BABE - 12/18/07
Babe was an Australian Shepherd mix, about 14 years old. Babe both started her life and ended her life at Spring Farm. She first arrived here as a young puppy and was not here for long before she was adopted into a wonderful loving home. She stayed in that home for almost 6 years when the family circumstances in the household changed and Babe was returned to us. She was then adopted out two more times and each time returned due to no fault of her own. After the second time, she was heart broken. She told us that she just couldn't face that heartache again and asked if she could just please remain here at the farm for the rest of her life. She had been staying in the big kitchen at Kigercat Hall and loved it in there. It was supposed to be a temporary place as we were full when she got returned to us. But Babe let us know that the kitchen was exactly the place she was meant to be. From there, she could see everything that happened in the big hall. She was the focus of all of our staff as they ate lunch with her every day. She got to be a part of every workshop or event held here. She would supervise staff meetings, board meetings, and employment interviews. Babe had her paws in it all. We began to realize that Babe had rigged things up pretty good for herself indeed. But none of us would have taken a second of that away from her.
Always bright eyed, eager for attention or food or walks, that is how we all will remember Babe. She clearly let us know how she wanted to live. In the past few years, she had the free roam of the big hall at night where she very seriously took up vigil outside of Bonnie's office, protecting her from anything that went bump in the night. Babe lived with many cats over the years and helped raise a lot of orphaned kittens as well. One cat in particular, Johnny, was adopted by Babe. He was often seen sitting on her back while she gently walked him around. She was a character for sure. Her ability to get on counters or in garbage cans was note worthy. We had to out think her every step of the way. Food stealing was a passion of hers and one that got her in trouble a lot.
Over the past year, Babe began really showing her age and declining from several age related health issues. Her passing was very fast and she died with her cats, in her kitchen, just the way she had asked. She wanted to live in her chosen room, at her chosen farm, until she died. And she did. All of us are deeply saddened here today at the loss of such a great lady. A truly great lady. She is survived by many cats whose lives she touched and many staff people who will miss her beyond measure. Somewhere, in spirit, a countertop is now being raided for all the ambrosia she can find. Thata girl Babe. Now you can have all you want!
SNUGGLES - 10/16/07
AKA OOPLES
Snuggles was a major teacher in cat form. His life was a hard one but he touched and opened the hearts of many people. He was 15 years old and had been in failing health for the past year. Many people who have heard Dawn speak or read our newsletters, might remember the story of Ooples the cat. He was one of the most abused animals we have ever dealt with on this farm. But out of his abuse came a lesson that touched us all deeply and moved us to a deeper understanding of compassion. Compassion of spirit, whether that spirit be in human or animal form, abused or abuser, Snuggles taught us about seeing them through eyes of compassion instead of judgment.
Snuggles arrived at SFC in 1997 after his caretaker had passed away. He was known as Ooples then. He was a huge cat, weighing in at almost 18 lbs. He was 5 years old at the time and had been declawed. He was not happy to be at our facility and living in a room with other cats and we were so hoping that just the right person would come along to welcome him into their home. Four months after he arrived, it appeared that person had come to find him. Very nice gentleman, all the right credentials, answered all the questions on our adoption questionnaire with the correct answers and had a reference from a previous adopter as well. He was looking for a large cat and Ooples sure fit that description. The gentleman was loving and caring, had a wife and young child, a great job, a house, it seemed all in all like a lovely place for Ooples to live out his days loved and cherished.
Yet just 2 months after he was adopted from us, we learned of the living hell we had unknowingly just sent this wonderful soul into. While all that he said on his adoption application was true, there was a problem with this person that we could not have known about. He was protected by the laws of NYS and was mentally ill. At times, he was a normal, functioning adult, holding down very good jobs, but when his illness got out of control, he could be a depraved individual. We had no idea.
The call came in on January 4, 1998 from an anonymous caller that a cat that had been adopted from us was in serious condition and we should send someone to an address given to us and pick him up. This wonderful concerned citizen saved this cat's life for sure. He had removed Ooples from the adopter's home and taken him to a safe place. We had no clue when we sent one of our staff people to pick up this cat, who the cat was, as the anonymous caller did not know his name. We were horrified to find Ooples, previously 18 pounds, now down to 11 pounds, but worst of all, he was covered in severe burns. It turns out that he was put into a hot oven. Voices told his adopter to do so, and he did. All four feet were burned with third degree burns and one side of his body had second degree burns in the pattern of an oven grate. His ears were also singed and burned some. He was in enormous pain and in shock. We rushed him to our vet immediately to see if he could be saved.
The anger that we felt toward this human who did this was beyond measure. We wanted him arrested, prosecuted and thrown in jail. That was the stuff we can say in print! We had other choice words as well. It was a long battle for Ooples to heal. He came to live with Directors Dawn and Margot where his intensive nursing care could be administered around the clock. He pulled through. It was amazing to see him heal with the love he was given by his caretakers. He began to thrive. And he asked that his name be changed so that he could start a new life. We named him Snuggles because we wanted him to spend the rest of his life snuggled safe and loved. He loved the new name and it became his new persona. It wasn't easy. He was severely bruised emotionally as well as physically. He healed faster on the outside it seemed than on the inside. He was very withdrawn and wouldn't participate much with things going on in the house. Dawn and Margot grew very concerned. This went on for months and we wondered if Snuggles could ever find happiness again. In the meantime, we got nowhere with prosecuting the man who did this. We grew angrier and angrier as we came up against a system that was protecting the person we wanted to punish. A combination of beaurocracy, politics, and just a worn out system all combined to make it such that this person was not only going to walk free without even a talking to, but we could not even get anyone to put a note in his file that he should not have animals or at least needed to be monitored with them if he had them. Nothing was done. Not one thing. Daily we watched this cat's pain and we grew angrier and he grew more and more withdrawn.
Then the day came a few months later when Executive Director, Bonnie, noticed an obituary in the paper and the name was all too familiar. The person who had done this had died. He had committed suicide. And our all too unfortunate reaction was that now no other animal would be hurt. Dawn and Margot hoped this would free Snuggles from his emotional prison and Dawn told him that it was over. The man was gone. That is when Snuggles delivered his message that changed all of our lives. He said, "I know this makes you feel better but it makes me very sad. I tried to help him and I failed. I tried to help him heal. He didn't mean to hurt me. He loved me. But he was sick. I thought I could help him, but I couldn't. I failed."
We were flabbergasted by this entirely different view. And we suddenly understood his sadness and withdrawal. He was sad for the human who did this to him. Because Snuggles clearly forgave the man for what he did. He understood what we couldn't see. That the man did not intend to hurt him. He never intended to hurt him. Snuggles felt that he was not the victim but that the man was. This was amazing to us. Dawn asked Snuggles if there was anything we could do to help him understand he didn't fail. And Snuggles said to Dawn:
"Yes, you can help me help him. I couldn't help him when I was with him, but we can all help him now. I want all of you to help me send a prayer for him. He will get it. We need to pray that he will find the healing he so desperately needs so that he doesn't have to come back and do this again. We can do that. We have the power to help him to heal. Let his soul know he is understood and forgiven. That is what you can do to help me."
Dawn immediately called Margot and Bonnie and told them the message and we swallowed our pride, our misguided judgment, and all our anger, and we joined the one being who truly had a right to be angry but wasn't. We joined Snuggles in wishing him well on his journey. That he'd find the peace and healing that he needed. We asked our staff to join us in the prayer. And together we sent it out strong to the man who needed it most. We all got healed that day. Each of us who said that prayer and meant it, found a part of healing in ourselves that we needed. We stood with Snuggles and we cried. Cried not for what he had been through, but for the gift he had just given to us.
And as we stood there in silence, crying, Snuggles told Dawn there was one more thing we could do for him. "I have worked hard and now I want to retire. I don't want to be adopted out of here again. I want to live with you and stay here."
That was one wish we could grant whole heartedly and we assured him he would live the rest of his life as a cherished member of our family. And he did. That day, Snuggles found his freedom. He literally came alive before our eyes. The withdrawn cat that hardly moved anywhere in our house, suddenly jumped off the counter where his bed was and walked around the house. He made himself the king, much to the consternation of the other cats. And he appointed himself the chief lap sitter for Margot in particular. Each night, without fail, Snuggles would sit on Margot's lap and just purr away. He may have retired, but his life's work of touching the human heart never quit. Right up until the last hours of his life, he purred and purred when we were with him. And he always lifted a back leg, even when almost comatose, to have us pet his belly.
Snuggles, you didn't fail at all. You succeeded in not only helping a lost soul find his way, but you touched our hearts and the hearts of so many people who have heard your story and your message. From Dawn and Margot, we will forever hold you in our hearts and cherish the 10 years you graced our lives. Rest well our friend. You are a most magnificent soul.
VIKING - 10/5/07
Viking, a 30 year old Morgan gelding, had only been at Spring Farm for 18 months, but he quickly became a beloved member of our family. Viking was one of those wonderfully gentle and kind horses that every horse lover dreams about. Friendly and sociable, Viking was somewhat unique in the world of horses in that he knew real stability. He once told Dawn that he felt very blessed as he was loved his whole life and a lot of horses could not say that.
Before coming to Spring Farm, Viking belonged with the same caretaker for 20 years and he was loved beyond measure by the people in his life. Viking was an accomplished horse as well. He was a regular competitor at various levels of horse shows, winning dozens of ribbons, many of them first place, in the western pleasure category. Viking enjoyed true friendships with many people in his life, including the SFC staff who cared for him in his last months.
About six months ago, we discovered that Viking had an aggressive form of skin cancer. The appropriate medical treatment was administered by our vets and, as always, the SFC staff provided exceptional care, but the cancer was inoperable. Due to the location and size of the growing tumors, it was inevitable that he soon would not be able to urinate. He passed very peacefully here at the farm, surrounded by his friends who loved and cherished him. To those who loved him, Viking was a true gift presented in the body and soul of a beautiful horse.
MORTON - BEAVER - 9/22/07
Morton, one of Spring Farm CARES’ Nature Sanctuary’s resident beavers, died on Saturday Sept 22.
When they pass on, few wild animals leave behind tangible monuments to the fact that they had lived. With Morton, the patriarch of the Sanctuary’s beaver clan, many impressive monuments attest to the fact that he did live and during his life he practiced his art with great skill and ingenuity. Over the course of eight years and with the able assistance of his family, he created and maintained 7 woodland ponds, 3 large bank lodges, and several access canals. All this good work led to a blossoming of wildlife diversity at the Nature Sanctuary.
No one could ever wish for a more congenial or for a more clever partner in the task of habitat restoration. For eight years Morton worked tirelessly to restore the Sanctuary's wetland habitat, thus benefiting his family as well as scores of other wild denizens.
He is left behind by his faithful mate of ten years, Sarah and by their progeny who will continue to practice their engineering skills to sustain themselves and the Sanctuary’s wetlands in the years to come.
Fortunately, lots of video footage exists of Morton and his family; Some of it can be viewed in the Sanctuary's 2006 educational video entitled Coexisting With Beavers. A short version of this video under the same name can be viewed on YouTube by clicking on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9gFhnfid4c
Many thanks go to all those who helped Morton when he needed assistance. Special thanks to Judy and Vinny from Woodhaven Wildlife Center, also to Owen and Sharon from Beavers, Wetlands and Wildlife, to the staff of Spring Farm CARES and not least of all to Cher and Todd of Abbe-Freeland Animal Sanctuary.
Morton will be greatly missed by all that knew him and that were inspired by his industry and his gentle manner. In educational videos he will live on and continue to help people to understand the great value beavers bring to the natural world.
GULLIVER - August 12, 2007
The entire farm mourns the loss of one of the greatest master teachers to ever bless us. Gulliver, llama, age 14 passed away today. There was not a day that went by since Gulliver came to the farm that he did not teach us or show us something. He referred to himself as the Great Eyes of the farm, and when he looked at you, you knew he was looking at you in entirety. At the most basic of his contributions to the farm, was the fact that he presided and gently watched over the sheep and goat herd. He was their great protector and their mentor. From his position in his pasture, he also could watch every person who entered and left the farm. He would often comment on the cars that drove by and slowed to watch him grazing in his pasture. His magnificence captured the attention of many. Whether just passers-by or those who had come to take workshops in animal communication, Gulliver somehow had an uncanny ability to reach deep into people’s hearts and souls.
Gulliver was a presence who could not be missed. Sometimes people would call to ask if they could take a tour and meet our llama. He just seemed to magically pull them in. The gifts he has blessed us with are many. So many people taking animal communication workshops received life changing messages from him. Communing with Gulliver was always inviting a deep look within oneself. He was good at looking right into your heart and soul and reflecting back to you what he saw. His presence was extraordinary even among the animal herd of the farm. All of them loved him, looked to him for guidance, and miss him deeply along with all of the humans who
worked with him and for him every day.
He was never an animal to hug, hold, or snuggle. Llamas in general do not like that sort of thing and Gulliver was no exception. But although we couldn’t touch him that way, he taught us a different kind of touch. A touch of our hearts. For Dawn, his contributions as a teacher, both for her personally, and for her workshop participants, have been many. Please follow this link to Dawn’s Page for a full memorial tribute to the life and messages of this amazing being.
ELVIS - July 29, 2007
Elvis was brought to SFC as a kitten just three weeks old in 1993, when some kids found him out in the middle of a field. Elvis was so named by Bonnie’s mother because he wiggled all the time. Those of you who have read our book, IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK, The Miracles of Spring Farm, may remember Elvis. He was always just a bit odd and certainly always did things his way. He was like that his entire life right up until his death. Elvis was one of our three original cats after the fire. When we all lived in the farm house with Bonnie’s mother, Elvis loved to sit on her lap. We know that she and cat friend Clarice were waiting for him when he passed. Elvis asked to say a very special thank you to his caretakers among our staff who nursed him through extraordinary circumstances to allow him to live his life the way he wanted to right up until the end. He touched a lot of hearts.
ZENA - May 23, 2007
Zena was a female Border Collie mix, about 13 years old, and had lived with us here at the farm since 2002. Zena was chief of security here at the farm, but most importantly she was our Office Manager, Karen's, devoted office mate. Zena was always aware of who came in the office and what they were doing there. Nothing passed by Zena's watchful eye. The best way to tell Zena's story is directly through the words of Karen.
"In early 2002, we received a call from some folks about an 8 yr. old Border Collie mix. Their elderly neighbor had recently passed away leaving the dog, Zena, and a cat, Cookie, needing a home. These lovely people had been caring for Zena and Cookie since their person died. Our Animal Manager, at the time, and I decided to visit Zena and we found a very sweet, but obviously confused dog. She came up to check us out, but quickly retreated to her safe spot in the basement. After some discussion, it was agreed that we would offer Zena a home in my office. Zena accepted (Cookie, her cat, came to SFC too) and quickly acclimated, so much so that if Zena didn't know you and you tried to enter the office, you'd better watch out. She even had her own security dog badge taped to the door. She was a fierce protector, but once you became her friend, she was most welcoming.
Zena lived in the office for 5 years and 3 months and I dare say she was one happy dog. Recently, her health began to deteriorate and she required some fairly intense hands on care for a short period of time. She was an absolute study in courage, dignity, and grace. She was loved and will be forever missed."
It is our tradition at the farm to have a memorial service for each animal who dies, for all the staff who want to attend. It is a great way for all of us to grieve together and to honor these animals who have shared so much with us. Our staff is invited to tell of a memory or story of how that animal touched their lives. And usually we share tears and laughter as we remember them. For Zena's memorial, Karen read an excerpt from a piece entitled WHERE TO BURY A DOG by Ben Hur Lampman. She read in honor of Zena:
Where to Bury a Dog
If you bury her in this spot, the secret of which you must already know, she will come to you when you call - come to you down the well remembered path and to your side again. People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass by her footfall. People who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them for you shall know something that is hidden from them and which is well worth knowing. The best place to bury a good dog is in your heart.
SNUFFY – May 4, 2007
Snuffy was a female beagle estimated to be about 15 years old. She was the head of the beagle choir. In fact, I think Snuffy sang loud and strong enough to be an entire choir all by herself. Blessed with a loud beagle bray, anytime Snuffy was happy or excited about something, our entire county heard about it.
Snuffy arrived at Spring Farm in 2000 when someone found her wandering near their home in a rural area. We are sure she was someone’s hunting dog who had gotten separated on a hunting expedition. But with all our attempts to locate her home, no one ever claimed her. Snuffy settled in and eventually became companion and great pal to Bobby, a three-legged beagle mix. The two of them became inseparable and shared their living space with Bonnie in her office/home. Bobby and Snuffy were the dynamic duo. Romping and playing and having a ball. A couple of years later, we had two other beagles who were also a real pair. Thunder and Shiloh lived in the red farm house which houses the main offices of the farm. A new dog arrived that really needed to be in Bonnie’s office so we tried to introduce the four beagles to see how that would go. They ended up getting along famously. The four beagles shared the red house with about 25 cats. Bobby periodically would chase the cats and Snuffy would bray and bray at them when they ran and jumped up the cat trees. But the cats all adjusted to the beagles and all lived happily together.
Two years ago, we lost Thunder unexpectedly due to a heart problem, leaving the beagle trio. Snuffy’s voice could be heard over all of them and when anyone came in, especially first thing in the morning, they were greeted to Snuffy’s rendition of Good Morning To You. If we weren’t quite awake yet, we were after hearing that!
Snuffy also had a very fast illness and we suspect she had a stroke and died during the night. In fact, one of her caretakers had a dream, at 5AM that morning, that Bobby came to her and told her that Snuffy had died. That was one of those dreams you pray is not real when you know all along it is. Snuffy leaves behind her beloved companions Bobby and Shiloh, the cats, and a whole lot of humans who loved and cherished her. The red house feels so empty when you walk in and hear only silence. And the now beagle duo miss her tremendously.
We all know that Snuffy is probably now singing with the angels, in fact, she probably has her own angelic choir. And I’m sure that where she is in spirit, there is not a single smell that is going unnoticed, a single cat that is out of line, or a single heart that hasn’t been touched by her joy and warmth. We will miss you Snuffy girl. And we’ll hear you in our hearts forever.
Rosie – 20 years – April 12, 2007
Today marks the passing of an era at Spring Farm CARES. Rosie, our shepherd mix, passed away this morning at the age of 20 years. We have had smaller dogs live to be over 20 here at the farm, but Rosie is the largest of our dogs to live that long, and it is a rarity. But Rosie was never anything but special and “rare”. Rosie was the last of the first group of dogs to live in our facility after our fire of 1993. At the time, we thought we were taking in an older dog in poor shape and hoped we could give her a few more good years. Little did we expect that she would spend over half of her life with us. Rosie touched a lot of lives, animal and human. She was always cheerful, always one step ahead of us, and always here. It is hard to imagine life without her now. She was the calming force for all the dogs. Rosie was strong willed, yet gentle. She was determined to do life her way, yet she knew the fine art of cooperation. She was simple, yet she was also complex. Rosie had an eye for keeping things in order. And if anyone ever forgot or slipped up, and things got out of order, Rosie would be there to remind us.
She was very dog aggressive with other females, yet for years she shared a room with her best friend in the world, an Afghan Hound named Monica. Periodically, Monica would show up in the morning with a puncture wound in her face and we’d all look at Rosie who’d be looking all innocent in the corner. “What happened here?”, we’d ask. And Monica would reply, 
“Nothing really. We just had a disagreement and now we agree.” Monica adored Rosie. They were companions for about 8 years until 3 years ago, when Monica passed away. Rosie was devastated. At first, she asked us to remodel her room in the way that she wanted it. And she told us she was glad to have space to herself. Yet we all felt her sadness. Just a few weeks later, we were told of an 18 year old male Border Collie who urgently needed a home. We delicately asked Rosie if she’d care to share her room once again and she agreed to give it a try. Boots arrived and he and Rosie worked out the living space. They became good friends. Both the same age, they seemed to put aside any idiosyncrasies and enjoy their life together. Boots and Rosie were the new team.
In January, at the age of 20, Boots passed away in his sleep. He had been failing for more than a week, and Rosie stood by him the entire time. She held a space of safety and comfort for him and we were all touched by the pain and sadness she felt of his approaching passing. When he died, she stopped the vigil that she had kept beside him, and she once again asked us for a slight remodel to her room. “Only this time,” she said, “I don’t want anymore roommates. I can not go through this again.” We absolutely honored her request. And we all knew in our hearts that her time was coming as well. She was failing just from age, yet that glow in her eyes was still there.
Yesterday, a sunny and beautiful day here on the farm, Rosie enjoyed her walks outside. She enjoyed the sun and the warmth of her human and animal friends. We had no reason to suspect that today would be her day. In her typical way of doing things on her own terms, Rosie left. Our staff came in this morning and found Rosie having a seizure that she could not come out of. She had no history of seizures before and we all knew that this was it. We called our vet and she came to the farm and we helped Rosie to leave and be reunited with her best friends, Monica and Boots. I’m sure, she is already reorganizing things the way she likes them. And she has already told us to go ahead and reorganize her room.
When Rosie first arrived in January 1996 at age 9, she was pregnant with probably her 8th or 9th litter of puppies. She was in very poor physical condition and the pregnancy took a lot out of her. Margot and Dawn helped her and nursed her through the final days of her pregnancy and then through the birthing process of her 7 puppies. Through that time together, Rosie really bonded with Margot and Dawn. When the puppies 
were weaned and adopted out, and Rosie was spayed, we began to be able to treat other medical conditions she had and return her once again to health. We were about ready to put her up for adoption when she started a very bizarre behavior. She absolutely would not walk out the front door of our building. Yet, she’d willingly go out the back door. Dawn asked her about this and she said, “Dogs who go out the front door never come back. When we are just going for walks, we go out the back door. I never want to leave here. So if I only go out the back door, I can stay forever.” Rosie was a very adoptable dog. But she made it clear to us that she had found her forever home right here at the farm. We would not deny her that one wish she had, to have a permanent home that she loved. Over the years, Rosie maintained her bond with Margot and Dawn and with everyone else who ever worked with her as well. She was loved beyond measure and she loved this farm, the other dogs, the ducks, each and every inhabitant that she watched every day. She loved every moment of every day that she spent here. And she loved the people who loved and cared for her each day. Whether they knew her for years, months, weeks, or just days, everyone loved Rosie. And that love nurtured a dog for 11 years, when we thought she only had a few years left. She lived an extra lifetime here at her farm. All of us are forever blessed by her presence. We’ll miss her funny little bark, her sparkling eyes, her reminder of when its feeding time. But mostly, we’ll miss her joy and her exuberance and her love of life. While we are now the ones to miss her, we know that Monica and Boots have welcomed her back home. And she will leave her building one last time, out the back door, where we know she will forever remain a part of the farm.
Gail Andrews - April 1,2007
Today we sadly bid a happy journey to Gail. Gail was our Corporate Secretary, Member of our Board of Directors, Executive Assistant, as well as Bonnie's cousin and a friend to us all. Gail has been a part of Spring Farm CARES since the very first day. For those of you who have read our book, IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK, The Miracles of Spring Farm, you will remember Gail as being the one who got Bonnie first involved with horses. That was the birthing of Spring Farm CARES. Gail worked in many capacities at the farm. A founding member of our Board of Directors, our first bookkeeper (tackling the daunting task of converting years of books done by hand onto computer), Executive Assistant to Bonnie for the past many years, and Official Secretary for the Network Partners for Animals Program. Those were her official capacities. She also was a volunteer for many of our events we have had since the beginning of SFC. She has helped countless animals through our feral cat TNR program. She volunteered to transport animals finding their way from rescues to new homes. And she nearly single-handedly organized and carried out the clean up of one of the largest neglect cases that SFC has been involved in over the years. Gail was dedicated to whatever task she was doing. And frequently that task was keeping us organized. Probably one of the most challenging jobs she had in her life. Gail, herself, was incredibly organized. We all became accustomed to her dry wit and her pointed messages to get us back on track. And we had many a laugh at the email jokes she sent throughout our week, especially when things were really stressful.
Gail would not have been thrilled that we did a memorial on our web page for her. She never liked a fuss made about her. She lived quietly and impacted loudly. And she touched a lot of lives. A lot more than she ever realized. Gail's passing was very quick and very unexpected and she has left all of us at the farm kind of spinning in disbelief. On my desk sits a piece of paper, the last one I received in my "in" box from Gail. It is for sure a list of the ways I need to be more organized. When she gave it to me she did so in a sly sort of way, saying to me, "IF you ever can get to this, we need to be more organized with our office equipment." She was right, it still is sitting on my desk. Gail often commented on entries I put on the website. Frequently saying.... "it was great, but I hate that I have to keep scrolling down." Organized she was, and a tad impatient as well. But that's what kept us running. So for those of you who have had to scroll down the page to read this.... on behalf of Gail, I apologize. And for Gail, we will forever miss you, and your life will forever have touched this farm and the work we do, and we will carry in our hearts all the ways you touched us all. And we'll now list them, alphabetize them, and store them neatly away in our hearts.... just like you taught us.
BOOTS - 1/14/07 - age 20 years
Boots was an amazing dog. A Border Collie Mix, he came here at the age of 18 yrs. when his elderly person passed away and the family could not keep him. Brought to his veterinarian to be euthanized, the veterinarian thought that Boots was not ready yet to go. He asked the people to give him some time to try to find a rescue who could take him. Our good friends at Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue got the call and knew they had to find a place for him. It just so happened that we had a dog who had passed away just a few weeks before who shared a room with Rosie. Rosie, a Shepherd mix, age 17 was very lonely and she agreed to try to take on a new roommate. Boots arrived just a couple of days later. A man of true conviction, he walked into our facility, looked around, and said to Dawn, "Right. Ok. This is home. Now I will start my next phase in life." We had worried what kind of adjustment would be needed for him at this age in life to have such a radical change in his life. But Boots thrived. He found his niche here at that farm, as not just friend to Rosie, but as the general calming presence among the dogs. He had a mind of his own for sure. Boots participated in the many animal communication workshops held at the farm, sharing his thoughts and wisdom and his conviction of heart. He began to fail over the last several months. Not surprising at all for his unbelievable age of 20. Boots passed peacefully in his room, with friend Rosie by his side. We will forever miss him. But our hearts truly go out to Rosie, who now lost a second companion. She is now 19 years old herself, and currently has opted to not share her room again.
