We focus on the “wins”, and learn from the losses. In the world of rescue and sanctuary, the emotional rollercoaster can be a hard ride if you don’t create good consistent parameters. We get many surrender requests everyday, and we want to save as many as we can by networking. With a limit to the available number of hours in a day, and the available spaces in the sanctuaries, we can’t advocate for all of them to the degree we would like, but we can try.
The importance in our mission of growing our humane education programs cannot be overstated. I hope that each of you wants to join us on that journey and invest in the future of humane programs. Programs like our 1000 Animal Ambassadors, LEAP, Animal Care Circle, Healthy Plant Based Cooking and more, are frankly pretty exciting to us as we truly "aim high".
The wins sustain us through the losses. This week, we tried very hard to save a blind newborn Red Angus calf Gracie. She arrived with no mother’s colostrum in her system, and a raging case of pneumonia. Gracie was a sweet special girl who sparked compassion in the farmer who wanted to see her make it in a forever home. She knew an incredible amount of love in that final 24 hours warm and clean in the home of our Shelter Manager, but with the consultation of our veterinarian, we knew the kindest gift we could give her was a peaceful passing.
We have had many wins that uplift, and one of those is Fred the Katahdin Sheep who just moved to his forever home at Kinder Way Berry Farm and Sanctuary. They had stepped up for him in an emergency rescue, where we met Walter the five year old Boer Goat who was to be put down that same day - so we stepped up to that emergency. His feet were so damaged by foot rot, abscesses and cankers he could often not stand up (he has an arthritic shoulder too). It took months, but my joy this week in finally seeing Walter able to walk freely in the goat paddock is the very best feeling. Walter will live out his life here in the kindness of sanctuary.
Louie Oinkstrong, Monroe Alpaca and Tomie Llapaca are other recent success stories that sustain our spirits. You, our supporters, sustain our spirits as well - thank you! Aim High.
(can you see Buddy Goat photo-bombing in the far right background?)