Sanctuary life is demanding and rewarding. There is no staying in bed an extra half hour or staying inside because of bad weather. There are animals trusting you to love and care for them. Feed and water them. Check their health and how they are doing in the herd. All the hard work is worth it when the munching and crunching begins: when the nickers say Thank You or when one horse , donkey or mule walks away from the hay for a moment to put its nose on you.
We had the fortunate experience of having two young women intern at the sanctuary. These dedicated young women proved that the younger generation is great. Caitlin got credits for high school graduation. She did the yucky farm chores cheerfully but really enjoyed the horses the most.
Our other intern is Natalie- A now graduate (yea Natalie) of Chico State U. Natalie worked with the horses, made a weblink for us, wrote tons of letters and will make us a brochure. Thank you Natalie for all your hard work.
Living on a sanctuary makes one realize just how precious each life is. Even when a sickly calf dies the loss is felt. Thursday night the dogs would not stop barking until I went out to check. Everyhing was OK until I checked the calves in the trailer. Little Benjii could not overcome the cruel start to life that he had. Jim and I sat with him until 3AM. His last hours on earth were with people that cared for him and the last thing he felt were loving hands rubbing him.
The cruel and inhumane practice of taking newborn calves without ever having a taste of their mother's life saving milk must be stopped..
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