Lori's Farm Story:
The very first time I visited Farm Sanctuary at Thanksgiving for the Turkeys 2009, I was so excited to meet all of the animals of whom Brian had spoken so much. I was especially eager to meet Coco, his very first friend on the farm, along with Whitaker, the baby cow, and Bonnie, the loveable donkey, amongst many others. I recall the anticipation as we pulled up and parked down near the lower pasture area. We had arrived a bit early (I think they were letting visitors in at 1 pm to start meeting the animals), so we headed up to the People Barn. We got registered and looked around the barn a bit. The shopper in me was immediately drawn to the gift and souvenir shop! However, I knew we would be there all day, so it was best if I paced myself. I made some mental notes on things that would be good to get, and then I started to get excited and anxious about meeting the animals.
I remember first meeting Coco – she was still isolated from the other goats at that time, but she was already nicely healed from her surgery a few months before, and she was somewhat interested in us. However, once she checked us out for a few minutes, she decided to head her own way. I can certainly understand – she was still getting used to people. After the way she had been treated at her former home, I wouldn’t blame her for wanting nothing to do with people at all! She was still friendly and let us pet her for a few minutes before heading off.
As I mentioned before, I was eager to meet Whitaker as I had heard so much about him. We headed over to the cow pasture, and there were quite a few cows out! I had not expected the staff to let people roam around the pasture and pet the cows close-up. The fact that I would be walking around cows without a fence between us was a little bit unnerving at first. You see, when I was kid, I would visit my grandfather on his farm. I would ride in the back of his pickup (I know, very unsafe, but I survived) as he drove through the pasture to feed the cows. The cows, being smart, got to know him and always knew that the truck meant that it was also feeding time. They would run and chase after the truck, which terrified me as a kid, because I thought they were going to hop up into the truck with me! Also, as a cross-country runner in high school, our coach had us running in the pastures behind the school. They were fenced in, but we would hop the fence and run down the dirt roads for practice. One afternoon, we hopped the fence as usual, and there were some cows off in the distance. I was wary, but they were far enough away so that I really didn’t worry too much. However, as the practice went on, they got closer and closer. Eventually, they were fairly close, and I had had enough. My nerves were shot! Luckily, practice was over, so we had to run back to the locker room. As we left, the cows started running alongside us, which really freaked me out! I was probably the slowest kid on the team typically, but that day I was the first one to make it back to the locker room! I probably set a new land speed record! If only they had cows on the courses during our races, I would have finished first in every race!
Ok, so now that you know about my fear of “unpredictable” cows, I got up the nerve to go into the pasture with the cows. I met Phoenix and Cupid, two large black & white Holstein cows, who were friendly enough and not too huge. “This is OK,” I thought. Then I met Harrison, who was super friendly & was licking my hand. No cows were chasing me or eyeballing me threateningly, so I felt pretty good. I was especially excited to meet Whitaker, who also licked my hand and tried to eat my coat sleeve. He was so sweet.
Then came Fritz…huge Fritz. His shoulders were about 6 inches above my head, so you can imagine how tall his head height was! He just calmly ate grass while I petted his head and neck…he was not bothered by me at all. I had never been really up close to cows before, but I never knew they could be this big! I learned later that cows like Fritz are normally taken away from their mothers soon after they are born, either to be veal calves or killed since they are not “valuable” to the meat or dairy industry. Therefore, you really never see grown-up cows at farms because they are killed before they get too old. Since Fritz came to live at the farm, he was allowed to grow up like any cow should be allowed to…he was truly a “happy cow”. Fritz really helped me overcome my fear of cows, and looking into his eyes, and into the eyes of Whitaker, Phoenix, Cupid, Mario, Harrison, and all of the others, I realized that they are not “just” animals but have their own feelings & personalities, just like my dog Heidi or any of my other pets.
I also got to see just how big pigs really get, which was amazing. During my 1st visit, we weren’t allowed to hang with the pigs because the swine flu was all over the news. I guess the farm wanted to be cautious and keep the pigs safe from people who may be carrying swine flu (and possibly vice versa). I still enjoyed watching them play & nap (nap, mostly – I was jealous)!
I also was able to pet a turkey for the 1st time. They are so soft! The turkeys were very excited about getting their feast soon, but they were kind enough to let us pet them behind their wings, which they seemed to enjoy. I was so glad that all of them were there & not on someone’s dinner table.
All in all, it was a great day, and I truly love hearing the stories about the animals! I have visited the farm 2 other times and have met other wonderful animals, like Blossom, Melvin, Elliot, Edwin, Oliver, Justin, and so many others! I hope to be able to visit there again soon, and I am so grateful that the farm is there to help with these rescues and advocate for the animals. Most people don’t realize how wonderful these animals truly are, and that makes me feel sad, not only for the animals but for those people, too….they are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to get to know some sweet spirits
