They are looking for a heart to share their love with. Could it be YOU?
ANIMAL ADOPTIONS
We always have cats and rabbits for adoption, and sometimes dogs. If old enough, animals will have been spay/neutered and have their shots. Our adoption rules are stringent, for these animals are our friends and associates. We adopt out only those who tell us that they want to be sent to a home. (Animals come to us with differing purposes. Some want to stay here and teach. Others have come to us specifically to connect or re-connect with a particular person, family, or situation. They let us know when their person walks in.) We require that you sign a contract guaranteeing your new animal friend a proper home, love, and medical care. You must agree to spay/neuter if your new friend is too young at the time of their adoption and, while we sometimes get de-clawed cats for adoption, cats not already de-clawed are not to be subjected to that cruelty. You must also guarantee to keep them indoors, and to allow check-up visits from us. We must be informed if you change address; your new friend may not be transferred to others without our consent; and if, for any reason, at any time, even years from the point of adoption, you cannot or will not care for your animal friend, they must be returned to us. We will either find them another home or give them a home for life here with us.
The Adoption Procedure is as follows:
First, you can visit with our adoptable animals, and our staff will help you find the animal best suited for what you are looking for and for your lifestyle. Then you will need to fill out our Adoption Application. There is a minimum 24 hour waiting period, or longer pending the approval of the application. Once approved, you will need to sign our Adoption Contract. There is a $50.00 adoption fee per animal.
Click here to view and print our Adoption Contract (PDF file)
Click here to view and print our Adoption Application (PDF file)
To see a Listing of our Adoptable Pets, Click Here
PURRFECT PAIRS
JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINES DAY
The following animals would be perfect to go in pairs as they are very bonded with one another. Best friends looking for their new forever home together.
PRETTY GIRL AND DAISY
Pretty Girl and Daisy are mother and daughter who were brought in together when their person became homeless. They are very bonded and will be adopted out only as a pair. Pretty Girl is 13 years old and she is gentle, mellow, and a definite lap kitty. Daisy is 12 years old and is a bit more shy than her mom but is very playful.
CHARLIE AND LUCE
Charlie and Luce came to us together from the same home when their person's life abruptly changed and she had to move in to care for an elderly parent and could not bring her cats with her. All of them were devastated. Charlie (black and white) and Luce (orange) are both 11 year old neutered males who have lived together since they were kittens. They are very bonded and will only be adopted out together. Charlie is very much a cat looking for love and attention and a good lap to curl up on. He loves to be where his people are and is a wonderfully quiet, sedate, and loving guy. Luce is also very affectionate and loving and is the more outgoing of the two. Luce is not interested in sitting on anyone's lap all day, because he has things to do, games to play, and windows to look out of. And he totally watches after his buddy Charlie, making sure at all times that he is OK. The two of them love spending time together.
JAX AND COZUMEL
Jax (on left) and Cozumel (on right) are both 1 year old neutered males. They arrived as tiny kittens from completely different places but as they grew up and met one another here at the farm, they became fast friends. We would consider adopting them out individually as well, but if you are looking for a pair of cats, these two would love to go to their new home together. Jax is the shy one of the pair and really relies on Cozumel to show him that things are safe and OK. He loves to play with toys, especially once you engage him in playing. Cozumel is more self-assured and he loves to snuggle and play. The two of them make a great pair and would love to go to a new home together.
LIL G AND DK
Lil G (on left) and DK (on right) are both 4 years old. Lil G is a spayed female and DK is a neutered male. They met here at the farm as kittens in 2009 and became instant pals. They were adopted out once to a home together but were returned to us when their adopter's situation changed and they could no longer keep these two wonderful cats. These two are so bonded and so good for one another that we will only adopt them out as a pair. Even when they are in a room full of other cats, they are often seen snuggling, cuddling, and grooming one another. DK is somewhat shy and a bit aloof. Lil G, on the other hand, is a fun loving, socially outgoing, and mischievous girl. The two of them make a great pair!
BUNNY DUETS
We also have several rabbit pairs that can be adopted together. Here are just a couple of them.
ALFIE AND WINTER
Alfie (on left) and Winter (on right) are siblings born in 2011. Alfie is a female and Winter is a male, both are spay/neutered. Their mother, Momma Sandee (see below) had been dumped outside and was found by a good samaratin who brought her to the farm very pregnant. These two bunnies are so bonded that we will only adopt them out together. Both are very easy going and sweet.
LUKE AND MOMMA SANDEE
Luke (on left) and Momma Sandee (on right) are best of buddies and we will only adopt them out as a pair. Both are about 2.5 years old and have been spayed and neutered. Momma Sandee had been brought to us by a good samaratin who found her dumped outside on her own. She was very pregnant and delivered babies here shortly after. After her babies were weaned from her, Momma Sandee got very depressed, sulky, and wouldn't eat. We were very worried about her. She was paired up with Luke to see if having a buddy would help and help it did! She immediately took interest in life again and began eating. The two of them are great friends and a truly bonded pair.
Why Adopt a Senior Pet?
Lucy will tell you why!
Tenacious. Determined. Focused. In charge. All words to describe Lucy, a Border Collie we adopted from our friends at Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue 6 years ago. She came into rescue at the age of 10yrs. when her people went through a divorce, moved, and neither could take her. She had been in one home as the only dog all her life, and now she was faced with starting over. We had just lost our female senior canine pack leader of our 6 dogs and our pack was aimless without a guiding force. We were looking for just the right dog to fit that role. The rest, as they say, is history.
We thought we were giving Lucy a place to live out her last couple of years or so. But little did we know what she had in store for us and the gift she was about to give to us. We weren’t rescuing her, she was clearly here to rescue us and our other dogs. She wasted no time, moved in, and immediately got to work. We apparently gave her enough to do so that she decided life was really worth starting over. Here we are 6 years later and it feels like she’s been with us her whole life.
So many people shy away from adopting an older pet. Sure, there are senior issues to deal with. We have them, she has them, so we adapt and move along. Lucy had bad hips from the day we got her but doing some rehab and acupuncture revitalized those hips for quite a while. Lucy is a ball nut, which is why we nicknamed her Lucille Ball. She is also a water nut and loves to play with the hose. And she loves chasing bubbles (a bottle of which came with her when we adopted her), and another favorite of hers is rolling in the snow.
Lucy is a dog for all seasons and finds joy in each and every season of the year, and of her life. Her determination and will power have made her defy the odds so many times. She keeps telling us, “Don’t write me off yet!” Lucy can no longer walk without assistance from us lifting her up with a harness. But she let’s us know when and where she wants to go. She only wishes we moved a bit faster I think. One day, while out in the harness, she saw our goats walk by and admonished me to “run her so she can herd the goats.” So, of course, we did. The smile on her face was worth it.
The benefits of adopting a senior animal far outweigh the hardships. They are special and have special needs. But they are so appreciative to have the opportunity to live the lives they still cherish. Lucy once said to us, “Thank you for your patience with me and spending time to help me. For you, its sharing some of your time. For me, its giving me time I wouldn’t have otherwise had.”
We never expected to have her in our lives this long. But we have grown to love this girl with her strength of heart and spirit. And whatever time we have left with her, we will know in our hearts that we shared a lifetime of memories with her, even though we only shared the later years of her life. She gave of her heart twice in her life.
Today we celebrate her 16th birthday and are grateful that she landed in our home where she got another chance to do what she does best – be the boss. She has affected our lives and our hearts forever. That is a lot to celebrate. Happy Birthday Lucy!
VIEW SOME OF OUR ADOPTABLE PETS
Special Needs Animals
We also have several animals at the farm with special needs, but nonetheless they have lots of love to give and are looking for a heart to share it with. Weather it be an amputated leg, a neurological disorder, or other such condition, these very special animals give freely of their love and are often the ones to answer the special needs of humans in their lives.
SPECIAL NEEDS ADOPTIONS
by Dawn Hayman
The rewards for adopting a special needs animal are enormous. Frequently I have heard people say that they don’t want to inherit someone else’s problems and mistakes. They would rather start from scratch with a puppy or kitten so that they know what they are getting into and can form that life from the very beginning. First, to think that we can “form” any life is human arrogance at its best. Each being brings to life their own goals and missions and paths. That we happen to meet them on that path is one of the greatest wonders of life itself.
It is true that the many animals who for whatever reasons have come into the realm of rescue and are dubbed special needs, indeed have problems or issues that need special care. Whether they be physical challenges or emotional or behavioral issues, they await that special home where their healing can occur. It is a healing that will work both ways. For on the journey of them finding their healing, so will you find yours, if you are willing to step forward with them on that path. Some of them have health problems or physical handicaps that may make their lives shorter. This doesn't mean that they still don’t have the same love to give, the same joy to share, and the same desire to be loved and comforted in a family. Their lives may be shorter, but their light is somehow brighter. Many feel that they can not go through the hardship of losing them, can not bear the thought of the death of that animal. But the truth is that all of Life moves from physical to spirit, it is not a matter of if but of when. I have heard people say, “I can’t adopt an animal that I know will someday die.” Yet, I have yet to find any living thing that wouldn’t someday die. Life holds no guarantees. But love holds many guarantees. Whoever said, “it is far better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all” understood this principle.
Life with an animal who has never understood a kind pat on the head, a gentle stroke, or praise, will open your eyes to the world around you in a way that you have forgotten. You will indeed be starting fresh, because the love you have to give them may be the first they have ever known. Once they feel it, that love you have to give them, something somewhere deep inside themselves will open. It will be like a beacon to their soul and they will find their way to trust again. Love eventually dissolves all fear. I have heard people say that it takes so much time and patience to “retrain” an animal from all the bad things done to it. It also takes time and patience to train an animal from scratch, but we seem to forget that. Mostly what it takes is an open heart, an open mind, and the willingness to go into the world of that animal and see how they see your world. Once there, a world of magic opens before you. Every little step, even the smallest imaginable, becomes a success and a joy beyond measure. Each day becomes a milestone and a memory to cherish. The day they realize that their food bowl isn’t going to jump at them. The day they look you in the eye for the first time. The day they master letting you know when they have to go outside. The day they pick up a toy for the first time and play. The day you look into their eyes and realize they are not the same animal you first adopted. The day you understand the power that your love has by looking in their eyes and seeing it reflected back at you. The day you understand the love you feel for them is beyond anything you could have imagined or hoped for. The day you realize the gift that has been given to you simply for opening your heart and your home. And, yes, the day you say good-bye and feel the depth of sadness, the pain of grief, the incredible loss of your dearest friend, yet at the same time, you know the reality that you would have never traded one single day, not one precious moment that was spent with them. Feeling cheated for having dealt with someone else’s mistake is the furthest thing from your mind, because you have been given the greatest gift of all – unconditional love. And you have seen and felt first hand the magnitude of the healing of that love. Looking back at the time you spent with that animal, you suddenly realize who it was who really had the special need and you understand the gifts that they have brought to you and left with you forever.
To sponsor some of our special needs animals, please go to our Special Needs Sponsorship Page.
