ANIMAL SANCTUARY
SPRING FARM CARES
ANIMAL COMMUNICATION NATURE SANCTUARY
December 2015
3364 State Route 12, Clinton, NY 13323 / (315) 737-9339www.springfarmcares.org / [email protected]
a 501(C)3 Not-for-Profit Organization
Here Comesthe Sun ......
Stories of Joy and Gratitude for Life
The Spring Farm CARES Annual Newsletter
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Rays of Hope“How is helping one old horse live out his days in comfort doing anything for anyone other than that horse?” “Why is helping a blind kitten make it in the world important to the world at large?” “There are so many people in need out there, why waste money on just an animal?”
We are often asked these kinds of questions. They can never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction, but nearly 25 years ago we started with the question, “What can we do to help alleviate the suffering in the world – of all living creatures?” Because it is never about “just one animal.” It is about the Universal Heart, which resides in all of Life. It is about Compassion, and Unconditional Love, which flow from that Universal Heart, and without which Life goes dry, barren, and everything good and beautiful dies – as it often seems to be dying in our current world.
Animals live in the Universal Heart. It is their natural home. They know the sublime importance of Compassion. They love un-conditionally. At Spring Farm CARES, we have partnered with willing animal teachers, to understand more about the Heart, and about Compassion and Unconditional Love. We know that what we are doing here – with your help – is reaching out to people and helping them to remember, and to begin to act through the Universal Heart, helping people remember how to let Compas-sion and Love flow, to make good and beautiful things par for the course in all the world, rather than exceptions to the rule.
All living things, when old and helpless, like Buster the horse, discussed below, deserve to be treated with Love and Compassion. When sick and injured, like Piper the kitten, every living thing deserves the same shot at fulfilling itself while cradled by Love and Compassion. Every living thing deserves respect and tolerance from every other living thing. The animals know this. Many of us humans have forgotten it. Here at Spring Farm CARES, animals and humans work together to re-gift the world with this Primordial Truth.
And that is why every animal matters. The world can change – one horse, one cat, one dog, one goose, one donkey, one human at a time. The energy of Love and Compassion and the teaching of these ideals is what your donations become here at Spring Farm CARES.
Here are the stories of a few of this years’ Bringers of Wisdom to Humankind.
“Big things often come in small packages.” Tipper is one such. Near death from starvation and dehydration when he arrived, he had been liv-ing without the use of his legs. One was totally useless, while he could only grasp at things with the other foot. Unable to perch or to walk, he could only flounder around the floor of the cage. Our vet didn’t hold out much hope. Yet Tipper displayed such spirit that we set to work to give him a workable habitat.
Our protocol is a large, cushy towel covering the floor of his cage, folded higher, creating platforms, at the edges, so that he can sit high enough to see outside, and to commune with Marty, our other cockatiel. He pulls himself around using the bars, his beak, his one good foot and his wings.
There’s always seed and water within easy reach, so that, when the vet visited again, she exclaimed, “He’s getting fat!” It took him a while to start singing, but now he treats us to peppy, unique compositions, plus his barking dog imitation. He is also using the formerly useless leg to push himself up into a semi-perch! We helped Tipper look outside his cage and he helped us look outside the box. His life isn’t “normal.” Just happy. We’ll keep giving him whatever he needs to keep on singing.
Tipper
We dedicate this newsletter in loving memory of our friend and supporter of many years - Dot Cook.Her kindness and generosity touched many lives and continues to live on.
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Sponsor an AnimalYou can sponsor one of our resident animals and make a difference in their lives!
Annual Sponsorship is $100 / Great Gift Idea too!A card and message from that animal will be sent to you (or the person you are gifting to)
and your name will be posted next to that animal on our website. Go to www.springfarmcares.org/sponsor.htm
Comfort in their Sunset Years
Anyone who looks at Buster and sees just an old, rundown horse is not seeing the real Buster. A Standardbred, and, at 35, one of our oldest horses, he has many physical issues and challenges. But Buster’s aches and pains were earned during a lifetime of entertaining, and then working for, human beings, this last under brutal and uncaring conditions. At one point his spirit was nearly broken. But then he came to Spring Farm and learned that there are people who truly care about him, who want to know him for who he really is, and to do for him instead of being done for. He is on special supplements and medications to soothe his arthritic joints. Since he has outlived his teeth, and is no longer able to eat hay, special diets are prepared for him. And how he enjoys the regular massage therapy and chiropractic adjustments!
He can’t gallop anymore, but he loves standing out in the sun. His gratitude for everything that he receives is unmistakable. We, in turn, are made happy to see the sparkle in his eyes and to understand the peace that now envelops him. He is expected to do nothing more
nor less than enjoy his days. He has found well-deserved sanctuary, where he knows that he is cherished.
Your support helps us provide Buster, and our other elderly horses, with that extra care and support that is sometimes the only kindness that they have ever received from humans. You. It is you who make it all possible.
Buster
LucyLucy is an African Grey Goose who is, for a goose, an amazing 19 years old. She had lived her whole life with one family, outliving all her other animal friends. And then her human family was moving out of state and they couldn’t find a place to live where they were moving that would accommodate a goose. So they contacted Spring Farm. We were pleased to welcome her. Our lone goose, a male, Eastwood, would, we thought, be pleased to have a female friend, and Lucy would be happy to have a fellow goose with whom to spend her remaining years.
Well the best laid plans of mice and men … Lucy and Eastwood spent one night together in a horse stall which we had sumptuously prepared for their nuptial meeting. During that night, Lucy let Eastwood know in no uncertain terms who is boss, and that she would choose her own friends. The next day, released from the stall, Eastwood went on his solitary way, thoroughly chastened, while Lucy looked around and then moved in with our two Shetland ponies! She hangs out with them in their pipe corral enclosure almost all of the time, bedding down on their hay, often stealing their food – or “sharing it” as she prefers to say. She
doesn’t have any particular special needs … except to be her own self and make her own decisions. We are pleased to provide this very special goose with a very special sanctuary in which to enjoy her very special self. We are sure that Lucy has lessons to teach us all before she departs this world.
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Mary BethMary Beth is a 5-year-old mini-donkey who came to us this spring from North Carolina. Literally and figuratively, she has had quite a journey to this safe, forever home. Mary Beth, we were told, was injured shortly after birth when she was stepped on by her father, damaging her neck (although there is some thought that she might actually have been born with this condition, called a wry neck.) She has lived her whole life with her head permanently bent to the side and low to the ground. She is not in pain and has no neurological deficits or damage (which is why our veterinarians think that she was likely born this way, rather than being injured) but while not painful, Mary Beth’s world has been unnatural, skewed, and lonely, with little handling and little affection tendered.
Donkeys are special creatures, different from horses in how they think and approach life. Mary Beth was aloof and withdrawn when first she
arrived, she wouldn’t even bray. Only slowly did she begin to understand what her new home is all about. She first responded to the Shetland ponies next to her. Now, finally, to us. She is blossoming, beginning to trust and solicit affection. And her brays now shake the world! How wonderful to see her rise out of a prior world of loneliness and despair into a world of companionship and joy.
Your support helped this lonely little soul find her safe place in life. It took months to arrange her safe transit from North Caro-lina, to find the wonderful, caring shipper, Athena (Horse Jitney) who changed her own schedule to bring Mary Beth here with layovers each night to let our little girl rest. Thank you, Athena. And endless thanks to all of you. Donkeys live a long time. We look forward to years of Mary Beth’s happy brays.
PiperPiper, like Mary Beth, traveled a long way to get here. People from our locality were driv-ing along a road in Kentucky, heading home, when suddenly their car passed over a kitten in the middle of the road. Miraculously, the kitten had not been hit. But there was no place in sight from which it might have come, and it was sick. They scooped it up and kept driv-ing. The closer they got to home, the sicker the kitten got. They brought it straight to us.
And we took it straight to our vet. The kitten was about 12 weeks old. And blind -- perhaps from birth, or from some major infection, which had destroyed his eyes. This didn’t bother us. We have had other blind kittens here who have done very well. We got him the medical attention he needed – it took weeks to get his severe respiratory infection under control. But the little guy never stopped fighting. Or purring. Or playing. He radiates joy and hap-piness. He streaks around his room at breakneck speed, climbing up and down cat trees, leaping into boxes, chasing toys … without being able to see a thing. Once in a while he stops playing … just long enough to snuggle and cuddle and purr … then he is off again.
Piper had a second bad break, in that he tested positive for Feline Leukemia, but that, too, does not bother us. Such tests are not dependable until a cat is at least 6 months of age. Tests before that age might only indicate that a kitten has been exposed to another cat with the disease. Frequently a kitten that has tested positive will test negative when retested as an adult. And Feline Leukemia is not the automatic death sentence it was once touted as being. Our FeLeuk positive cats usually live long, healthy years, even to 20 years of age! How Piper got into the middle of that Kentucky road we will never know. But this little ball of energy and happiness ended up exactly where he was supposed to be, safe, cherished, and loved, by us … and by you.
New Beginnings
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Most of the animals in our care are either elderly and/or have spe-cial needs. We have 23 employees, the majority of whom work in an-imal care, and the others who work in running the daily operation of our organization. Our staff to animal ratio is higher than many other organizations like ours due to the fact that many of our animals have such special needs and require more one-on-one care. We focus not only on their daily care and physical well-being but equally on their enrichment and emotional well-being. We have a full-time Director of Animal Welfare and Enrichment whose job it is to assure that all of the animals are in the proper environment for their individual needs. We are not about numbers or moving animals in and out. We are about quality of life for those who need to stay with us because they have nowhere else to go.
The three Directors, Bonnie, Dawn, and Margot, live on site. They not only are directly involved in the care of the animals, but also check on and care for sick animals at night. In ad-dition, our Licensed Veterinary Tech-nician and our Barn Manager/Facili-ty Manager are on call day and night for any emergencies whether animal related or infrastructure related. We don’t just close the doors at the end of the day and hope we come back to find things ok in the morning.
Medical decisions for the animals are never based on a price tag but are based on what is right and best for each individual animal. We work with a team of Veter-inarians, for large and small animals, who cover a wide range of services and expertise, from Board Certified Surgeons, to Internal Medicine specialists. We offer top quality care to the animals in our Sanctuary, including Chiropractic and Alternative Medicine.
Our funds are first and primarily allocated to Animal Care and secondly to any other programs we offer. The animals always come first. And all of your donations go directly to helping the animals – every single penny. Nothing goes to professional fundraisers or administra-tive costs. But we need your help to continue to provide for the animals in our care and those helped through our other programs.
Besides the customized daily care, veterinary care, special diets and supplements, etc., your support enables our animals to benefit from many other services that enrich their lives. Including:
Animal CommunicationChiropractic CareMassage Therapy
Cranial-Sacral TherapyAcupunctureEnergy WorkHomeopathy
Underwater TreadmillRehabilitation Services
Your support enables us to continue to add many in-house treatment modalities to our tool bag. Having a full-time Licensed Veterinary Technician who is experienced in both small and large animals on staff, working with our excellent Veterinarians, offers our animals many treatment options right at home. Including:
• Laser Therapy - we have a Class III Laser that helps treat many things from arthritis to injuries and much more.
• Game Ready Therapy System - for our large animals - this is an ice and compression machine just like you see NFL football players using at football games. This has helped many of our horses with chronic back and leg issues/inju-ries.
• Respiratory Therapy Treatments for both large and small animals.
• Laboratory Equipment to monitor diabetic needs in small animals and to perform many other diagnostic tests including parasite control etc.
High Quality Care & Enrichment
Every Animalis regularly evaluated -and a program is de-veloped for each one based on what they
need -Physically, Emotionally,
and Spiritually
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We look back on this year and once again feel humbled by your support and by the animals who have shared so much with us and touched our lives. We are grateful to you for being the force that makes this all possible for them. Whether they are at the sunrise of their lives, or enjoying their final sunset, we are honored to be able to offer them a space to be safe and to be themselves.
To see cat Bob the Builder (photo, left) sleeping in the sun, knowing that if he weren’t here, there would be no place for him to be, brings a tender awareness to that moment of understanding the difference we make for him. It is a priceless gift for which he is truly grateful.
When we came into the barn to find our goat Magic (below on left) gently hold-ing up and supporting her friend Fern (below, right) we were moved to tears.
And we were inspired and touched by the love they had for one another. Where else could they have had the safety to have this experience together? This photo captured the very moment that Magic understood that Fern would not be here much longer. Her grief was palpable but her desire to be by her friend’s side was incredible. She stayed by her, supporting her, loving her, and holding a place of serenity and safety. Truly, isn’t that what all of us hope for?
There isn’t a one of us who on some level hasn’t silently wondered, “Who will be there for me?” Those of us working with these animals daily see the love and support and compassion they offer to each other – and to us. When visitors come to our farm and feel this energy of compassion, they may not know how to put words to it, but they tell us that they feel such “peace.” Compassion is learned. It is shared. Visitors walk away from here a little different than when they walked in. Some even tell us it is life changing. That is the work we are doing together. That is what your support provides.
With it all, we still have to deal with the reality of numbers - the number of dollars needed to continue this work and necessary for our very survival. What your donations provide is indeed priceless. You provide a home for the homeless, hope to those who felt hopeless, a place for them to feel safe and comforted in their final days. The need is large. But the reward is immeasurable.
Quite simply, we have annual expenses of $1.4 million. And we have annual income of $1.1 million from an endowment. That means that we need to make up the difference in that funding gap of $300,000. And, friends, we are falling short of that goal this year. We are only about half way there. If you think about it, this is an amazing opportunity to make a difference. $300,000 in donations can make possible $1.4 million worth of help and assistance. Not just to the 275 -300 animals in residence, but to so many more that are helped through our other programs as well. And then, there are the benefits that are impossible to measure. How do you put a price on safety and com-fort and joy? How do you put a value on giving someone a place to enjoy one last sunset feeling safe and loved? There is no price tag for giving Magic and Fern the space to love and be loved and supported like Fern was before she died. That is the difference you make in so many lives. We cannot do this without you. When we offer them a place of safety and comfort, we do so with your strength and compassion and support standing with us. When you look at that picture of Magic and Fern, you can know that you are right there with Magic supporting Fern in such a loving way. We are all grateful for your support.
Thank you from the depths of our hearts. Bonnie, Dawn, Margot &
the Staff, & Animals of Spring Farm CARES
You are the Sunshine in their Lives
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We are very excited to have added solar energy now to join our existing 3 windmills. We are very proud to be able to lessen our footprint on the planet and to in-sure the care of our animals should we have an extend-ed power failure of the grid.
Our current system lets us draw from the power grid, the windmills, and the solar, giving us lots of options. Together the wind and solar power will provide us with 110% of our energy needs.
Our system, with four solar arrays, comprised of 160 panels, is also expandable should we need to add more in the future.
Other News This YearLet the Sunshine in: The Addition of Solar Energy
Animal Wisdom for the Human HeartA Survival Guide to Living with an Open Heart in Challenging Times
A new workshop with Dawn Hayman and the Animals of Spring Farm CARES2016 Dates: April 23-24, June 11-12, August 6-7, September 24-25
We are living in challenging times. Sometimes things seem to be changing so rapidly that it is hard to keep our bearings, and other times it feels like we are so stuck that we cannot move one step. Yet the messages seem clear that the path to healing is through opening our hearts and listening, and remembering that we are all connected and all One in Life. But, how can we live with an open heart when around us is chaos and confusion?
Animals can be the greatest teachers and masters of living in the heart because that is exactly what they do naturally. They love unconditionally and without judgment. They live in the present moment and fully live from their hearts. They are incredible teachers as they are so adept at living in the world of emotions – theirs and ours. And, most importantly, they con-
tinue to hold a space for humanity to once again remember who we are and how to live from our hearts. We often allow animals in our hearts more deeply and honestly than we do other humans. But do we really listen to what they are trying to teach us and share with us?
Animals can show us a clearer path to how to become more present and centered and aware. They teach us to see ourselves with more humor and compassion. They reflect back to us the truth of who we really are and they teach us how to be present within ourselves.
The animals of Spring Farm CARES invite you to join them for two days, to share their space and their hearts and their wisdom, in hopes to make your journey just a bit easier and to remind you that your own beauty lies safe within your heart.
This workshop will take place at Spring Farm CARES, facilitated by Dawn Hayman, and will be a journey together with the animal residents of the sanctuary. This will be an ex-periential workshop, spending time directly with the animals, as well as guided exercises, meditations, time in nature, and story telling by Dawn as she shares some of her many experiences with the animals and their teachings of how to live from the heart even amidst the chaos of today’s changing world. (Please note this is not a “how to” workshop for An-imal Communication.)
Coming 2016!A New Book by Dawn Hayman
and the Animals of Spring Farm CARES
A book of messages and wis-dom straight from the animals
themselves.Watch for details soon!
Spring Farm Center Alternative Research Education SanctuarySpring Farm CARES3364 State Route 12Clinton, NY 13323
You Light Up Their Lives!
