Happy Trails Farm Animal SanctuaryJULY 2009

The Road To Healing For “Jebbi Boye”...

A Small, Pink Pig Teaches Us ToKeep A Good Outlook On Life!

Story on page 3!

What’s Inside?Deerfield HorseRescue —A CommunityComingTogether

page 7

Barn RepairsWere MadePossibleThanks To You!

page 5

Volunteer WithThe Best — InfoOn VolunteerOpportunties!

page 11

Meet Wild BillAnd Other Res-cued Animals —

page 8

Lots more sanctu-ary news, animalstories andupdates inside!

letter from

the director

Dear FriendsOf Happy Trails,

To say that we have beenextra busy with animal rescue,abuse and neglect situationswould be an understatement.I’d like to extend my sincereapologies for not havingpublished Spring newsletters .We have concentrated all of ourtime caring for the animals in need,and we are hoping to get back ontrack with this issue!

Along with being busy, I feelas though I have stumbled throughthe last several months in amaze-ment and awe. When faced withmultiple major animal rescuesituations, Happy Trails has trulybeen blessed with the outpouringof compassion, concern and supportfrom many communities. Caringfoster homes have arisen and wereapproved in emergency situations.Many farmers contacted HappyTrails to make generous donationsof hay. Feed mills sent grain.Individuals made donations towardour extraordinary vet expenses.Volunteers took days off work anddedicated their vacation days tohelp with rescued animals. Folkshave opened their hearts and homesto adopt rescued animals. Friendshave given animals sponsorships asbirthday, graduation or specialoccasion gifts for friends andrelatives. It has been absolutelyincredible, and to watch entirecommunities come together for acommon good has been nothingshort of amazing.

And who made it all happen?The animals themselves who were inthe abuse and neglect situations.Sometimes folks involved in animalrescue often gauge their successby the amount of animals that theyhelp. I prefer to gauge HappyTrail’s successes by the amount ofpeople that are brought togetherand the number of good deeds that

Make sure to keep up with

all the latest Happy Trails

stories and happenings

on our website at

www.happytrailsfarm.org

happen thanksto the animalsthat arerescued. Ifthis would beany indicationof success,than I believewe have notonly suc-

ceeded, but have also surpassedanyone’s expectations.

With a great deal of gratitudeto all of our incredible sponsorsand donors, I am happy to reportthat the majority of our majorsanctuary repair projects areeither completed or are currentlyunderway. Details are available inthe article on page 5. Right afterHappy Trails temporarily closeddown for what was to be a periodof six weeks to handle our majorrenovations, the overwhelminghorse neglect case from Deerfieldsurfaced, and all of our time andattention was diverted to the careand all-important first few weeksof rehab for the 15 rescued horses.Though this was a necessary task,it did indeed put us weeks behindin our time line for accomplishingour renovation and repair projectsat the sanctuary.

Please know how very much weappreciate your support, yourletters of inspiration, your kind-ness, your prayers, and yourwillingness to speak out againstanimal abuse of all forms in yourcommunities. Many thanks toeveryone who participates in someway with Happy Trails and getsinvolve in animal rescue! Togetherwe are making a huge difference!

With compassion for allanimals,

Annette FisherExecutive Director

Our BeautifulNew LawnMower...

...was adopted all too quickly!

Tatiana, the beautiful sheep, gracedthe yards at Happy Trails for only ashort time before she was adoptedby a fellow animal rescue workerwho loves her simply for being thewonderful companion that she is!While Tatiana was at Happy Trails,she did an awesome job of mowingthe grass, and we will sincerely missour lawn mower! After beingtreated at Happy Trails for severehoof rot, lice infestation, the sheepversion of the herpes virus, upperrespiratory infection, and a highfever, Tatiana recovered and wasadopted into a life of luxury. Herbest friend now is a big and happygoat who adores her every move.We are thrilled that Tatiana has sucha wonderful home!

page 3

On Jebbi Boye’s RoadTo Recovery He SetsA Good Example

Back in February, a humane societyin Kentucky found a young farm pigthat appeared to be suffering fromexposure, malnutrition, and it waspainfully apparent that he had beenattacked in some horrific way. Hisears were torn and bloody, his headand face was lacerated and his lefteye was severely damaged. There issimply no pleasant way to describethis poor guy’s injuries.

After being treated by their local vetin Kentucky and given the OK totravel, the piggy’s bags werepacked and arrangements weremade for him to arrive at our half-way point in Cincinnati on Thurs-day, February 19th. During thecourse of making our plans to bringpiggy to Happy Trails, I receivedthe sad news that his left ear hadfallen off due to the trauma. Howsad, and how painful that must havebeen. This little guy had beenthrough a lot in his young life, and I

couldn’t wait to gethim to Happy Trailsso he could begin toheal, both physicallyand mentally.

Rob Willard, HappyTrails board memberand transport person, picked uppiggy in Cincinnati and took him toOSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.It was determined that piggyneeded his wounds cleaned outthoroughly, and surgery was re-quired to repair his horrific injuries.The trauma had apparently oc-curred several weeks prior to hisrescue by the local Kentuckyhumane society.

When I first arrived at OSUto meet our newest resident, Icould have cried. He was themost precious thing I hadever seen. He was soundlysleeping on a blanket splat-tered with blood from hismassive ear injuries. I quietlycrawled over to him andstarted to talk softly andgently pet his neck. He slowlypicked his head up and triedto look at me with his goodeye. “We have a name to tryout for you to see if you like it!” Itold him.

A cab driver had shared with uswords from his native country ofEthiopia. “The word for small isjebbi,” the cab driver told us. “It ispronounced ‘ghe-bee’ with theaccent on the ‘bee’. And boye(boy-ay) means pig.” And hence thename Jebbi Boye came into being.

The pig seemed to like it, andgrunted his approval when he heardthe phrase.

Jebbi slowly warmed up to mewhen he figured out that all Iwanted to do was to visit with him.I had this urge to want to protecthim from anything bad in his life andto make sure that he would neverbe harmed again. He rested his

head on my arm, and then hesnuggled up against my sweatshirt.He also slobbered on my hand, myleg and my face. He was just happy

to have kind and gentle humancontact. A belly rub sealed ourfriendship, and I explained to him

Continued on page 18

Radar The Goat — Inspiring UsTo Rise Above Our Disabilities

Radar the goatarrived at HappyTrails two years agoas a baby whosebottom half of hisback legs had nevercompletely formed.He had beendiscovered at alivestock farmwhere he wasstruggling to survivein the midst ofovercrowdedconditions where hewas always onestep away from being trampled bylarger bull calves, rams and othermore aggressive animals. Radarwas eventually adopted into awonderful family, but unfortunatelyhis health issues continued to getmore complicated, and he returnedto Happy Trails. Skin lesionsrefused to completely heal, and atrip to OSU (Ohio State UniversityVeterinary Teaching Hospital) inColumbus and an extended stayresulted in the diagnosis of AutoImmune Disease.

Nothing seems to phase this happy-to-be-alive goat however. In hismind, he can run as fast as the othergoats who have all four legs. Healways makes sure to check visitorsfor possible treats, so he is alwayshopeful. During the time it took toget his skin condition under control,he had to be quite uncomfortable.But not once did he lay down,depressed, anxious, upset, orunhappy. He simply dealt with thehand he was given, and seemed

thankful forthe goodthat was inhis life at thetime. Hewas espe-ciallythankful forhis long andstrong hornsthat couldreach all theitchy spots.He wasthankful thathe had goat

friends around him to play with, andhe was always instigating somefriendly head-butting games. Hisfront legs became stronger to makeup for his weaker back legs, and inhis mind, Radar is a very big andpowerful goat. We added two smallbaby goats to his yard, and hemade sure to let them know that hewas thebig manoncampus.

It’ssome-timeshard tonot let thecourageand theincrediblypositiveattitude ofan animalreach intoour verysoul. AndRadarreached

out in his ownspecial way andtouched the life ofJason Wolboldt, adedicated andhard-workingHappy Trailsvolunteer. In fact,Jason was so

struck by the kindness, sincerity andhonest personality of Radar, thatafter recently purchasing a housewith some land, set about first andforemost putting up new fencing andcreating a beautiful area for Radarand his goat friends to live

If we permit them, animals have away of teaching us lessons in life...ifwe only are open to what theyhave to say. Radar doesn’t dwellon his disability, but rather seems tofocus on enjoying life and appreci-ating what each day brings - espe-cially if it brings Ginger Snapcookies and apples. He appreciateshis friendships with the servants atHappy Trails and the extra attentionhe gets from Jason. We have beenvery blessed to have Radar in ourlife, and we wish him all the best ashe prepares to leave us for his newhome!

As Jason takes a break with his goat buddy, Radar shows him just how

handy horns are when you need your back scratched!page 4

page 5

You Made Sanctuary RepairsAnd Renovations Possible!

A lot of repairs, updates andrenovations are getting accom-plished thanks to all the kindfolks who have so generouslydonated this spring to our barnand facility repair fund!

We ended up being a bit behindschedule due to some unexpectedanimal rescue cases, but we aremaking great progress! After a long,cold winter, Happy Trails was leftwith quite a variety of much-neededrepairs at the sanctuary, one of the

(Top) The barn aisle was being prepared for the new concrete, andwe had to add tons and tons of dirt and gravel to fill in all the low,sunken areas. (Bottom) The 84' long barn aisle is now more easilymanageable with the beautiful new concrete floor, thanks to theconcrete skills of Jack Lynch and his crew!

most important and overwhelmingone being the flooring, stallsand roof of the large animalbarn. We also needed to finishthe interior of the new HappyTrails office, new driveway,fencing repairs and a host ofother projects as well.

To begin this enormous project,during the week of April 13thwe began sending out themajority of the rescued horseswho currently resided at Happy

Trails to approved, tempo-rary foster homes. Our planwas to basically keep our day-to-day routine going, but to shutdown major operations so thatwe could concentrate on ourmany repairs and facilityprojects. The week after webegan our extensive project, themass horse rescue in Deerfield

took place,and our all-volunteerstaff spentevery wakingminute forthe followingtwo weeks atthe PortageCountyFairgroundsdealing withthe specialneeds of the15 rescuedhorses. Thistook up agreat deal ofour time andattention,putting our

repairs a few weeksbehind schedule.

To date, we have success-fully had a concreteaisleway poured in the 84'long horse barn aisle, aswell as cements padscreated at the front and

back of the barn.

Tons upon tons of dirt and gravelwere hauled in, and giant piles ofeach created some interestinglandscaping in front of the big barnwhile our project was in the works.The stall floors, which had sunkdown (in some cases way belowthe bottom of the barn walls) werefilled with bank run and topped off

with crushed gravel to bring themup to the level of the new cement.

Even the heavy, massive barn doorshad to be removed and recut since thefloor would now be at least 4” higherthan it was before.

Massive amounts of dirt and gravel were trucked into fill in the stalls and the aisle way.

Continued on pages 14 & 15

Do Horses Have A Tooth Fairy?Meet Equine DentistDr. Gian Gargiulo

Many horse owners don’t realize theimport role that their horse’s teethplay in the overall health of theirfavorite equine companion. AtHappy Trails, rescued horses get adental check-up regularly and gettheir teeth floated (filed) as needed.

Our equine “tooth fairy”, as manyhorsey people refer to their equinedentist, is Dr. Gian Gargiulo of ValleyEquine Dentistry.

Dr. Gargiulo is truly wonderful aboutexplaining to us horse-caregiversexactly what is going on with ahorse’s mouth and what he can do tohelp the situation.

A horse can get sharp points on thesides of it’s teeth for a variety of

reasons, including general wear andtear and even the normal chewingmotion of the horse. Sometimesthese sharp edges can cause painfululcers in the mouth. An older horsemight lose a tooth, allowing theopposite tooth to grow too long, andgrow into the roof of the mouth orinto the jaw bone. Young horsesneed to have their teeth examinedbefore being introduced to a bit.

If you are having a difficult timekeeping weight on your horse butyou already worm it regularly andgive it plenty of good nutrition,consider having it’s teeth checked. Ifa horse cannot chew or grind it’sfood properly, it is not getting themost out of the grain and hay that itshould. If your horse is starting to

leave chew-wads of soggy mouth-fuls of hay on the ground as it eats,it’s teeth may need examined.

I think most of us have experiencedthe pain of an abscessed or infectedtooth at one time or another. Wewere able to tell someone how badlyour tooth hurt and were able to makean appointment to get it fixed.Unfortunately for many horses, theirowners do not pick up on the signalsthat their horse is sending to them,trying to alert them of a painful toothor potential problem that is justbeginning. Regular routine mainte-nance of your horse’s teeth canprevent a great deal of pain andkeep him in top form.

Who do we recommend that youcall? Dr. Gian Gargiulo of ValleyEquine Dentistry of course! ValleyEquine Dentistry is a veterinarypractice devoted exclusively toequine dental health, and uses stateof the art equipment and incorpo-rates the latest techniques to offeryour horse the best dental carepossible. So yes, there definitely is ahorse tooth fairy!

page 7

Deerfield Horse Rescue —15 Horses Removed FromA Deerfield Residence

On Monday, April 20, PortageAnimal Protective League askedHappy Trails to assist in the removalof a large group of horses from asevere neglect situation in Deerfield.A total of 15 horses that were invarious stages of neglect wereremoved that night, and placed in theprotective care of Happy TrailsFarm Animal Sanctuary.

The kind and caring folks at thePortage County Randolph Fair-grounds generously stepped up to theplate and donated space for theirimmediate care, and the horses wereunder constant supervision andmedical attention at the fairgroundsfor a period of two weeks until theycould be placed in private andapproved foster homes. The peopleon the fair board were incredible,

support-ive, andaware ofhow

important it is for a community tocome together in times of crisis.

Multiple counts of animal crueltywere filed, and the court case is stillpending. However, at a pre-trialscheduled on Wednesday, June 3, theowner of the horses agreed to signover ownership of the horses to thePortage APL, who in turn, signed thehorses over to Happy Trails.

Of course the conditions of thehorses were extremely sad, somewith hooves overgrown as much as8” long and several horses were as

much as 300 lbs. underweight. Manyof the horses had very little contactwith people since most had beenstanding in their stalls for excessivelylong periods of time, and some hadsevere health issues with muscleatrophy from lack of exercise.

However, as disturbing andheartbreaking as the neglect isto deal with, I would like toconcentrate the focus of thisarticle on the good things thatcame out of a bad situation andthe challenging task that now liesin front of us.

Bringing ACommunity Together

We simply have to acknowledgewith a great deal of gratitude thepeople, businesses, and other organi-

As an all-volunteer

organization that operates on

private donations, for

Happy Trails to take on the

responsibility of 15 terribly

debilitated horses all at once

was a bit overwhelming.

Is it the same horse?A six year old stallion namedBogey had hooves that grew outto obscene lengths. Professionalfarrier, Craig Lindauer, along withthe assistance of his wife, Laura,generously donated his time andskills to begin the re-shaping ofBogey’s mangled hooves.

(Top) Bogey, encrusted withcement-like chunks of driedmanure on his tired and lifelesscoat balanced on his crippled feetfor the farrier.

(Center) Craig used a hacksaw toremove the excessive length ofhooves.

(Bottom) Bogey is learning towalk again, though we are still notcertain that permanent tendondamage is not an issue. Here heexercises at his foster home in asoft, sand paddock. His coat tookmany days of work to clean up.

Ruby On The Mend...Ruby’s back hooves werehorrifically long (top left), and herrecovery is rather slow due to thedamage done to her rear tendonsand ankles.

Continued on pages 16 & 17

Meet Wild Bill...The number of rescued ani-mals that come and go atHappy Trails daily sometimesboggle the mind! Some animalsare here longer than others if theyare more difficult to adopt, andsome are here a very short time.Meet a few of the animals thathave come through our rescueprograms over the past severalmonths.

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page 8

page 9

Meet Wild BillAnd Friends...

(See photos on page 8)

1. Wild Bill, a very handsome turkey, thoughtruly not “wild” other than in his cocky attitude.Wild Bill was adopted and now has awonderful new home!2. Vito, a four month old baby goat, is bestfriends with Pedro (#9). They would like to beadopted together.3. Kyle and Kingsley, two white maledomestic geese, had been abandoned. Canyou provide them with a permanent home?4. A baby pot belly pig that was recentlyborn at Happy Trails, a little pink and blackfuzzy female. There are six babies that needhomes!5. Hotshot, a handsome and getting biggerby the day broiler rooster.6. Tatum, a neurologic white Pekin femaleduck who is doing much better since herarrival at Happy Trails. She arrived with Tyra,another white Pekin duck friend.7. Jamaica, a little brown hen that wasadopted along with nine of her hen friends.8. Kachina, a 10 week old baby mini horsethat had been born with very weak andsomewhat crippled legs. A trip to OSU resultedin her getting hoof extensions made andsteroid injections in her knees. She is doingmuch better and can now stand up by herselfand walks very, very well!9. Pedro is a three and a half month old babygoat who is best friends with Vito, #2. Theyreally should be adopted together.10. Odessa, a true survivor! She arrived witha horribly infected eye that needed to beremoved. She has proven herself as quite theHappy Trails representative at communityevents and has been helping out with ourFarm Animal Visitation Program. She hasmade several appearances at nursing homesrecently!11. Another baby pot belly pig. One ofCapri’s incredibly cute and adorable babies.12. Holly, soul mate of Hotshot, #5. Theysimply adore each other.13. Waipua and ‘Aumakua, two baby ducks.Boy they sure do grow up fast!14. Bingo! His name fits him! Being blind inone eye and partially blind in the other doesn’tstop him from being handsome and debonair!Bingo will be having eye-removal surgerysoon, and then will be available for adoption!15. Capri arrived at Happy Trails as a verypregnant pot belly pig. After several weeks ofkeeping us all in suspense, she finally had herbeautiful family of sweet, precious babies.

Need A Unique Gift?How About An Animal Sponsorship?

What better way to celebrate aspecial occasion than to give the giftof life! To honor a birthday, wed-ding, graduation, retirement,anniversay, or other special occa-sion, give that special someone afarm animal gift sponsorhip! The

Name _________________________________________________________

Business/Organization ____________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ____________________________________________________

Phone (home/cell) ________________________________________________

email address _____________________________________________________

q Draft Horse: $75

q Retired Amish Horse: $50

q Rescued Horse: $50

q Farm Pig: $30

q Pot Belly Pig: $30

FARM ANIMALGIFT SPONSORSHIP

I would like to send a Gift Sponsorship for the following type ofanimal(s). Please send their photo, story, information, and a

special invitation to visit them to the person above!

q Goat: $30

q Goose: $20

q Turkey: $20

q Duck: $20

q Chicken: $20

I would like to sponsor a rescued animal for one month as a gift for:

Name/Phone _______________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________

City/State/Zip __________________________________________________

email address ______________________________________________

Special Occasion _________________________________________

(Gift recipient will receive a gift card from you along with their sponsorship packet.)

Please return sponsor form and check or money order payable to Happy TrailsFarm Animal Sanctuary, Inc., 5623 New Milford Rd., Ravenna, Ohio 44266.

To sponsor an animal for an entire year and to give your gift recipientvisitation rights to the sanctuary once a month for twelve months,

multiply the sponsor amount times twelve.

Total AmountEnclosed$ _________

gift recipient will receive theanimal’s photo, story, information,and a special invitation to visit theanimal that is being sponsored intheir honor! Celebrate your lovefor animals with a unique andcompassionate gift!

Animal sponsorships greatly help offset the costs of rehaband care for each rescued animal!

Volunteer With The Best —The Servants Of Happy Trails

(Above) Ilona Urban reasons with George thepig regarding his request for more snacks.

(Above) Theda Schwing,regular weekday feeder,shovels gravel.

(Above) Russ Fisher, Co-founder of Happy Trails,cuts lumber for the new feed room.

(Above) Mary Bittence, President,shares her break with a rooster.

(Above) Lydia Beck contem-plates getting the heavy muckbucket through the gate.

(Left) Yasmin Aral holds out ahen for a nursing homeresident to feel the softness ofher feathers.

(Above) Shawn Tusko visits withBig Red, a draft horse.

(Above) Pam Kavali slips treats to Queenieand Peaches the pot belly pigs.

(Right)Janet Cobbhelps kidspet a formercockfightingrooster atthe WilsonFeed Millfundraiser.

(Right) Sharon Barnard, Board Member, helps anursing home resident pet Odessa the goat.

(Right) Cheri Rider, BoardMember, holds Tatiana the

sheep still as Dr. RandyAlger works on her hooves.

(Above) Rob Willard, Board Member, straightens upvolunteers who don’t listen. However Leah Franchifights back!

page 10

page 11

Sign Up ToVolunteer!

Great Recipe!

1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa pow-der1 tsp baking soda1 c. sugar in the raw1/2 c.vegetable oil1 cup cold water2 tsp. vanilla extract2 tbsp. vinegar (I used white)

Preheat oven to 375; mix dryingredients , mix all liquidingredients together EXCEPT THEVINEGAR. Add combined liquids todry ingredients. Mix until smooth, nolumps, add vinegar, stir quickly.Place in an ungreased pan, either 8"square, or 9" round. Recipe can bedoubled to make a 13x9 cake. Bakefor 25 to 30 minutes. If you bakecupcakes, make it 15 minutes.

The BestVeganChocolate Cake Ever

Recipe compliments of MindyTusko and highly recommendedby Jebbie Boye the farm pig

Mindy and Jebbi Boye are sure you’lllike this cake recipe!

(Above) Sue Buttermore, (far left) VolunteerCoordinator, takes an orientation group on atour of the sanctuary.

If you are interested in learningmore about the many volunteeropportunities with Happy Trails,call Sue Buttermore, HappyTrails Volunteer Coordinator, at330-388-2106.

Happy Trails is an all-volunteerorganization, so if you are at least18 years old or older and are ableto work as a team player to followdirections safely and efficiently, thesanctuary volunteer program is arewarding way to get involved inanimal rescue.

We welcome retirees andseniors who are socialand outgoing!

Tour guides and gate greeters areneeded on Saturdays and Sundayfrom 11am to 5pm. If you are asenior who enjoys socializing andbeing around animals, becoming atour guide might just be the rightvolunteer opportunity for you!

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Manual labor such as cleaningshelters, mucking stalls, mendingfences, shelter and facility repairs,special construction projects

• Staffing our booth and displays atcommunity events, handing out

literature and information, talkingabout the animals available foradoption

• Transport/hauling — If you have atruck and horse trailer, livestocktrailer or flatbed trailer, you can getinvolved by helping to haul animalsto safety, to vet appointments, orhelp pick up grain, hay or supplies.

• Adoption counselors are trainedto help prospective adoptive homeslearn about the animal they areinterested in adopting and orches-trate a home visit to approve thefacilities.

• Our follow-up program needsvolunteers who are able to help uskeep in touch with adoptive familiesand make home visits to check onanimals that have been adopted.

• Computer savvy folks are neededto help us network and keep inclose contact with other rescueorganizations, and even to doresearch for us.

• If you enjoy yard work, thesanctuary is always grateful forvolunteers who can use a weed-eater, who have a green thumb forour flower gardens, and who canuse paint brush.

• If you have a special skill or talentto offer, there’s a fantastic chancethat we will be thrilled to find theright volunteer project for you!

Your Kindness And CaringMake Our Animal

Rescue Efforts Possible

Thank You ForYour Support!

Donation Form OnInside Back Cover

BINGO the minihorse needs tohave an eyeremoved at OSU.

page 12

Thrown Out Of A Truck,Piggy Lands On His Head

On Monday, January 19th, aBristolville resident and herdaughter watched in the distanceas a dark object appeared to belaunched from a truck. Con-cerned that they might find aninjured dog, they hurried to thelocation, only to find a small pig.Local authorities and HappyTrails were called, and the piggywas brought to the sanctuary.

He apparently hit the pavementhead first. The open wound on hisshoulder where he skid was openand bloody. The skin on his ear wastorn off and shredded. An auctiontag was imbedded painfully in hislittle ear. I can only image whatbody parts were sore and painfulfrom landing on the road. His little

front legs were coveredwith cuts and abrasions.

And as I sat looking atthis fragile little creature,I wondered once againwhat evil possessespeople to inflict suchcruelty on helplessanimals. Did thosepeople get pleasurefrom tossing him out oftheir truck? Did theyfind joy in their actions?Many folks tend toignore the crucial linkbetween animal abuse and domesticviolence and criminal behavior —what were these people like toother members of their families?Have they ever been arrested for

other incidents?

Monday night,the piglet wascold andshaking. Wesettled him intosome warmstraw under-neath a heatlamp and a bigpile of donatedblankies. As hecalmed downand went tosleep, hisshakingstopped. Fourof us, Cheri,Russ, Rob andmyself,watched himlike he was atelevision.Would he bealright? Couldthere be injuries

that would manifest themselveslater? He simply appeared ex-hausted. We left him with Natashathe goat watching guard over hernewest barn resident, since shewas, of course, in charge of the pigbarn. Later in the evening I went outto check on the little guy. I watchedhim soundly sleeping in the silenceof the barn until he awakened with aviolent jerk. I was wondering ifmaybe he was reliving the earlierevents of the day, and was remem-bering hitting the hard pavement. Igave him a re-assuring belly rub andback to sleep he went. A kiss onhis little piggy head and a softlywhispered “good night” was thelast thing he experienced on whatwould hopefully the worst day ofhis entire life.

The next morning I woke up thesleeping baby to a breakfast ofwarm Cinnamon and Brown Sugaroatmeal, mixed with some pot bellypig pellets. He sleepily sat up anddiscovered the good smell, andhappily slurped his way through theentire bowl. Body functions ap-peared to be in working order —he peed and pooed to start his day,and then he began to oink. And

page 13

Your Kindness And CaringMake Our Animal

Rescue Efforts Possible

Thank You For Donating!

Donation Form OnInside Back Cover

BABY APRILneeded herniasurgery.

SPECIAL THANKS!A very special thank you goesout to everyone who has faith-fully saved and turned inaluminum cans!

Sharon Barnard, who handlesthe can collection for HappyTrails, turned in an astro-nomical load of alumi-num cans on Earth Day— in fact, 1,108 lbs.worth! You brought inthis amount of cansfrom December to April — amazing!Extra kudos goes out to all thosewho go the extra step and crush thecans before you bring them, saving

our volunteers more time to spendcaring for the animals. The fundsfrom our aluminum can recycleprogram help to support manyspecial projects at Happy Trails.

Please keeping saving thosecans! Drop off times are

Saturdays and Sundays at thesanctuary from 1pm -

4pm. You guys are theBEST can savers

ever! Together, let’skeep up the good work!

For questions aboutsaving and recycling aluminumcans for Happy Trails, call Sharonat 330-573-1450.

oink he did...he hurried around hissuite, loudly oinking to all the otherpigs and goats in the barn. “Iarrived last night incase you didn’tknow,” he seemed to be saying.Greetings were returned. “Calmdown — you’re safe now,” is whatI am guessing he was told, becausein a short amount of time he quieteddown and crawled back under hisheat lamp and blankies for morningnap time.

What in the world would we namethis cutie? After searching theinternet for unique names in differentnationalities, we happened upon aname that was strangely appropri-ate. We try to give names to theanimals that have meaning or that fittheir personality.

The new piggy received the uniquename of “Anselmo”, which is bothan Italian and a Spanish name (theGerman version of this name isAnselm). Believe it or not, itmeans “Divine Helmet”, whichis exactly what we decided thelittle guy had to be wearing whenhe was cruelly thrown out of thepick-up truck, for he had landedon his head! Anselmo’s “divinehelmet” saved his life, and for that,we are truly grateful to Creator forhaving placed that on the littlepiggy’s head!

On Tuesday, February 3rd,Anselmo had his first vet visit. Hereceived an overall medical check-up, was neutered, had his sharptusks trimmed, and received hisbaby pig vaccinations.

Once back at the sanctuary after hisday at the vet, Russ and Robcarefully lifted the pet porter out ofthe back of the van and set it downat the gate of Piggerton Estates.Anselmo cautiously exited thecarrier and immediately made hisway down the snow-covered pathand into the warmth of the piggybarn. He promptly dove head firstbetween two of his favorite pigfriends who were napping, snuggledup to them and went to sleep.

Anselmo made it back the sanctu-ary safe and sound — all to thetune of $406.

Anselmo is now busy growing up

to be the big handsome pig thathe was meant to be, and he sharesa summer yard with his good friend,Jebbi Boye. Anselmo sure coulduse a few sponsors to help offsetthe cost of his daily care. If thispiggy has touched your heart, callus at 330-296-5914 for moreinformation about sponsoringAnselmo either personally or bygiving the gift of life for a specialoccasion!

Anselmo (right) compares notes with his friend,Cisco Pig, through the fence of their yards.

With equally good looks and a greatpersonality, Anselmo has it all!

You Made Sanctuary RepairsAnd Rennovations Possible!Continued from page 5

Caitlin Doherty ran the tamper whileLeah Franchi, Jason Wolbolt andseveral other volunteers raked thestall floors as smooth as possible.Then the new base of each horsestall was covered with black heavy-duty horse mats. We got a reallygood deal on these at Cashman’s inColumbus. HappyTrails volunteers cutthe mats so that theyfit together perfectlyin our 12x12 stalls.

The old stall gateswere replaced withnew metal-framegates with solidwood bottoms, andthey easily slide on achannel high abovethe stalls. The metalframes were spe-cially fabricated byRob Willard andRuss Fisher. Each stall has two newwater buckets and a new cornerfeeder bucket, thanks to a verygenerous donation fromHorseman’s Pride!

The roofing material that hadpartially blown off the horse barn inthe bitter winter winds was repairedthanks to long-time die-hard HappyTrails volunteer, Alex Hale.

An old park bench that was do-nated to the sanctuary was in needof new boards and a face-lift. Alexalso jumped in and took the benchhome for rehabilitation and recov-ery. The bench he brought back

didn’t look like the same piece offurniture. It now proudly sets in themidst of the grassy yard, awaitingsome tired soul to plop down andenjoy the sights and sounds ofanimals around it! In his spare time,Alex also repaired the barn roofwhere the angry winter winds rudely

removedsome of ourroofing.

The feedroom is nowenclosedthanks toRob Willardand RussFisher. Ourgoal is havethe feedroom tem-peraturecontrolled tohelp with the

storage of animal medications andto keep grain and nutritional supple-ments fresh and away from preda-tors and rodents.

The area behind the horse barn wascleared of the dead trees, and JebbiBoye and Anselmo the farm pigspromptly moved in as soon as hog

panels were put in place. A smallshelter will do for their summercottage. There is a lovely littleswampy area that the pigs abso-lutely adore, so we’d better noteven think of filling it in simply forbeing an eye sore. We have toremember that what is one man’strash is another pig’s treasure! Thetwo rapidly growing farm pigs nowhave a summer yard, complete withdowned trees to push around, the

giant mud waller that we jokinglyrefer to as “the swamp”, and tons ofmounds of dirt to dig through andmove all over creation. It’s truly apig paradise, though it may not look

Alex Hale takes a break on the bench thathe renovated for Happy Trails.

Certified electrician, Tom Doolittle,volunteers his time to help wire thenew Happy Trails office!

Many thanks to Jack Lynch forthe most excellent price

and the best concrete job ever!

Please help us thank Jack bycalling him for any concrete

work you may need done!

Jack Lynch

330-673-6944

Jason Wolboldt waves his approval to thedriver of the motorized wheelbarrow thathauled the new dirt into the stalls.

very appealing to folks who enjoywearing clean clothes and nothaving mud splashed in their hair!

The Happy Trails office had a shell,but that was it! The interior wasdesperately in need of newelectrical wiring and finishing.Enter Tom Doolitte, volunteerextraordinaire, who volun-teered his time as a licensedelectrician to install the wiringfor the new office. I can’t tellyou how thrilled we were whenTom and his son, Charlie,offered to help out with thisproject! The drywall is now inthe process of being installedthanks to our hard-workingprofessional volunteer painterand drywall guy, Eli Benshoffand his helper, Larry Ohman.Great job, guys!

The outside of the new office, aswell as several of the other animalshelters, were sealed with a coat ofHappy Trails green and brown,

again thanks to the skills of profes-sional painter and Happy Trailsvolunteer, Eli Benshoff. Always

happy and willing to help out, Eliworked very diligently painting untilevery last drop was in just the rightplace. Many thanks to ElizabethBenshoff, Eli’s daughter, who is ashining example of a teen interested

in bettering her community. Eliza-beth not only coordinates projectsfor Happy Trails, but she gets her

family, friends and schoolinvolved too!

Still To Come: We still need tocut up and remove the deadtrees that are now downed andpushed into a pile behind thehorse barn, and we still haveplenty of landscaping to work onaround the barn itself. There isalso some fencing that needsreplaced, and some other repairsthat need addressed that areminor in comparison to what wehave already accomplished.

Checking Out Our Progress

To get a sneak-peek at what wehave accomplished so far and toview our progress, schedule avisit to tour the sanctuary! CallSharon at 330-573-1450 andplan to meet the animals that

benefit from your kind and generousdonations!

Russ Fisher (left) and Rob Willard (right) nailtrim in the newly rennovated feed room.

Eli Benshoff, professional painter, helpscoat the Happy Trails barns, sheltersand new office in “Wild Horse” brown!

Caitlin Doherty, board member, runs the tamperto tamp the new dirt and rock flat inside the horsestalls.

Many thanks to the followingprofessionals who made the

sanctuary renovations possible.

Please help us thank themby using their services!

page 15

Eli Benshoff (Benshoff Paper andPaint) 330-325-9086

Jack Lynch (concrete work)330-673-6944

Tony Hood (trucking, hauling dirt,sand and gravel) 330-274-2739

Leppo’s Rentals330-633-3999

Horseman’s Pride (pet and horsesupplies; products available throughBig D’s )www.horsemenspride.com

Many Many Thanks!

We can’t say it enough — thankyou to everyone who donated orcontributed their time and talents tomake the sanctuary repairs andrenovations possible. We simplycannot do our work and touch thenumbers of lives that we do withoutyour support and confidence inHappy Trails!

page 16

Deerfield Horse Rescue Continued from page 7

zations that came together to helpthe healing process begin for thismass number of animals. Beginningwith the night of the rescue, ourvolunteer haulers donated their time,trucks, trailers and fuel, as they

waited patiently to be loaded andthen haul their precious cargo to thesafety zone of the fairgrounds. Ourtransport volunteers consisted offolks in law enforcement fromseveral counties, retirees, severalhorse owners who professionallyshow their horses, and other horseowners who simply enjoy, appreciateand love their own equine compan-ions.

Many counties in Ohio call onHappy Trails for help with farmanimal and horse rescue on a dailybasis, and we see the cooperation ofcounty agencies and fairgrounds on

a regular basis. We were thrilled

to have worked hand-in-hand

with the kind and compassionate

folks at the Portage County

Randolph Fairgrounds, and

admire them for their sense of

community and their spirit of

compassion. If it weren’t for the

participation and cooperation of thePortage County Fairgrounds and thefairgrounds Board Of Directors whochoose to not accept animal abuse intheir county, this rescue would nothave been possible. Doggone tired

and mentally exhausted,many of the die-hardvolunteers for HappyTrails had dedicated agreat deal of time to thecare and monitoring of therescued horses. Volun-teers stayed overnight atthe fairgrounds to keepwatch over these preciouslives and to make sure thattheir grain, hay andmedications stayed on arigid schedule as westarted them on the roadto recovery. People fromall over volunteered theirtime to help out with themonumental tasks associ-

ated with caring for the rescuedhorses. I personally witnessed morethan one foster person standing atthe gate of a stall, with big, silenttears streaming down their faces asthey gazed in at the malnourished

bodies and mangled feet. Caring

and compassionate kids from 4-

H groups made themselves

available to help with anything

that needed done. The HappyTrails phone rang off the hook withmore phone calls than we couldrealistically return in a lifetime.

Foster homes appeared and wewere able to visit and approve morehomes than were actually needed!The incredible dedication that ittakes to be a foster home is beyondadmirable. A foster parent of arescued animal accepts the responsi-bility of 24 hours a day care. Theyagree to follow a slow recoveryprogram to the “T”, and keep a logof that horse’s recovery progress.The foster parents accept therescued animal for what it is, and

agree to deal with their fears,behavioral issues and lack ofhuman contact and training. Ahorse that has been left un-handled in it’s stall for exces-sive periods of time can lackthe manners needed to be safe

to work around. Foster

homes go above and beyond

the call of duty when work-

ing rehab for Happy Trails,

and we are grateful for the

foster homes who have

agreed to so many condi-

tions in this rescue case.They work closely with the

Yearling April, who at the time of the rescueappeared to be a four month old, recentlyunderwent hernia surgery at OSU. Shecame through with flying colors.

Carrie Shuster (left) 4-H leader and a fantastic group of4-H kids who want to make a difference in the lives ofabused animals arrived at the fairgrounds to help washand clean the layers of manure off the horses.

Volunteer Debbie McCort walks a very thinhorse named Newt on a lead line.

page 17

veterinarians and farriers for theultimate care these rescued horsescan receive.

The concern and caring ofpeople who followed this story wasnothing short of incredible, and even

today, I still am in awe of how manypeople stepped forward to help out insome way — to show their concernfor the animals in need and to showtheir support for the rescue work of

the sanctuary. We simply cannot

express our gratitude enough for

the outpouring of compassion,

support and kindness that was

extended throughout this rescue.

Now What?

Rehabilitation and recovery will be along road for most of these wonder-ful creatures. Since they have nowbeen offi-cially signedover toHappy Trails,we can beginto seekappropriateand approvedadoptivehomes forthem. Theycontinue toreceive thevery best ofveterinaryand medicalcare, farrierexpertise fortheir over-

It is unrealistic for the burdenof a rescue of this size to

be placed on any oneorganization. There is notone entity that is equippedto handle a mass animalremoval and rescue, but

when everyone’s strengthsand skills are brought togetherand everyone works together

for a common good,everything is possible!

grown hooves, propernutrition, and plenty ofattention from ourconcerned and experi-enced volunteers andfoster homes.

The process to findadoptive homes, though,can be difficult to saythe least. Some of thehorses will be on theroad to recovery forquite a while yet, so wewon’t know if some ofthem will be able to rideor work in any capacityuntil more progress ismade with their rehabilitation. Someof them may end up being pasturepals, horses that have a good qualityof life, but due to their previousneglect, are notable to carrythe weight of arider or work inany capacity.They still willbe in desperateneed of kind,loving andcompassionatehomes.

During

the waiting

game while

we are ac-

tively search-

ing out adop-

tive

homes,

Happy

Trails continues to be

solely responsible for

providing proper nutrition,

health care, safe shelter,

professional hoof rehabili-

tation, vaccinations, and all

other care associated with

responsible horse rehabili-

tation and recovery. Rightnow, our goal is to give eachand every one of these 15horses a fighting chance — achance to live a life free fromthe pain of mangled hoovesand overstretched tendons, achanced to have full and

satisfied bellies on a regular basis,and a chance to lay down everysingle night on a thick, dry, soft bed.

So though the initial rescue ofthe horses isover, we arenow moving onto yet anotherdifficult part ofthe journey forall of us — thecontinuedrehabilitationand recoveryof each horse.We are confi-dent, however,that folks willcontinue towatch thehorse’sprogress andcontinue towork hand-in-

hand with Happy Trails for the goodof the animals and of our community.These horses have truly touched thelives of hundreds of people and havebrought together a community thatdoes not wish to allow animal abuse

to exist.

We are grateful to each and

every one you who chose to be-

come involved in this rescue in

some way, and we are honored to

have so many people involved who

truly care!Jennifer Sanderson, Portage APLHumane Officer, helps rake thestalls clean at the fairgrounds.

A veterinarian determined that Sage neededto gain between 250 and 300 lbs. to be at ahealthy weight. In this photos she hadalready started to gain her weight back!

Apprentice farrier Jarred Oats (left) and farrier CraigLindauer (right) team up for our first attempt at getting thehorse’s hooves slowly back into shape.

that he had love, care and servantswaiting for him at Happy Trails.

“If you want to come home with uslater this week, you need to eat anddrink to get strong!” Before we left,he had buried his nose deep into thefood bucket and politely ate...andate...and ate...

A series of surgeries repaired hisright ear to bring the pieces-partstogether to create as much of afunctional and usable ear as pos-sible. Eyelid surgery made it so thathe can successfully close his left eyeto keep the eye properly lubricated.

Throughout Jebbi Boye’s ordeal, heconstantly kept the most pleasantpersonality. He was always kindeven when we were certain he wasin a lot of pain. He was alwayshappy to see company, and seemedto want to welcome us into his

world. Hemade usfeel goodaboutwhat weweredoing tohelp him.He was afighter,never giving up, even when the painof his injuries could have beensimply too much to bear. He wasnever a quitter, and he loved life. Hemade the most of his situation, andkept himself entertained andhappy. Not once did heappear to be depressed orsad. He looked at each dayas though it were an opportu-nity to make his humancaretakers laugh at his antics,and he seemed wise beyondhis years. Talk about living lifeto the fullest, having the bestoutlook you could possiblyhave and cherishing each day— Jebbi did all that andmore! He is the perfect example ofsomeone who has a fantasticattitude and who doesn’t let life get

Jebbi Boye(continued from page 3)

them down.

Some people miss a lot of thelessons that the animals in ourlives have to teach us, andsometimes folks fail to seethemselves reflected in the theiractions. Or, is it that somepeople are afraid of thereflection that they see?Without judging others, Jebbi

continues to set his good exampledaily and lives his life in such a wayas to inspire everyone. He doesn’tshove lessons down your throat or

force you listen. He simply lives hislife and is a shining example for usto observe, to learn from, and totake to heart...if we choose to doso. If anyone had a right to bedefensive, to be angry, to be bitteror to be stand-offish, it would beJebbi Boye. But he is not, and heapparently has no plans to ever beanything other than kind, polite,happy, welcoming, and simplythrilled to have yet another day tobring joy to those around him. Let’snot miss his gentle lesson or ignorehis example of his appreciation forlife. If you visit Happy Trails, makesure to say hi to Jebbi Boye andoffer him a pat on his fuzzy littlehead, and thank him for being sucha wonderful role model for the restof us. When we can’t always findthe right people as role models inour lives, it sure doesn’t hurt to turnto our animal friends to teach ussome important life lessons!

Jebbie Boye (center), who is now completely healed, and his pig friend, Anselmo

(left) dig the dirt away from fencing to do their part to help the bigger pigs escape.

Jebbie Boye’s favorite thing is mud puddles.

Here are items, both big andsmall, that would be helpful!

• Bottled water or soft drinks forour hard working volunteers

• Lime or stall deoderizer

• Hay and straw (and lotsof both!) not morethan a year old andcannot be moldy

• Yard care suppliessuch as leaf rakes, mulch,garden rakes, pruners and trimmers

• Gas & fuel cards for diesel andgasoline

• Draft-size horse halters

• A post-hole digger attachment forour Bob Cat

• Sleeping bags, comforters andblankets for the arthritic or injuredanimals

• Large pet porters, crates or cagesin good condition.

• Dog kennels

• Office supplies (stamps, 8½”x11"color or white copy paper)

• Printer cartridges for our EpsonCX4800 printer

• Feed: Hog pellets, duck/goosepellets, chicken laying mash orscratch (any brands)

• Paste wormers such as Quest,Strongid, Zimectrin, Panacur, etc.

• A large storage shed to organizeand protect tools, equipment andanimal supplies

• A reliable 1-ton truck (to pull thehorse trailer and transport animals, tohaul feed, to take pet porters full ofpot belly pigs to and from the vet)

• Horse tack — new or used. Itemsthat we cannot use at the sanctuaryare taken to auction, and all pro-ceeds benefit our equine rescueprograms

Happy Trails is a 501c3 non-profitorganization. Donations are taxdeductible as permitted by law.

NAME _____________________________________ ADDRESS ____________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP ________________________________________ PHONE___________________________

You can sign up to receive occasional sanctuary news updates through e-mail.Log onto our website at www.happytrailsfarm.org and register to receive farm news!

Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary is a 501c3non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of

kind folks who believe in our animal rescue efforts.

Please consider making a difference by sendinga donation to help spread compassion and the save the life

of a neglected, abused or abandoned farm animal today.

DONATION INFORMATION

I’d like to send a donation at this time of

q$25 q$35 q$55 q$75 q$125 q$______other

q Please use this donation where it is needed the most.

q I’d like my donation to be in memory of my beloved pet

__________ (name), a __________(type of animal), who has crossed

the Rainbow Bridge

qPlease add me to your mailing list. q I am already on your mailing list.

qPlease send me a tax-deductible receipt for my donation.

Return to Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Inc.5623 New Milford Rd., Ravenna, Oh 44266

Happy Trails rescue programs are funded by

your thoughtful and generous donations.

Many thanks for your support and kindness!

How YourDonation Helps

The biggest expenses at HappyTrails are the medical and veterinarycare of the rescued animals, andcoming in at a close second is the feed,grain, hay, supplements and nutritionalneeds required to promote healing andrecovery. Shelter needs, barn andshelter repairs, fencing and daily carecome in third.

Happy Trails operates on an all-

volunteerstaff andhas nopaidemploy-ees.

If thereis a typeofanimal that touches your heart, or ifthere is a specific shelter, fencingor other project that you would likeyour donation to go toward, we willbe more than happy to honor yourrequest.

Wish List

OR CURRENT RESIDENT

5623 New Milford Road • Ravenna, Ohio 44266

(330) 296-5914 www.happytrailsfarm.org

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

AKRON OH

PERMIT NO.12

Attention Nursing Homes!

Happy Trails Farm Animal VisitationProgram brings many smiles to thefaces of our elderly friends! If you wouldlike more information about the FarmAnimal Visitation Program, contactCheri Rider at 330-301-1552.

HelpAnimalsGetAdopted!

Print out theanimal-of-the-week flierfrom ourwebsite atwww.happytrailsfarm.org, and hang it up inyour local vet offices and feed stores.

...JULY

• WKDD Kidz Day — July 18, Boettler Parkin Green

• Summit County Fair in Tallmadge — July28 to August 2

...AUGUST

• Deerfield Raceway — Aug. 22

...SEPTEMBER

• Equine Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser atWalsh Farms in Doylestown— Sat.,Sept. 5

• Skunk Fest in North Ridgeville — Sept. 12

• Twinsburg Historical Society —Sept. 12

• Balloon Affair in downtown Ravenna —Sept. 19 & 20

...OCTOBER

• Case Barlow Farm Fall Festival in Hudson— Oct. 3

Check our website for details —www.happytrailsfarm.org!

Where Will You See HappyTrails In...

Need A Happy Trails PresentationFor Your Organization, Club,School or University?

Call us at 330-296-5914 to schedule a specialpresentation about the rescue work of thesanctuary or choose from a variety of otheranimal-related topics and issues.

Students in the University Of AkronSocial Problems class handle a formercockfighting rooster.