animal rescue

Potpourri on Wednesday

December 13, 2017 at 9:14 am by Claudia

• First of all, bravo Alabama, especially voters of color, who turned out to vote in yesterday’s election! Roy Moore is abhorrent in every way and Doug Jones is an exemplary human being. You done good, Alabama.

• Though houseplants are supposed to be going dormant right now, there seems to be a lot happening here at the cottage.

The grocery-store-rescue maranta has a new leaf emerging.

The monstera deliciosa has a new leaf emerging, which makes me very happy as this plant was extremely rootbound when I rescued it from Terrain.

And new leaves are emerging on the Zz plant. Also seen: new leaves on the pothos that lives on top of the kitchen china cabinet and new leaves on the dieffenbachia.

Oh, it makes this plant mom happy!

• Stella got a little Christmas cheer yesterday:

I was wondering what Don would think, he of the “no plants or flowers on Stella’s shelf” brand of thinking. Much to my surprise, he loves it. Go figure.

• As I did with the tree in the living room, I used a tree skirt made of a piece of barkcloth for this little tree in the den. I’m a lover of barkcloth and I really like the quirkiness of using it instead of something more traditional.

• One of my favorite ornaments.

• It is really cold here today. It was windy all night long and it’s still windy now. The temperature ‘felt’ like 5° this morning when we got out of bed.

But it’s sunny.

• Do you remember Ashley and Pliers, the two horses that we used to visit on our trail walks? They were in extreme peril and the Catskill Animal Sanctuary rescued them last year, which prompted us to join that incredible organization. I just renewed our membership yesterday and came upon this update in the Fall newsletter, Sanctuary Scene:

You may know the story of ancient horse Ashley and her grown son, Pliers. They were neglected and rescued from being shot. Ashley was blind, and Pliers was her fierce protector, frantically circling her and threatening to kick anyone who came close. It was a dangerous situation. But poor Ashley didn’t have much time left on this earth and was spending her remaining days terrified, walking in frantic circles, and repeatedly falling into holes. Their main source of food was hikers on a nearby trail who would take pity and feed them.

And here’s the miracle. A terrified and neurotic blind horse and her dangerously unpredictable boy are happy, well-adjusted horses who now approach us, seeking affection. We groom them, we kiss them, they bury their heads into our chests. The extent of their recovery is an enormous and unexpected victory. A true testament to both the healing power of love and the miracles your generosity allows. All hearts yearn to sing: theirs are…for the first time ever.

As I read this to Don yesterday, tears welled up in our eyes. Such a miracle! It came about because a neighbor called the authorities and contacted the Sanctuary, because people cared about Ashley and Pliers and wanted them to be saved. I remember that we weren’t at all sure the Sanctuary would take them on, but they did. Bless them for the work they do, for the lives they save.

Happy Wednesday.

Give

December 15, 2016 at 9:22 am by Claudia

My friends, as I sat in my den last night, filled with despair at the state of the world and our country, worried about the safety of my fellow citizens here and abroad, the environment, animals, and civil rights (I could go on and on) I wrote a post on Instagram. Some of you follow me there, so you most likely have read it already, but many of you don’t do IG, so I would like to share it here and maybe add a bit more, as it’s much easier to write on this blog than to peck out a long text on Instagram. I’m most likely preaching to the choir, but it’s all from my heart.

“It’s the Christmas season and I’m profoundly aware of how fortunate I am. We don’t have a lot of money. We freelance in the Arts, so you can do the math. There have been years where all we had was $20 to spend on a gift for each other. There have been years where we could splurge. But, through it all, even in the toughest of times, we have had a roof over our heads and food on the table. We’ve had heat. We’ve had clothing. We’ve never had to wonder if we would be deported. We’ve never had to deal with being seen as ‘other’ or wonder if we’d ever feel safe and accepted again. We’ve never been discriminated against because of the color of our skin. We’ve never had to fall asleep to the sound of gunfire all around us, or beg for help from someone, anyone, who might be listening, who might save us.

There is a lot going on in our world right now – here and abroad. There is injustice, fear, war – and the innocents are the victims. In this world of corporate greed and power-hungry-driven wars, where animals are going extinct because of Climate Change, where money and oil and power are often the bargaining chips used by politicians and where cries for help are ignored because we aren’t there and those cries come from people who live far away and have a different skin color or a different faith or they’re from animals who have no one to save them – please consider giving to those less fortunate, to organizations who are there to help, to causes you believe in.

I’ve been doing that this year. I confess I haven’t always done that because I didn’t think about it or was worried about money or was simply in my own little bubble at the time.

Do it. You’ll be doing so much good. You’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll expand and grow and you’ll be reaching out to your brothers and your sisters, human and animal. I just gave to an organization providing aid and food and shelter to those who have had to flee Aleppo. I’ve also given to other organizations and I plan to give to even more. We are all one. And I include animals in that statement.

This is without a doubt the longest Instagram caption I have ever written. But, then again, it’s the most important.”

I don’t need to add anything else. Give. Give to those charities and organizations you believe in. Give to protect civil rights, to protect your fellow man, to protect the environment, to protect animals, to protect those who are in the midst of wars not of their choosing, to those who are literally caught in the crossfire, to those selfless advocates for the homeless, the needy, the disenfranchised, the sick, the lonely, those in need of food and shelter – I could go on and on.

That’s the true meaning of Christmas. Whether you’re a Christian or practice another faith, are an agnostic or an atheist, surely the examples set by Jesus, Mother Theresa, Buddha, Jane Goodall, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, Oskar Schindler, Abraham Lincoln – anyone and everyone who has worked selflessly for the greater good – are what should guide us this holiday season.

Much love and Happy Thursday,

Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Part Two

December 4, 2016 at 8:56 am by Claudia

More of the tour of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, with some facts about factory farms thrown in here and there, because that information is very much a part of the tour.

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The Canada Geese know a good thing when they see it. They’re staying on the grounds for a while.

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Do you see that black duck on the pond? He was rescued from someone who was going to use him as ‘bait’ in dog-fight training. On every level, that is horrific.

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These pigs were rescued as a group. Even thought they’re grown, the staff still calls them the piglets.

I’m sure you know this, but pigs are highly intelligent. And they know when they are in danger and when they’re about to be killed. Lesley told us a story about a man who was a farmer and raised pigs. He thought he was being humane by taking the pigs in one at a time to be slaughtered, not as a group where they could see what was happening. But over time, he realized the remaining pigs were stressed and anxious. They knew what was going on. They couldn’t relax. They didn’t feel safe. He had an epiphany and became a vegetable farmer instead and an advocate for animals.

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Look at this blissful face. They love and need affection.

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This is Jasmine. She is one of the first pigs we met. I fell in love with her. Lesley told us to go ahead and scratch and pet her because Jasmine would immediately lie down so her tummy could be scratched.

Look at that face! She was in heaven. This pig filled my heart up. I called her Blissful Jasmine.

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Nadine, resting in the barn. They make nests in the straw for their beds.

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This is handsome Reggie. This particular pen had very large pigs. When we asked Lesley about them, she explained that some breeders have genetically engineered pigs that grow very large, very fast. Why? So they get more meat that much faster. Besides the obvious, what this does to the pigs is not good. They are much bigger than they should be. They develop joint problems and general health problems. It’s hard for some of them to get around. And, of course, even if rescued, those modifications shorten their life span.

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One of the staff members was tossing pumpkins in the pens for the pigs. They love them, so they’re a special treat.

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There are horses everywhere. In another paddock that we saw off in the distance, there are several blind horses.

These guys were hungry, it was almost dinner time.

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What a beauty! (And I’m referring to the horse.)

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Turkeys.

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Don and this beauty. The bandage is there because they can develop (I can’t remember the name of it) a condition from standing so much. She was limping a bit, but she’ll get better.

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I haven’t had turkey in years. Meeting these lovelies makes me glad I made that decision.

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Jesse and Amos. They’re huge. And gentle. They were rescued from a former petting zoo of sorts called the Catskill Game Farm. The farm closed several years ago. And, as often happens, when they closed they had to get rid of their animals, animals that had only known the farm as their home. They auctioned them off. The Sanctuary was able to rescue some of the animals, including these two.

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Lesley (our tour guide) and Jesse.

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Amos.

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They’re beautiful, aren’t they?

The dairy industry (factory farming) routinely takes calves away from their mothers almost immediately. The mothers cry out for them. The aim is to keep the mothers pregnant and supplying milk, according to Lesley. So the mothers live a life of constant pregnancy and never knowing and raising their babies. The calves (male) are raised in narrow pens and then are killed for veal. The females are raised to eventually go through the same cycle of pregnancy and milk providing as their mothers.

No lecture here, just facts.

The same thing happens with goats. Baby goats are taken away from their mothers almost immediately, for the same reason.

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Handsome Amos. We were asked to guess his weight and I guessed 1500 pounds. I was right.

When allowed to live a peaceful non-factory farmed animal life, these animals can live 20 – 25 years.

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Both Jesse and Amos licked my hands. They were so gentle.

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Truly, I could gaze into those eyes for hours.

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I’m in love.

There are so many more animals on the grounds that have been rescued and live the life of peace and love they deserve. Catskill Animal Sanctuary not only rescues animals, they are also educators. About them, from their website:

“Nonhuman animals have a right to live their lives free of suffering and exploitation of humans. Catskill Animal Sanctuary exists to provide them with love and safety until they do. The Sanctuary is a 110-acre refuge in New York’s Hudson Valley for eleven species of farmed animals rescued from cruelty, neglect and abandonment. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, over 4,000 animals have been rescued since 2001. Between 250 and 350 residents call the Sanctuary home at any given time.

We believe that looking an animal in the eye and seeing someone – not something – looking back is one of the most profound shifts human beings can make in their understanding of the world and their place in it.”

And from their mission statement:

“Catskill Animal Sanctuary rescues farmed animals, ignites social change to end their exploitation, and champions vegan living.”

You can learn more on their website, Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Happy Sunday.

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