News
Community Spotlight~ Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary
January 07, 2008, 10:16PM MT
By Jennifer Schrolucke
How do you honor a pig that has spent six years stuck in deplorable conditions, unable to move, and forced to wallow in her own filth?
How do you honor a pig that has spent six years stuck in deplorable conditions, unable to move, and forced to wallow in her own filth?
by Jen Schrolucke, Best Friends Network
Ravenna, Ohio
If you are Annette Fisher, you create a farm animal sanctuary to protect other farm animals from a similar fate.
And that is just what happened.
Annette Fisher, Executive Director and founder of Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Inc. met Janice the pot belly pig, as she came to be known, while caring for some farm animals while their owner was away on vacation. She found the conditions that Janice was living in to be unacceptable. The owner claimed that about six years earlier, someone had taken the pig to her farm and dropped her while unloading her from the truck and suspected her legs had been broken. Janice, however, never received medical attention after the incident.
Instead of accepting payment for caring for the animals in the owner’s absence, Annette just asked if she could take the pig. It was the luckiest day of Janice’s life.
She was taken to the vet for a complete exam, which later showed that Janice’s legs were not broken at all. Her legs had atrophied as a result of the conditions and confinement that she was kept in. Although she would never be able to walk normally, she could live a happy and comfortable life with Annette.
That was the beginning of Happy Trails. Annette began to wonder what happened to other animals like Janice. After much research, she learned that many agencies would euthanize farm animals as they were equipped only to deal with domestic animals. Other agencies would not remove animals from abusive situations due to having no where to take them. She felt it was time to educate people of the suffering farm animals endure each day.
Happy Trails is a 501c3 organization that rescues and rehabilitates abused, abandoned, and neglected farm animals such as horses, ponies, pot belly pigs, farm pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep, goats and cattle. Happy Trails only allows animals taken into its care to be adopted as family pets. Never again will they be returned to food production, bred or used in way for exploitation. Happy Trails works in cooperation with the County Humane Society, animal protective leagues, local law enforcement agencies, as well as out of state rescues to network to find rescued farm animals homes.
Happy Trails also offers an Amish Horse Retirement Program as an extension of their original rescue program. They accept buggy and plow horses who can no longer serve their Amish families.
Happy Trails has come a long way since the rescue of Janice, who sadly passed away in October of 2007. She was laid to rest next to her favorite place, the log cabin built especially for her, that she shared with her best friend, George. A local artist donated a statue of her, which now serves as her grave marker.
Happy Trails holds a Summer Festival each year to allow the public to visit the sanctuary, learn more about the animals, veganism/vegetarianism, and an opportunity to visit other rescue organizations. Best Friends was proud to be a part of the Summer Festival at Happy Trails last year. They also help educate students about farm animals by having farm animals visit schools.
Last May, Happy Trails presented “Pigs Across America” in which ten pigs at Happy Trails were transported across the United States to California to a larger sanctuary. This would free up space at Happy Trails for more rescues and provide the ten pigs a happy life.
Happy Trails would not be able to help as many animals as they do without the generosity and dedication of their many volunteers and sponsors. They make it all possible.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.happytrailsfarm.org/
What you can do:
Happy Trails is always looking for volunteers to help with animal care and projects. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit
http://www.happytrailsfarm.org/Volunteering.html
Donations can always be used and are appreciated. For wish list and other donation information, please visit http://www.happytrailsfarm.org/WishList.htm