Sanctuary? Why?

From Jim: We are often asked why we do what we do. Why would anyone spend all of their time and money caring for 80 or so equines? Aren't you too old for this? Don't you get tired of all the hassles? Are you crazy? Boy, how to answer? We started Home At Last because there was a great need and we could do something about it. Yep, we're getting older and we are already working on plans for the future of the sanctuary when we're dead and gone. I don't think "tired" even gets close to how frustrating it can be to run a sanctuary. I guess we try to check out our sanity as often as most folks and, so far, we may be committed, but we haven't been "committed", not even for the 72 hour evaluation. Donna and I have lived our lives with a core value that one should serve a cause beyond themselves. We believe that making a difference is not optional, that life should have a purpose. So many of our supporters seem to feel the same way. It is humbling to have so many others pitch in and help. If they feel half as good as we do about caring for the critters, they know they've done good. Swirling around us are so many issues, so many problems and causes. We centered up on one that seemed to need a voice and an answer. There just aren't enough homes for our society's equines. They don't have the options that other smaller critters find. The number of folks that have the skill and resources to care for them is declining. Fewer and fewer kids grow up with a horse or pony in the backyard. Economic forces are not working in favor of equines, whether horse, donkey, or mule. The real solutions are at a scale well beyond what we can do. Controlling breeding, requiring provisions for lifetime care of new critters, expansion of opportunities for "new" owners and enthusiasts, and clinics for the humane euthanasia of aging and injured critters that have lost their quality of life are all "big" ideas that need to happen. We need to eliminate the need for sanctuaries by managing the population of equines before the unwanteds are even born. Industries that use horses for competition need to be held accountable for all of the critters they produce while looking for a "winner". Owners need to get a grasp on the reality of just how long equines live and what a lifetime responsibility really means. These are big ideas and they'll need a lot of folks working together to make them a reality. We, on the other hand, will help the animals that we can and work with and support other rescues and sanctuaries for as long as we can because that's what we do. Why do we do it? I guess the best way to answer that is to extend an invitation to you to visit Home At Last and let the critters explain it. They are better at it than me. Please take the time to love on your pets. It's a great way to spend some time!