from all of us. And in his special Noah way, he taught us all about staying present even when great loss was soon to come. When the time came, it was very clear. Although he didn’t want to leave and we didn’t want him to leave either, his body could no longer go on.

“What better way to go,” he told Dawn, “then savoring what I have and wishing there would be more. It is a good life.”

While we deal with our own grief of losing him, his gifts continue all around us. Our attention immediately went to Murfee. But as we watched him handle the loss of his dear Uncle Noah, we realized how calmly he was taking things. And it occurred to us that Noah had prepared him and he understood. Their relationship was complete. Their hearts understood their connection would remain. And Murfee walks on with Noah still beside him right in his heart.

But Noah didn’t stop there. As we laid his body to rest right here at the farm, we held a memorial for his caretakers who wished to be there. We shared our stories about him out loud. One by one we laughed at the memories and felt the love and honor we have for such a gentle soul. And as we stood there together, a dragonfly suddenly appeared and flew in a circle above Noah’s body in the grave. It then flew up to the circle of people standing above and flew one lap around us all before it gently landed on the ground behind us. We all could feel the meaning. In silence we stood there and the dragonfly just simply vanished.  Noah had left a message for all of us too. “I’m ok, and I’m still here with you.”

Well done Noah. What a life. So well done. Our hearts are full. You will always and forever be a part of this farm and will live on in all of our hearts. Rest easy sweet man.

Memorial to Merlin – July 14, 2024

We are sad to announce the passing of yet another great soul and prominent member of our family. Today our dear African Grey Parrot, Merlin, slipped away peacefully. Merlin had been with us for 30 years. So many of our important milestones on this journey were spent with Merlin by our side. Bonnie and Dawn opened their home to him in 1994 after he had been removed from a very neglectful situation. He was thought to be about 12 years old at the time. That made Merlin about 42 years old, but he could have been older.

From the very beginning, we realized that this bird was like having another human family member. He talked a lot. He whistled tunes. And he could mimic almost any sound that he fancied. He was wise. He was humorous. And he was a dynamic part of this farm for 30 years. It is impossible to express the hole that he has left behind.

But our hearts are filled with so many incredible memories and stories. Merlin understood so much about the human psyche and heart. He never screamed for the sake of screaming. When he knew things were tense and stressful, he would remain very quiet and then he’d talk in a soft voice. Or he’d say something truly funny to lighten the load. He understood how to soothe an aching heart or how to put a tense situation at ease. He was a true diplomat.

We have so many examples of his wit, wisdom, and humor. One night a few years ago, Bonnie called Dawn late at night to come over to our big hall in the small animal facility. Bonnie was just getting ready to go to bed when all of a sudden a smoke detector started beeping its low battery signal. She couldn’t find where it was coming from so she called Dawn over to help find it and to turn it off. Dawn heard it as soon as she walked in. The two of them searched and searched but couldn’t find which one was making the offensive sound. Dawn finally decided on the one that it was and climbed up on the ladder to retrieve it. Bonnie said, “This will drive the animals nuts all night. We’ve got to shut it off.” Dawn removed the battery and the sound stopped. She said good-night to Bonnie and headed back home. Just as Dawn got to the door, the beeping started again.

“Well that was not the one,” said Bonnie. The beeping continued. We looked some more. And then just about the same time, Bonnie and Dawn both realized it was Merlin making the sound. When we figured it out he began whistling his happy tune loudly. He was quite pleased with his caper.

In more recent years, he lived in our large hall/meeting center. During staff meetings, he was known to quietly climb down from his cage and walk over and join the circle. He was one of the gang. A trusted family member. And he was so dearly loved by all of us.

There is so much more we could say. Endless stories. Countless memories. His distinct voice that he used to say “Hello!” every day. He talked a streak. He mimicked people and cats and ducks and guinea pigs with an uncanny ability. He was kind. He was grateful for all that he had and he let us know that.

In the past 18 months, Merlin had gone blind due to cataracts. He had some cardiac issues and other aging maladies. In recent weeks, it was as if he developed dementia. He stopped talking. He didn’t seem to know us anymore. Our hearts were aching. No more “Hellos”. No more whistles and affectionate clicks. Bonnie was his key person and he no longer responded to her either. He was like a shell of his former self.

This morning, a caretaker saw that he was doing something totally different and seemed to be trying to get attention. She had a feeling he was close to passing and called Bonnie. Bonnie came immediately to his cage and when she picked him up in her hands, he immediately settled down. The caretaker watching said it was clear that he was filled with peace. He passed in Bonnie’s hands just a moment later. Exactly where he wanted to be. It is hard to comprehend the depth of love that we had for him and him for us.

It is hard to close the chapter on an amazing 30 year journey. But he will live on in our hearts forever. The bird who has been with us through so much history and helped us move along into the future. He gave us so much and we will carry him with us forever.

Thank you dear Merlin. Thank you.

(Please see our soon to be released TattleTails and Tidbits July/August issue for a beautiful tribute that Bonnie has written for him.

Good-byes are never easy and today was no exception. Today we lost our dear goat friend Luna – also known as Luna-tickle, Looney-tunes, and Luna-tuna. Luna was a character who touched many lives. She had the unusual status of having been born right here on the farm and graced our lives for just shy of 16 years.

Luna’s mom came here when we were helping with a large rescue of several goats. The group of goats was here for only a few days when, much to our surprise, we found one of them going into labor. Out came this adorable super tiny little black and white kid. She was born on a full moon and we named her Luna. As she grew, her color changed to brown and white.

Luna had a very strong sense of what she liked and disliked in life and for what she wanted and didn’t want in her life as well. You could say that she was super opinionated. You could even say that she was pushy. But she also was a clown and had a fantastic sense of humor with just the right timing for serving up zingers. Luna had a way of always making her presence known. And when she felt things were getting far too serious, or people were not moving fast enough, or even sometimes just for the heck of it, she had a trade mark move of giving people a good butt in the behind – with a gleam in her eye.

Luna was a very down to earth, practical, kind of spirit. She was very honest and true to who she was. And she had a great way of making you feel special when she liked you. Luna participated in the annual gratitude messages from the animals that Dawn publishes each year from Thanksgiving to New Years. Her messages started earning her a following. One year, in the midst of a lot of philosophical answers by several of her stable mates, Luna gave a message about how much she was grateful for peppermints and put out a plea that some be sent to her as her deepest wish in life. Although it was said tongue in cheek, or peppermint in cheek in the case of Luna, people really responded. We were suddenly flooded by packages of peppermints in the mail from her loyal followers. We had so many peppermints that it was more than a one year supply for ALL of our barn animals who eat them.

With this, Luna took up her self-proclaimed title of chief animal fundraiser on the farm. This past week, Luna suddenly took ill. She had had some health problems due to aging over the past couple of years. But this was different. Bloodwork showed that she was in kidney failure. We knew our time with her was growing short. She was put on hospice care and given all she wanted or needed for her comfort and joy.  Yesterday, she was reminiscing to Dawn about her amazing powers of asking for something and receiving it. She reminded Dawn about the peppermint caper and said she was so proud of that achievement. And she added that she came into this life wanting to have a happy life and that she created that in abundance too.

The last request she had of Dawn was to be sure that she could leave a legacy. She told Dawn to start a Luna Legacy Fund on her behalf to help all of the animals we could to find happiness. She told Dawn, “Happiness isn’t always about big things. Sometimes it is just a well-timed peppermint to know you are loved. Don’t make it complicated. Just do what I did. Ask people to help make an animal feel loved. Because they will have great joy knowing that they did. We will go higher and farther than peppermints this time! It will be a circle of happiness. That will be my legacy.”

This morning we knew that her body could no longer serve her brilliant spirit. We could no longer make her comfortable. It was time to help her be free and move on. Her caretakers came by one by one to let her know how loved she is. At the end, Dawn, Margot, and Dr. Christine held her and told her what an amazing girl she is and how she will always be loved. We thanked her for all the good times and the laughs and even the well placed butts in the behind. As she was being sedated, Dawn heard her crunching on something. Her friends had been feeding her peppermints and she saved some in her cheek. She looked up at Dawn, “Don’t forget my legacy. If I can create an abundance of peppermints, you can do more than that. You’ve got this.”

And our dear Luna left our embrace only to be held in our hearts forever. There is a hole in our smaller barn where she lived. She held a huge space. What a gift we had for almost 16 years. Thank you Luna for your joy, your guidance, and your amazing wish for a legacy to help other animals find the happiness that you so enjoyed.

And now we ask for your help in fulfilling Luna’s final wish. We have started Luna’s Legacy Fund to help give love and happiness to animals in her honor. Just as she asked us to do. Below is a link to our fund. If you can please help make her wish come true.

Give Now to Luna’s Legacy Fund

Memorial – Bunny (Smokin Bunny) – February 2, 2024

Today we said good-bye to Bunny, a Standardbred mare who was just turning 29 years old. Bunny and her companion Mister had only been with us for three months but during that time we got to know and appreciate this beautiful and sometimes complex mare. We took Bunny and Mister into our sanctuary after their owner sadly passed away and their farm was being sold. Both were in their late 20’s with serious leg and foot issues, which was why they were retired from racing and breeding many years ago, and were living in retirement together for almost 20 years.

When Bunny and Mister arrived here, we immediately did a thorough veterinary exam and discovered that Bunny was nearing the end of her life. Her chronic founder had caused serious bone damage over the years and Bunny was very painful. We called in a very special farrier who began working with her and between what he could do and pain medications, Bunny’s life became more comfortable and peaceful. But we knew that we could not turn back the clock for her. Our goal was simply to make life as good for her as we could, until we could no longer do so. And then our promise to her was, when it got to the point where we could no longer keep her comfortable, we’d help set her free. We had hoped to have more time with her, but we kept our promise on the day she let us know she’d had enough.

Animals come into our sanctuary for various reasons. But all of them receive a lifetime commitment of love and care from us. Some stay for many years. Some for months. Some for just days. And even some for just a few hours. Each of them is given the same love and care and treatment regardless of the length of their stay. And each of them is missed dearly when they leave.

Bunny was here for palliative care from day one.  And our wonderful team of caretakers, veterinarians, and farrier all worked in unison to help her be comfortable and peaceful and loved. That was what we could give to her in her final home stretch.

Bunny left this world gently and with dignity, completely surrounded in love. And we know she felt relief to know that her dear companion for so many years, Mister, would not be left alone. Mister diligently watched over his friend both in their old home and here. He’d stand beside her as she rested and would not leave her side for anything – not even food. He was devoted to her. We now switch our focus to helping him through his grief.

Bunny left knowing he’d be ok. And she was heading on out of a body that was no longer able to bring her peace and joy. Go run now girl. We know that spunk inside of you is rearing to go have a good run and a peaceful rest. We were honored to be part of the final leg of your journey.