Rose, Penny and Buddy

Rose was invited in for a few treats , she is such a good good girl!!! And that is Penny , going farther and farther every night!! And Buddy, did you steal the cat food again???

Monday's Talley

The end of June has been challenging and there has been a few surprises to say the least. One of which i could never have foreseen in a million years and a life that will never be forgotten. PLEASE If there are shelter readers here or volunteers please see the pdf file under Freddy's pictures on this blog . Print off this valuable guide and get it to as many shelters as you can. Lives depend on it!!

Thursday night as i started to feed every one dinner i came outside and found Penny laying under/beside the guinea pig house. That is odd, and i spoke to Penny and asked her if she liked the little ones? I went back in the house to get some spinach for them and when i opened the hutch hatch little Jessie did not get up. He looked like he had simply laid down and died... one of three left behind in an eviction and rescued almost 4 years ago. The house seems so much bigger now with only Sundance and Billy and they mourned the loss of there friend too in the following days. And Penny laying close to the hutch tells me they too are friends and must share stories from the carport as well.

I have been moving the free chips daily by the wheel barrow and every paddock had some added and with some to spare. All the pigs have been enjoying picking threw it as it is mixed with tree clippings and some are simply enjoying the clean fresh bedding to soak up the sun on. It warms my heart after working so hard to see it is a welcomed addition to their spaces.

Saturday, Wendy and Wendy( yes two Wendy's) set up a booth at Websters Corners Days and spread the word about the good work here. Saturday has always been open house/work party day here and although i tried very hard to get off the property to see how they were doing it just wasn't meant to be. Haven't seen the girls but Wendy reports the booth looked awesome and i can't wait to see the pictures and hear more about there day!

Joe and Andrew arrived to do a project but i had come up with a more pressing one since the last time we talked. Don Juan needed a new roof and the eye sore of a blue tarp has been replaced now with the donated roll of roofing material thanks to Maggie. And the piggy in my kitchen is Don and I have to conclude this pig had been a welcomed guest in some ones home long ago as he came up the stairs and into my house with out reservation. ;o)) Don needs to be nuetered and still will challange me in a fear responce every once in a while. But he is a good good boy and we will get him done in the next few weeks and that will adjsut his hormones once i find some one able to help me with crating during the week.

While that was getting done Stephanie and continued on with what i had started with that pile of wood chips. Buddy was helping us too!!

A surprise visit from Vicky who adopted a piggy threw us by rescuing her before she had to come here. A bag of feed over her shoulder and a package of pictures to share proved how far she had come with a little pig who for a very long time refused to let her guard down and be loved again. But with constant loving from Vicki and the patience of an angel Baby now called Gloria is for sure a happy pig today!!

Then as we were saying good bye our artist friend Diana Durrand and her hubby arrived with her huge Flower Pig creation!! And 9 prints including one framed for us to collectively sell at our booth at July's fair. And a stack of her beautiful cards along with some gift card tags all with wonderful artwork on them. Pictures to follow later with some information on where we will be in July.

Sunday morning looking out to the gates there was a huge surprise waiting for the pigs! 32 bags of popcorn awaited them so we had a pig party first thing in the morning and it was a happiness shared!!! Thank you Donna for being our Lone Ranger yesterday!!

Mom arrived Sunday with romaine lettuce for the guineas and she did the dishes for me while i pulled Carport Penny's bedding apart. Out with the old and in with the new !!

Cory and Martin stopped out of no where and left with promises of making us some finger puppets for the fair. They travel from North Vancouver to help with the animals here and now that winter is done i hope to see them more often again. They do love the animals so much!! It was fun to show them around to all the things that have been fixed for the pigs since they were last here and of course to meet Sodas herd.

Well i have to go to town today , please pray I don't smash into anything when i get there!!

Ignorance is not bliss..

Every day there has been a little pig on my mind, the one left behind in Langley. Would i find him a home and where will he go here if i don't have a home for him by the time he is ready to be moved after his neuter. Plan B is always my kitchen and who hasn't had a litter box in there house for one reason or another.

And when a pig enters my world whether it is by email or a telephone call, they are now a part of my life. And when i was contacted and suggested the vets i use, i do recommend them for a reason. Does it take more then the average intelligence of a person to process information from someone who has gained there expertise from working with a particular species??? And are you too arrogant to listen , too arrogant too call when a life depends on it??? How can you make educated decisions when you know nothing about the species??????????

No doubt your all wondering what i am talking about. My day started with heading into town to find out who owned an empty piece of property up the street with materials we could use down here. I would also ask how i could defer paying my property taxes and left with a little more knowledge and was pleased with my work so far. And i jumped in the truck and pulled out in a quick fashion so the next guy waiting wasn't held up and I plowed into a car right next to me.

I wanted to cry then at my stupidity but went to every office i could looking for the owner of the parked car i just hit. A note was left , a stop at the police station and groceries would have to wait cause i wanted to go home.

As a finished making my claim on the phone i received the call from the gals car i hit and she was so very Nice to me!! Okay i am covered its no big deal and accidents happen. No sooner did i hang up the phone and a free load of chips arrived from Paul Bunyan Tree Services. When they left i called the owner of this 5 million dollar property and he was also welcoming to me and asked me to call him in a few days and he would meet me up there to see what i wanted.

Not a totally bad day except for the email i got this afternoon, and i have been crying ever since.

A pig was killed today. If i had of taken control of that pig he would of been taken to our vets and the surgery would of been done at a clinic . That pig would be here in my kitchen now, or on his way to his foster home or in a new pen. I stress that I cannot take in neutered pigs here plus it is a huge expense but I don't kill them when there not.

This is the email i got today ..

Hi Janice,

I am sorry to report that Freddy was euthanized yesterday. Dr. BXXXXX attended our facility to perform the neuter and after he tranquilized Freddy, he determined that only one of the testicles had descended. He recommended that, based on Freddy's temperament and the fact that he would always act like a bull because of the retained testicle, it was the best option.

Thanks again for your time and effort.

Regards,

THE BEST OPTION????????????????? They killed the fricking pig !!!!!!!!!!!!! How is that an option????????? His temperament?????????????? Based on what experience??? And a BULL????????????? That pig would of been kissing my face in a month. And a retained testicle is not a surgery one does in the back yard , you do require skills and it will take more time. But it is not a life threatening decease for heavens sake and this pig had lived with someone all his life not neutered so WTF??? An unneutered animal is not a dangerous animal for PETES SAKEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!! Cripes al mighty is this how they work with the cats and dogs there??? Oh right.. this is not a cat or a dog ..this is a pig. THATSSSSSSSSSSs different.



I have been crying ever since... ignorance is not bliss it is deadly. I am so sorry Freddy, i am so so sorry.


And here is one of my pigs here who also is a cryptorchid , i guess to the someone who didn't know him they would be scared too??

Elbert's Progress Report

A freind in Georgia opened her heart to this pig and brought him home. Clearly any one can see the pain and the crippling caused from over feeding.

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned!

Here is Penny's extension to her carport which really is the biggest pig house here!! And although we might think of wanting her to have her own house this has been the best place for her threw winter and now summer in her current condition. Don't worry folks the funds raised from the blog fund raiser for Penny's house is still safely in the bank for when she is ready.

Penny is moving so much better then she did when she first arrived. And you can see the substantial difference in her face alone from receiving proper nourishment and continuous exercise. Her limp has disappeared!! Good girl Penny!!!

The sanctuary looks awesome, everything looks beautiful right now! Every thing is so lush and green and the flowers just pop with color around here. The cherry trees are loaded this year and it is only a matter of days before they are ready i am sure!

The added help with man power around here from both James and Joe has really removed a ton of my stress with much needed gates installed and posts replaced. James was here for four days doing a sentence of community hours and Joe is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet and has continued as a volunteer and arrives every Saturday here.

And of course being laid off has been a mixed bag but a feeling of good fortune as well ! This past week i have spent much of my time in doors as i have the horses sectioned off half the acreage. And i am trying not to look at them and pouty pigs who want to come out as well but i have to be strong and give the grass a chance to grow around here. We most definitely need to move to a bigger acreage with this amount of grazing animals here. So hiding in the house from sad pigs i have been going threw closets and getting rid of stuff. Things i don't wear , don't need, have never used and bags have been leaving here to several of the local thrift stores who help others in the community. Organizing now will help when i sell and i am not packing stuff i don't need to pack and wow I am getting really organized.

My office with my new filing cabinet has everything in its proper place, easy to find and why i never did it years ago is beyond me. I have worked the last 30 years priding myself in being organized on the paid job and now with the extra time i got it together here.

I have a fundraiser coming up at a local fair where we will set up a table and help spread the word about the animals here at the sanctuary. Now we need to find some crafty marketable items to sell as donations are hard to come by for the pigs at these things. Diane has offered a stack of her wonderful cards with her beautiful artwork and Cindy is shipping some of her books from the USA to sell too. Any ideas or offers of wares drop me an email or give me a call at 604-463-4059 !!

There is a pig in trouble in Langley as he was left behind when his family was evicted. The by Law officer there is a kind man and this pig made his way to LAPS in Langley where he will be neutered on Saturday. With thanks to the awesome staff there and Sean who i have been working with. Now to find him a home stat or he must come here . It would be wonderful if we could find a sponsor for Freddy if he is going to join our herd. This shelter is not set up for farm animals and the constant barking of dogs is not a healthy environment for a pig. Poor little guy he must wonder why his family left him as they took there chairs..

How is it that material items become more valuable then a life????

Pig Swim Team

Keep Pork off your fork!

Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c) non-profit located in Saugerties, NY. Our 75 acre farm is home to horses and farm animals rescued from abuse and neglect. We have educational programs to raise awareness of animal abuse and the institutionalized cruelty of factory farming

Pigs are Sentient

The picture is a contrast to what i posted last time. We are so lucky, the animals even more that i would create a place where pigs could run free, eat those flowers and roll in a cool pool on a hot sunny day. They are mischievous and i have moved the tubs from one place to another to protect them. And i find myself muttering "pigs" lol .

I seem to be on some quest now to demand changes!! That the public on the whole would never do what is done to those suffering creatures in animal factories. But every time we put one on our plate we are in fact doing it over and over again.

People don't want to read what i am saying here and they certainly don't want to see horrific animal torture chambers on my blog. We don't like what the human race is doing in these factories but there aren't enough of us saying it and to make the changes fast enough. Please, look at who your eating.

I want to tell you about our Carport Penny and what happened to her last night. Pigs do not like change and anything new can be quite disturbing to them. Enter the carpet i put down last night. This is to extend her walk from the carport to her dinner now carpeting the rocky driveway. I have to get her moving farther every day here so she can loose some of that fat and get the weight off of her legs. The driveway is hard for her to walk on in her condition.

Penny did everything she could to get to the food without going near that carpet. The red carpet was rolled out past the carport and right by the custom ramp built leading up the front porch. Penny edged along without touching that carpet and ended up on the ramp. I left her with head hanging over the 2" drop of the ramp staring at her dinner. As stubborn as she was being so was I and I thought for sure the need for dinner would out weigh her fear.

At about 9:30 last night i went out to make sure she was all safe in her bed and she was not there. Wishful thinking had me smiling , did Penny go for a walk around the front of the house??

The picture tells the story of where i found her and then i told her she can't stay up there. What if she rolled over in her sleep and fell off?? And as i spoke to her i reached down to kiss her snout. Her nose was dripping wet and in disbelief my eyes diverted for seconds looking for a source of water. Touching her nose with my fingers i wondered if it was blood. It was not blood, it was tears from an over fed pig who cannot see, cannot move around good and is trapped in her own body. Think if you will what brought such immense sorrow that she cried and cried until i found her.

Pigs .. are not just pork

Animal Factory

I don't normally share things that are upsetting. OMFG what sick perverted kind of race are we???????????

In response to a Craig List post i was sent these pictures. Thank God this is one farm who shut down there pig operation and will be producing organic vegetables.

The pictures were so horrific , barbaric, crude, torturous and confining that it made me sick to my stomach.


Keep Pork off your fork!!!!!!!!!!

Something old , something blue something new

Whew, the last week has really been awesome as far as getting some major chores accomplished. James has been here for 8 hour days and he really helped me a ton. Joe put a gate into Don Juan's paddock so that little pig has been all over the place. He is a rough looking little pig and he likes to hang out here at the big house. His visit was rewarded with cherry tomatoes, yum!!

All the wood is moved from the carport now and stacked neatly in the chip shed out back. The chip shed was damaged when we were flooded in 2007 and if i were to get a load of shavings in i am sure it would fall down. So until we move it is where all my lumber is now.

Christine came by and fixed us up with three huge pots of flowers and added some more to Willy's garden out front too. Christine is fondly called my water girl as she was once a regular down here until an unrelated injury flared up. We have tubs of yellow and orange pansies and in an old horse feed bucket is filled with blue ones.

This morning Wendy and I left here early to go up the street to check out a moving sale. We might score a few gates when this guy moves and another neighbor is going to lend me his lawnmower so i can do out front at the other side of the gates. Wendy also dropped off a new bird feeder and it felt good to be telephoned and invited out on a little excursion from the work here.

And another surprise was a new friend delivering a little cedar piggy house on the back of a borrowed trailer. He tells me it took them three hours to get it up and in there!! We are lucky indeed and Blessed no doubt about it. But i better not look at where i had them drop it and envision a fence around it. It is inventory Janice!!!

So for two weeks of no regular volunteers arriving the pigs and I were thought of by new friends and we are happy and grateful. Wendy also listened to me go on about our biggest obstacles here. Every one doing cat and dog rescue has a core or group of volunteers who stay threw thick and thin because they love the animals. Those of us who are in the forefront of these rescues are for sure known for being bitches and a few other things. I think we all share some of the same personalty traits or simply put we wouldn't be doing what we are doing nor would we be capable , and we are. But the difference between here and there is that because of there strong love of the animals that reside there is what drives the volunteers. They do it for the animals they love and in turn they accept who ever is running the place and for creating it for the animals they love.

Because pigs are so far removed from what most animal lovers are accustomed to or understand , we are and I mean the pigs and I are very much alone here in that regard. I do not have the luxury of having a tight knit group down here every week-end. Animal lovers who do not have a piggy companion have no understanding of them , no experiences. And the friends that i do have who have pigs are 100's if not 1000's of miles apart as i have stated before.

What i do have however is an amazing amount of support from afar. And for sure do not think i am downplaying the value of there (your) existence, i am just trying to say something else here.

Thankfully I have the support I do and from former volunteers who can no longer do the work here but still help in different ways now, and the only way that they can. These are my friends, they are the pigs friends. How can we not be?? They were here when i cried and they have been here for our successes. Volunteers who i spend countless brutal working hours down here threw harsh weather conditions are no longer volunteers to me. They are my friends, and for sure they are the pigs friends. So it is hard when they leave me...us..

What i yearn for the pigs is the same love i have for them to be met by someone who is working beside me. Who will take over for me when i can no longer do this? Who will love them for me??

But i am just like my pigs! I am stubborn and pig headed so i will carry on!! We never have a bounty but we are always provided for somehow and get what we need. Which brings me right back to how this post started , we are Blessed and frankly i can't wait to look at everything that has happened for the pigs tomorrow morning and revel in our accomplishments.

A door closes and a window opens..