Where I went today - Woodstock FAS :)

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Comment by greenghost on April 5, 2010 at 2:56am

Hi Jade - yes the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is really nice. It's not huge, but they really care for the animals and provide a nice life environment for them.

There is another FAS in the NY Hudson Valley area that I have not yet visited. I'm hoping to go there soon too. It's called the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Their website is:
http://www.casanctuary.org/

Yesterday when my friends and I were choosing which of the two to go to we decided on the Woodstock FAS because sadly -- the website for CAS showed how they just lost one of their animal residents. A horse they had named Ted died of a heart attack.
We thought it would be really really sad to visit the CAS right after one of their beloved friends died.
We wanted to give them time... you know, not be part of a tourist crowd right after that happened.

But we do wish to go there in the future - so we can offer support to all of their efforts...

Comment by greenghost on April 5, 2010 at 2:34am

he still has a way to go. He is still unable to get up on his own and it is quite hard for him to walk when he is up, but with time and the aid of the staff at WFAS he should gradually gain a better state of health.

Just the fact that he is now sleeping in a well-ventilated barn with lots of hay on a natural (dirt) floor with access to lots of outside room to roam around (and root) is a great lifestyle improvement compared to how he had been living. Before his rescue he had a concrete floor to lie on with little light.

We were told that the man who had 'owned' him was not intentionally mean or abusive.... he just was rather ignorant to a pig's diet and did not have any place better to keep him.

Oh Yes he does get to socialize with the other animals... and the staff and visitors that come to the WFAS. :)

Comment by Jade Bridges on April 5, 2010 at 2:23am

Thank you for posting this. I live in Southern California. I really want to visit the farm santuaries here. This one in NY you visited looks top notch, meaning it appears they keep the place very clean for human visitors, which seems best at changing human hearts and minds. Thanks again for posting this. I became a fan of theirs on FB as a result and will likely visit a farm sanctuary here in Cali this week.

Comment by Adrienne D. on April 4, 2010 at 4:49pm

I am so happy to hear his improvements! I take it he is a fairly new resident to the farm? I did not catch a date of his arrival. The strength he must have to go through this and to still keep trying, is so inspiring. It is one thing for people to put themselves through the hell of poor living conditions and dietary deficiencies, but it IS criminal to put another being through it who cannot change the situation of their own accord.

I hope one day he will be able to socialize more closely with the others, a life is not complete without companions. Thank you for telling me more about it him, it seems he has a wonderful and loving now.

:)

- Adrienne

Comment by greenghost on April 4, 2010 at 3:56pm

Hi Adrienne.
I wish I could say that Peter was healed. He is still very weak. Walking continues to be extremely difficult for him because of his weight and his atrophied back leg muscles. The volunteers help to get him up for exercise, but it's going to take time for him to gain strength, have decreased pain, and be more independent.
When my friends and I first met him today he was in a barn lying on a clean bed of hay. The barn door was open to a nice sunny corral that he gets to use.

Contrary to popular belief pigs are not 'happy as a pig in s***'. Pigs do like to roll in mud sometimes to cool themselves or to keep bugs away, but they do not like to urinate or poo in any area that they sleep in. Peter, because of his weakness, can't, on his own, readily go outside to relieve himself. The volunteers at the WFAS assist Peter in standing so he can walk, but it is painful for Peter to walk not just because of his body weight and weakness, but because he still has sores on his hind legs from before he was rescued.
Sooooo Peter doesn't like getting up from his straw bed to 'go' relieve himself until he really has to. At that point his bladder is quite full thus it compounds the discomfort he feels when getting him up onto his feet. Today he 'cried' a lot while they helped him up so that he could get outside to pee.

It was sad to see his struggle and to hear him cry, but it's heartening knowing that Peter is in very caring hands.
His diet is vastly improved. He's getting veterinary care. And he is getting love.
He might never be as mobile as the other pigs at the sanctuary, but he will likely become healthier slowly but surely. :)

Comment by Adrienne D. on April 4, 2010 at 2:55pm

Thank you so much for posting this. My ultimate dream is to either start or work with an animal sanctuary.

When you saw little Peter did his legs seemed to have healed at all? Seeing him struggle so much was heartbreaking, and the big girl who came came out first looked so happy sniffing out her new home! And littler fern........that was just...too too cute.

Comment by greenghost on April 4, 2010 at 2:38pm

maybe this one will work...

I did get to meet little Fern too :)