#backyard butcher

[hamletsveganfood]

I took a trip to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary this weekend!

(And had a chance to eat at the Commissary, which was amazing.)

A lot of the animals at Woodstock are from factory farm conditions, but a fair share of them are from “humane”, “grass-fed”, “backyard butcher”, “cage-free”, etc facilities.. The industry truly profits off of these terms by placating our consciences, but the animals are still abused. One of the staff told me that a pig was rescued from a “farm to table” operation where the owner was slaughtering the animals with a chainsaw and leaving animal limbs strew across the property, so the pigs were surrounded by the limbs of their children. 

This is just one of MANY harrowing stories you can hear when you visit these places- it’s nice to see the animals living out their lives in peace, but we have to remember where they came from and what they have endured. And do not let the industry persuade you otherwise from what is really happening. 

[animalsoffarmsanctuary]

Eliza: Finding love after Loss

When I went the very first time to the horrible neglect case in Franklinville, NY, earlier this year, I was asked to look at the birds, but there were another 300 animals whom I also met.

Breeding sheep locked in dark and very dirty pens in the barn at the Franklinville farm where they gave birth to lamb after lamb.  

One of those animals was an adult sheep named Martha whom I only met because she went down while I was there. Down, meaning she collapsed. The vets were unresponsive, so I offered to take her and her newborn baby to Cornell.

A dying Martha still nursing her tiny little lamb.  

So loaded up the pair in my Nissan Rogue (I was not expecting to bring anyone home, so took my own car). And mom was in trouble. She was very weak and leaned against my seat as I drove the 3.5 hours to Cornell University’s Nemo Farm Animal Hospital.

The trip to Cornell with mom and baby, hoping to save her life. 

There she was evaluated and immediately went to surgery to stop the bloat that was causing her excruciating pain but also was quickly killing her. She was blocked and cleaned out, but by morning it was clear so much more was wrong.

A very weak Martha leaned on my shoulder for much of the drive. She was so drained from illness and attempting to keep her baby alive. 

She had a very serious pregnancy toxicity and her organs were shutting down and she was unable to ruminate. The second surgery was her only option to live, and sadly, she died.

Alone and unsure of life, Eliza came back to Farm Sanctuary for only one night.

So her very thin and very scared little baby was left alone and crying constantly. We brought her back to our Watkins Glen sanctuary, but with the now influx of animals from this rescue, we had little time to give to this very needy little girl.

That being the case, I made a quick call to Tracey Stewart in New Jersey and a plea to allow this lamb to come there for more one-on-one care. Naturally, it ended with a quick “yes” and we were on our way. We, being yours truly and a currently unnamed little bundle of joy.

The little dreamer: Less than 48 hours after the loss of her mother she is off to her very new life, hopefully dreaming of the girl that will change that life forever.

Exhausted from her loss and whirlwind trip to the sanctuary, the tiny little one was back in the car in which she arrived. She slept all but the last 20 minutes of the five hours in an open container with blankets and a warming disc. 

Waking up just before arriving to her new home - after a very long and refreshing sleep.  

And from that moment her entire life changed for the better. She was immediately greeted by the person who would become her best friend, her new mother, and her family. 

Jazz hands and big smiles won over this tiny woolly bundle of joy! Eliza instantly fell in love with Maggie. 

Click here for the rest of the story, as told by Tracey Stewart at The Daily Squeal!

When you think of the life that this little gal would have had without intervention, it is a far cry from where she is now. As a female, she would have ended up like her mother: a breeding sheep whose sole purpose would have been to produce lamb after lamb to be taken away and sold for meat.

Not able to deal with the crying when attempting to leave Eliza in her warm barn, Maggie instead decided that a better solution would be in her room. And with a matching Eliza blanket to boot.  

And although she lost her mother, she found a love that will last forever. She was cherished as an individual; not seen as a producer of lamb, not regarded as a product. Today, she is known as Eliza, a name given to her by her new humanimal Maggie.

Maggie bottle-feeding her new friend.

And Eliza is who she will always be now, because she was actually seen and loved. That’s the way it should be. 

Eliza, growing up alongside buddies Nate and Bob.

Safe and loved: Eliza with Tracey.

[animalsoffarmsanctuary]

Lila: Left to Die, Now Loving Life

As Farm Sanctuary rescue workers entered the western New York property where Lila and dozens of others languished, they were nearly overwhelmed by the smell of death. A barn crammed with junk housed starving sheep, newborn lambs, and chickens in stalls cobbled together with pallets, scrap metal, ropes, halters, and chains. Outside, emaciated cows stood in grass less pastures without hay or water. A makeshift slaughterhouse loomed nearby. In that cinder-block building, the property owner butchered young animals, and in the surrounding barns and fields, he bred their parents until their bodies gave out. We rescued more than 60 animals from this grisly scene, all of them emaciated and many so unwell that we feared for their lives. The one who worried us the most was Lila.

Lila arrived before we even stepped foot on the property where the others were rescued. The night prior to her rescue, workers from the SPCA in Cattaraugus County entered the barns to make an assessment of what would be needed the following day. There, they came across a closed door in the barn with the sheep.

Behind that door was a dead pile. An assumed-dead Lila lay motionless with her head draped across a deceased sheep.  Although she was so weakened by parasites and anemia that she couldn’t even rise to her feet or even lift her head, she was alive.

When we got the call, we met the SPCA to get Lila and rush her to Cornell University Hospital for Animals. There, she received a blood transfusion from Marjorie, one of our New York Shelter goats. Still, she remained too feeble to stand on her own. It took several more days of intravenous fluids and round-the-clock care until she managed to stand for more than a few seconds and get up without assistance.

Restoring Lila’s strength was a challenging proposition: After surviving so long without food, she needed to gain weight gradually; eating too much too fast could kill her. Moreover, her ailments had left her immobilized for so long that her muscles had atrophied. Her vets treated Lila for parasites and began physical therapy. We checked on Lila frequently while she remained at the hospital and prepared to see her through months of intensive rehabilitation here at our Watkins Glen shelter. We were so thrilled when we were finally able to bring our girl home!

In our new Melrose Small Animal Hospital, Lila lived next door to another recent rescue and first patient in our new facility: Elliott, whom we’d picked up from Brooklyn’s Animal Care Centers of NYC. Though not quite over his own traumatic illness (detailed in this post), Elliott would vocalize to her through the door that separated their pens.

For weeks they both slept by the door and communicated throughout the day, until one day Elliott decided to take control of the situation. He broke down the slider door, moved himself in with Lila, and started up what appears to be a lifelong relationship (they’ve been together now for four years). We introduced Lila and Elliott to one of our small, special-needs goat herds, and the pair immediately hit it off with their new pals .

Lila has also been quite taken with her new caregivers, her guests, and really, anyone who pays attention to her. She’s filled with a lively curiosity and calls out eagerly to anyone who passes by her barn. And who could resist such a friendly greeting?

She moved into the sheep barn and remained there with Elliott for years, until she grew so strong that she decided to be a bit sassy.  Apparently, Lila did not approve of the amount of attention we’d been bestowing on a young sheep. One jealous hook with the horns landed that boy in the hospital (thankfully requiring nothing more than stitches and separation from bullies like Lila!). Lila was moved to another area with pals who can better handle her roughhousing (and even put her in her place). Naturally, Elliott is with her. Lila is no longer the boss, but it seems to work better that way!

Lila has undergone a clearly miraculous transformation from victim to victorious — unencumbered by any sign of her past ordeal. It’s hard to believe this vivacious, strong individual is that same goat who was so frail and suffering neglect. The man who bought, exploited, and neglected Lila nearly ended her life, but he could not define it, and now, she has reclaimed it. Lila exemplifies the astounding capacity to thrive that resides in our fellow animals. Some, like her, get the chance to bring that vitality out into the light; to embody it fully. Others must sustain it silently through lives of darkness. But it lives in every one, awaiting the kindness that can set it free.

Please share Lila’s story. Together, we can encourage awareness and understanding about the rich emotional lives of goats like her. With your support we can continue to promote compassionate vegan living through rescue, education, and advocacy efforts. A compassionate world begins with you!