Dear little Puggles.....

I am writing this a day early because I know what a mess I will be tomorrow.

Little Puggles (chi/pug) is very old (estimated to be about 14-16 yrs old). Puggles came to us in November of 2009 via a rescue we know. Puggles was brought in from the USA (Ohio) & came from a life of breeding in a puppy mill. When Puggles first arrived we determined she had very little sight, was not house trained and she would continuously walk in circles the size of a small cage .

Puggles LOVES to be cuddled & soon began sleeping in the bed with me....she would awake in the night & wiggle around in the bed until she found me....then I would get a little "lick/kiss" & off to sleep she would go. She always wants to be close.

I have never had a small dog before & she has been such a joy in our lives. I really don't know what I will do without her as we have been so close for the short time we had together.

Over the past few months she has been failing. We have had her at the vet several times but this is just a case of having a hard life & being old. She is now unable to walk, control her urine & yesterday stopped eating. It is time & we both know it. I so wanted to have her with us over Christmas but realized I was doing this more for me than her & she is suffering. So, tomorrow(Thursday) we will say good-bye.

As much as this is killing me, I would do it all again in a heartbeat...one year with this little dog has meant so much ....to her , but mostly to me.

R.I.P Puggles, I will see you again....

Winter is here....

The ground is covered in snow,the temps are in the minus range, the pond frozen & the hydro meter is spinning in delight from all the heat being on in the animals houses!

I had forgotten how much longer the chores take in the winter! Oh well , only 4 months to go !!

Some sad news here at Snooters. The other day I went in the barn for morning chores & found one of the chicken ladies, "Tiny", sprawled out on the cold floor far from the heat lamp. She was unconscious , I thought dead, until I saw her head move slightly as I picked her up. She was cold & stiff but alive. I ran her over to the house , put her in my laundry basket with warm blankets and a hot pack & placed her in front of the fire. Within a couple of hours she was lifting her head to look around....I was so happy she was alive!!! I gave her some warm sweet water in a syringe & let her rest by the fire. She seemed to take a turn for the worse at supper time & became more & more lethargic. Perhaps she was sick from something else & this is why she collapsed away from the warmth in the barn??

I picked her up all warmly wrapped in a blanket & cuddled her telling her how beautiful she is.

At that moment she closed her eyes and took her last breath. At least she died warm & loved. RIP dear Tiny...

2011 Calendars on Sale

Hi everyone,

Our Snooters 2011 calendars are on sale now! They feature a different Snooters gang member & animal rights saying on each month.

$15 each or 2/$25 (shipping included)

See our web site merchandise page www.snootersforeverhome.com or email me at snootersforeverhome@gmail.com to order. Payment via Paypal or cheque (email me for our mailing addy).

I will need your mailing address too!

Thank you for your support!

Volunteer Day # 2

Yesterday's weather could not have been better....warm, sunny, mild breeze!

We welcomed about 30 people to Snooters for our 2nd volunteer day. This one was getting the sanctuary ready for winter.

Everyone was hard at work doing pig house cleaning (dusty/dirty job!), gravel moving (heaving work!), scraping & painting fence posts (messy!), poop scooping (smelly!) , sealing cracks in the calfs house, cleaning out the horse lean-to (hard work!), scrubbing troughs, horse grooming (a favorite, it seems!).

The jobs were done quickly thanks to the hard workers & we all relaxed to a hot vegan lunch! It was so nice to meet new people & see "old" friends!

We cannot thank all of you enough for supporting us both physically, emotionally & financially!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts....

September/October news

Things have been busy over the past several weeks. We are getting ready for winter here at Snooters. A volunteer day is planned for Saturday October 23rd 10am-5pm....come out & join us !
This past week has been filled with sadness in Toronto & surrounding area. First a livestock truck with a careless driver flipped over in Orangeville trapping 736 (yes, 736 !!) young pigs. Over half died or were euthanized on the scene. In less than a week another truck loaded with over 200 pigs took the Toronto 427 hwy ramp too fast & flipped killing 89 pigs....the "lucky" survivors were loaded into another truck & continued their journey to the slaughterhouse. The entire situation just makes me SO angry!
A friend arranged a candle light memorial on the Orangeville accident site & a handful of us attended to grieve for these poor little souls.
The following day was the nationwide anti horse slaughter protest. Bill C-544 is being tabled soon to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption in Canada. It was a good turn out with media attention. At least 6 restaurants in Toronto serve horse meat on their menu! We focused on the "Beer Bistro" King St east & "La Palette" in Kensington market. Fingers crossed this bill is passed!
Our little Puggles (pug/chi puppy mill breeding dog) has not been well. We had her at the vet & with some special food & antibiotics she is holding her own. It is difficult because at her advanced age (estimated to be 14+ years) & poor health (from the puppy mill life) she is very fragile. We will continue to give her all the love & comfort she needs!

**UPDATE** Puggles is doing MUCH better...eating well & back to her "old" (literally !) self ;)

Veggie Food Fair , Baby peachicks & new signs!

First off I totally forgot to mention we have 3 little peachicks here at Snooters! They are very cute & I love to watch them learning from their Moms & the others in the flock! One little one is very special as he is all white!! I am very excited to see what he looks like as an adult in the future!

This past weekend Snooters was at the Toronto Vegetarian Assc Food Fair here in Toronto. The TVA kindly donated a table for 5 Ontario sanctuaries to share. Our time was on Saturday from noon to 3pm. I met so many great like minded people & saw many friends who have visited the sanctuary in the past. We sold some mugs, picture note cards & some beautiful hand drawn/painted cards that Kristi made for us to sell. Also, a special mention to Anne who baked some yummy vegan cupcakes to sell with the proceeds being split between the sanctuaries.

It was such a great event with lots of products to buy & sample. Great food & wonderful speakers! This is an event I will not miss every September!

We had Ashli & Norman's donated name signs delivered yesterday....they look great & the boys approve! Thank you to Gary & Courtney!

Animal news...& misc stuff!

Wow, I haven't posted anything for 6 weeks, where does the time go? Here it is September, summer gone & winter approaching.

All is well here on the farm. Ashli & Norman, the dairy bull calfs, are growing like weeds. They are off their bottles & on grain /hay now ! Such handsome boys they are!

We have 4 new rescue hens (from a battery cage operation). They are bald, with short cut beaks & scared to death of people when they first arrived. After just one week they are much better and actually come over to me when I go in their stall. We are planning to build them a coop & fenced in area before spring. We have named them "big Bertha", "Tiny" & "Laverne & Shirley".

We have welcomed lots of visitors in the past month to meet & learn about Snooters. Next weekend (Sept 10-12) is the Toronto Vegetarian Fair at Harbourfront in Toronto. The TVA has kindly offered us a table to share with other Ontario sanctuaries. We will be there on Saturday the 11th from 12-3pm...come by to say hello (& perhaps buy a mug or note cards to help support the animal care!)

Yesterday we had friends over. Kim came to help with hooves. She is the great "pig flipper" & Brian does the trimming as I hold legs & help anyway I can. The pigs hate it but it has to be done yearly. Thank goodness it is over until next year now! Thanks Kim!!

Kristi & Niall came over after & brought me the most precious gift....a portrait Niall did of our Trixie! Both Brian & I were teary when we saw it. We still miss her so much. It is a gift I will treasure always.

Feeding time so I better run...it is a good day when everyone eats well !!

Snooters News

A few new things happening here at Snooters!

Our 11 yr old Lab/Rottie "Riley" had his knee (ACL) surgery done. It went very well & he is recouping nicely at home. Poor Riley has 5 weeks of staying in the house & only going out for pee/poops on leash....he is used to running about so this is not easy for him !

Last weekend we saw our first pee chicks born (other than poor little Peeper )....Mama peahen was marching around showing them off....2 very cute little ones!

The families of Canada Geese are getting bigger. One family (the first ones born) did their first fly around the pond today....honking in delight !

It has been very hot here for the past few weeks....the animals all lay low to stay cool. The pigs lounge in the mud wallows & cool forest. The calfs & horses lay under the trees & enjoy when I give them a spray of cool water.

We have a busy week of visitors coming up so everyone will get lots of attention!

Ashli & Norman move in...

Today was move in day for Ashli & Norman the rescued bull calfs! Ashli arrived here about 9 weeks ago & Norman about 6 weeks, rescued from the dairy industry. On their way to slaughter at 2 days of age they now have their forever home here at Snooters!

The paddock fenced area & shelter were built last month & we were just waiting for them to recoup from their castration & horn debudding. All is done & in they moved this morning!

We walked them over to the new area & they ran, jumped and ran some more for about 15 mins! They seem to like it just fine! I tucked them in & closed the door about 830pm while they munched on some grain & fresh water. The area looks great from all the volunteers painting the fence & shelter last month...thank you!

I told them they never have to move again!!

R.I.P Peeper....

A week ago today I found an abandoned peachick in the barn. He was not walking well & seemed small even for a newly hatched chick. I placed him back with Mom & she proceeded to attack him. An hour later I tried again with the same out come.

Little Peeper came into the house with me! He was so cute! We kept him warm with a heat pad , crate with blankets & straw . He drank warm water & was gaining strength ever minute. By the next morning he was running around keeping me in his sight every second ...I was now his mother! While doing chores I would wrap him up in a towel & place him down my top...a little awkward but it worked!

Peepers also loved to follow our little blind chi/pug cross ....they would march around the bedroom for hours & finally both lay down & fall asleep in the sun.

Peepers was learning to eat (Peachicks eat on their own by day 2). He would eat small amounts & I would supplement with vitamins etc in his water. He was doing so well I was really not worried at all !

By day four Peepers appeared weak...sleeping far more than normal. We increased the frequency of his feedings & added protein, pedalyte etc to his water. Everyday he was worse & we felt so helpless.

Last night I had him sleep with me (his crate beside the bed). I told him I loved him, gave him a kiss & put him to bed at 11pm....he "peeped" back at me.

I woke up at 2 am to feed him & he had died...

Peepers is buried in our animal memorial garden beside L.B. (the bunny).

Only one week with him & he stole my heart...I miss the little fella.

R.I.P. Peepers.... XXXOOO

First Ever Volunteer Day

Yesterday was our very first volunteer day here at Snooters.The weather called for thunder storms & 20mm of rain but it stayed beautiful with only a few sprinkles at the end of the day! I have to admit I was totally shocked at the great response to our Facebook event invite. We ended up with 68 people here helping out! 90 % of them I had never met in person.

A ton of work got done in a very short period of time....lots of painting & several tons (& I really mean tons) of gravel moved into Poppy/Flossy paddock. Pig houses cleaned, poop scooped, even weeds pulled & of course the horses bathed & groomed!

Everyone arrived about 10am to coffee/tea/juice & vegan pastries from the Danish Vegan Bakery (who so kindly delivered & discounted costs for us!) We all got started about 11am & everything was done by 2pm! A hot vegan lunch was served & everyone got to chill out, visit with each other & all the animals.

Everyone loved seeing the pigs in the mud wallows, the peafowl walking about, the house piggies on the porch , the horses all clean & shining but mostly the calf's ! Ashli & Norman were the best ambassadors....they LOVE to be petted! I think there are about a 1000 photos floating around of them in peoples cameras!

It is so nice to see people really connect with farm animals like this.

I really want to thank everyone who came out, both new & old friends!

Special thanks to Mary, Mark, Judy, Kim , Kristi, Niall, Bob & Sherry (who have their own pig sanctuary "Ruby Ranch" but came to help) Vanessa, my daughter Angela, granddaughter Alyssa, & son-in-law Dony who did a ton of work.

Thank you !!!! Next year anyone???!!

Norman is here...

Norman the Jersey bull calf arrived 2 days ago! Little Norman was very young & still unsteady on his legs. Taken from his Mom at birth he was still calling out for her when he arrived here. It was a very hot day & we cooled him down in the stall. He refused to eat or drink anything for the first 24 hours but is doing just fine now on his bottle!

Norman & Ashli met and seemed happy to see each other. As the days have gone by they are becoming more & more bonded....playing & grooming each other !

The calls for his Mom have stopped & he is settling in to his forever home quickly!

We hope to have their paddock & shelter built in the next few weeks so they can venture out to play 24/7.

What beautiful creatures these calfs are....smart, loving & very funny ! Hard to believe they are sold for mere dollars....how can any life be worth so little?? These are 2 of millions who are discarded daily for being born male in an industry who enslaves the females for their milk. They all suffer.

Ashli & Norman will live their lives free from worry. We will give them food, shelter & most of all LOVE !!

Ashli's video

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=441921400128&ref=mf

Welcome Ashli to the family!

Last week we welcomed our first bovine to the Snooters family!

Ashli is named after a friend who dedicated her life to animal welfare. She was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident last February. I said our next rescue animal would carry her name.

Ashli is a little boy but in soap opera world "Ashli" is a great boys name! He certainly seems to like it!

Our little guy came from a rescue, which is not at all unusual....most every male calf born to a dairy enslaved Mom will be sent for veal slaughter...so sad but true. So many people do not eat veal because of the cruelty but forget about the dairy industry.

Little Ashli came here last Friday with his umbilical cord still attached (dried/but still attached), I was told he is probably 2-3 days old. We were suppose to get 2 calves but sometimes things change & no one can answer why. Hopefully we will get Ashli a friend very soon.

He is the sweetie little man . Friendly, gentle, funny & so curious about the world. For now he is living in the barn & being bottle fed but I hope to get him into a paddock soon. We will be having to fence off another section & build a "house/lean-to" for him before fall.

Welcome Ashli, we love you already !!!

PS... the tag in his ear will be removed SOON !

The Hens...

This is a difficult post to write....I have been putting it off long enough.

About 3 weeks ago I was writing how the hens enjoyed their first day in the sun. Over the next several days they were so excited to go out & peck around with their new found freedom.

On Wednesday almost 3 weeks ago I was home & let them out as usual. I went to check on them about 11am & they were pecking & scratching 50 feet or so away from the barn.

At 3pm I went over again & they were no where to be seen. I spend hours walking the property calling (they would usually come running to my stupid chicken call !) & looking for any sign (good or bad) of their whereabouts....nothing.

I did up signs/picture & put them in every mailbox within a km of here as well as in our local food store. I had a feeling I would look out & they would just be there again. Obviously my "feeling" was wrong. They have still not returned.

It is so strange they all disappeared together. The only thing I can think is they wandered into the forest (quite a walk for them) & got lost .Unfortunately there are predators in the forest too.

I feel so guilty we did not pen them up. I honestly thought (& was told) they would stay close to the barn on their own. These are our first chickens & my ignorance cost them their lives....I am so sorry girls. I hope you enjoyed your life free from a cage for the short time you had here. I so miss your songs in the morning , we loved having you here.

We hope to rescue more battery hens soon & will do things very differently.

a young animal advocate....

This past week I received an email from a girl about placing 4 chicks. I called the phone number & asked for her by name ( I will call her "A")....this young voice (12 yrs old) came on the phone & explained to me how her class had 4 chicks they had raised that were to be turned back over to the "producer" on Monday. She wanted them to live & was trying to find a forever home for them. I told her I would gladly take them & we would make arrangements this weekend to get them here....she was so excited (as was I !)

I came home from work yesterday to a phone message from this young girls mother."A" was too upset to talk. Apparently a mother of one of the classmates was the one who arranged the chicks to be in the classroom in the first place. They were to be returned to the producer after they had grown. The other mother got wind that they were trying to find a home at a sanctuary for the chicks & quickly got them back to the producer before we could arrange things! My God, we would have paid the few dollars the producer thinks they are worth to save them. What is wrong with people?? What a horrible example for her own child in the classroom!

Poor "A" was very upset (as was her Mother). What a thoughtful, compassion young lady "A" is. I told her she will make an awesome animal advocate/activist one day! She is going to join us at the Toronto Vegetarian Association parade in Toronto on June 5th & help me hand out "Snooters" pamphlets!

A failed rescue ;( but a found friend !

New site in "Links of Interest"

Take a minute & check out the new site in "links of interest" to the right. A lot of excellent info!

His work is done - Goodbye, Edgar.

His work is done - Goodbye, Edgar.

Posted using ShareThis

*** this post is about a special pig from Australia....please click on the "his work is done(small case)" & read his story. RIP dear Edgar Allan Pig

Flossy in a You Tube video!!

Check out this video on "rescue" animals....our Flossy is in it! (approx the 1:41min mark). You will recognize the pic as it is the one we use on our bookmarks & as our "home" page picture for Snooters web site!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8miJcfFBf_0

Spring & the hens!!!

Anyone who lives in southern Ontario knows we have had some amazingly warm temperatures for March & now April. Those of us who experience winter REALLY appreciate spring!!

The 4 hens we rescued last November lived their lives confined to a cage the size of a piece of computer paper....no fresh air, no sunshine, only knowing contempt from their caregivers."Stop laying eggs & off to the slaughter house"...

Well, these gals have blossomed!!! They went from being bald (from stress) to beautiful feathers....from being terrified of people to running for attention from any human who enters the barn. They sing their lovely "song" morning, noon & night to anyone who will listen.

Yesterday I opened the big barn door for the first time & they moved as a "pack" to investigate....looking up at the sun & blue sky ...then looking at me for a signal if it was okay to go out. I told them it was okay & off they went...pecking, scratching, spreading their wings in delight!

Enough to bring tears to your eyes. Anyone who says chickens are dumb , I say you have never met a chicken...they are very intuitive to all their surroundings.

The pictures above are them right out of the factory farm & then now, enjoying the life they should lead!

Thanks Christen for bringing them into our lives!

Snooters Volunteer Day !

Saturday June 19th @ 10am-6pm .... come out & join us at Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary. Pitch in with some chores, have a great vegan lunch & meet some awesome animal loving people....not to mention all the Snooters animals !!!

RSVP by June 10th. I will then send out directions to our home.

I hope to see you here!

Peak-a_Boo Puppet Show ...CANCELLED

The Peak-a-Boo Puppet show has been CANCELLED ! Hopefully to be rescheduled in the future! Thank you for your interest!

If you still eat meat, you may want to read this....

To the right of this page is a section called "Snooters Links of Interest". I suggest reading the "Cull Dairy Cows/Butch Clare" article.

People ask me why I don't eat dairy....just look at these poor cows & hear their story. Frankly, if it upsets you...TOO BAD....it is the least you can do for these animals . Educate yourself & don't just "look away" !!!

CeeCee & DeeDee

CeeCee & DeeDee are very lucky pigs! They have found a wonderful forever home to be able to live as pigs should, sunning, rooting & playing!

Their story begins with them being breeding sows & almost ended with them being someones dinner.

After a tense few days , lots of work & emails they found their home in eastern Ontario on a farm with other animals & someone who adores pigs!

If only all rescues could have this happy ending....

UPDATE....CEECEE and DEEDEE in their new forever home at my friend Allison's in eastern Ontario! The girls have settled in nicely & are enjoying their new lives of playing, rooting & sunning! Thanks for giving them a great home Allison!

Has Spring actually Sprung !

What a beautiful sunny day here in Ontario....temps are warm (for March!), snow is melting & the animals are out & about enjoying it!

The indoor piggies (& dogs) are all finding their own piece of sun to lay in. The peafowl are out on the porch enjoying the day too!

I woke up to a strange noise outside this morning & saw a flock of wild turkeys walking about on the frozen pond. The peafowl were watching the intruders with interest.

Why is it the sun makes everyone feel so much better? Do us folk in the colder climates just appreciate it more or do the southern people always feel this good!! LOL

Forrest was already outside his house laying in the straw when I went over to feed this am...a big smile on his face (or I thought so anyway!)

Harley & Dolly (horses) are very perky with Dolly running & kicking out with glee!

Poppy & Flossy are laying in their houses with their heads hanging out facing the sun, eyes closed & looking VERY pleased with the experience.

Gracie is out on "her" porch with a slight sunburn from yesterday....a pink belly never hurt anyone!

We should be able to allow the hens out shortly if the warm weather continues....I know they will love feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time.

Hope everyone took advantage of this gorgeous day....the gang here all did!

Please read & participate....

THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL DEMO. YOU CAN DO IT FROM YOUR HOUSE, WORK, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE.

Phone 416-861-4999
E-mail: bonnie.brooks@hbc.com; christina.levine@hbc.com; customer.service@hbc.com

It will take you less than one minute! Each call statistically speaks for over 100 people. And you will feel good knowing that you did something for the animals.

Please contact the Bay during business hours (9am to 5pm) on Friday February 26th and let them know that you want them stop selling fur.

Be polite
Be direct
Be concise.

Phone numbers: http://www.hbc.com/storelocator/default.asp?langid=EN&src=hbc
(this is for Ontario, but you can find the Bay near you by searching according to your province)
Ask to speak to the store manager.

CALL THE HEAD OFFICE AS WELL: 416-861-4999 ask to speak with Bonnie Brooks (She is the CEO of the Bay)

(Note: it is easier to get through to the right person if you don't lecture the operator/receptionist who answers the phone; just ask to speak with Bonnie Brooks without saying anything about fur. Don't be afraid to give your name, you are not doing anything wrong! And if you get a voicemail: leave a message)

e-mail: bonnie.brooks@hbc.com; christina.levine@hbc.com; customer.service@hbc.com

This activism alert is part of two "days of action" that we will be doing every month during the winter. On Friday, February 26th we are asking everyone to email and call the Bay and on Saturday, February 27th we are organizing a day of physical protest (please see the event here:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=500722875573

The Bay in Toronto has continued its fur sale and has reduced prices from 40 - 60% off: they are having a difficult time selling these coats. The Bay in Burlington is in the same position.

Tell the bay in your own words how you feel about them selling fur.

What do I say?

"Could I please get a complaint logged?... I would like the Bay to know that I do not support their sale of animal fur, and as a customer of the Bay, I would like them to stop selling all animal furs in their stores."

But I'm shy?

This is understandable. No need to speak for hours or to make a speech, just tell them how you feel in your own words

Thanks to wonderful compassionate people like you, we will win!

A note of Thanks...

Remove

I thought this was the best place to post a big "thank you" to all who donated to "Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary" at the RR refuge fundraiser on Tuesday night. We are a small sanctuary that does all we can with our limited funds, space & time. We simply adore our animal family & strive to do the best we can for them...forever! It warms our hearts to see others feel the same as we do about farm animals. We all loved Ashli & will miss her physical presence but I feel we all have an amazing helper in her spirit. I hope we can meet all of you one day & show off our gang here at "Snooters". Thank you again!!

Pudge from Georgia

A little background on this story... I received (via our web site) an email from "Elizabeth" asking for help in placing "Pudge" a young farm pig found wandering the streets of Athens , Georgia. Pudge was quite beat up looking, it was thought perhaps she fell from a truck on the way to either a "finishing farm" or slaughter house.

I opened up the link she sent me & this beautiful, but pathetic pig was staring back at me. Some one had put those barbaric rings in her snoot (to stop rooting!).The snoot of a pig is their most sensitive spot!

I immediately posted on our "pig network" list & Lydia was all over it!! She was going to foster her & then a full time home was found at a Florida sanctuary. The rings would be removed & she would be spayed & vet checked. Perfect!

The problem was Lydia could not get a hold of the shelter in time! Some "young boys" came to claim her...saying she was theirs (no proof was given). They paid the "large" fine ( the shelters words , not mine) of $80 & off they went.

For 2 days we have been trying to get anyone to give these boys our numbers so we could offer to buy her but no one will.

I went on their shelter "forum" explaining my disapproval for this entire process & was met with...."she is only a pig", "bred for meat"...blah, blah, blah ! I politely sent them some sites on farming & was told I didn't know what I was talking about....meat farms are great, compassionate places! One person even said "perhaps in Canada it is still not humane but in Georgia they are fine" (quotes are not exact as I am no longer on this forum).

Then in one last desperate move I offered money to anyone who could put me in touch with the "owners"....yikes, I am surprised secret service didn't show up at my door! The thread on the forum was quickly frozen & I was "warned". I just "signed out" permanently.

Anyway, the ending is not hopeful & this saddens me....

I did "meet" 2 lovely ladies (who are not affiliated with the Athens shelter) but does try to network for the animals posted on the site.

I hope the very best for "Pudge" but fear the worst.

Pigs in Peril Find Forever Homes at Snooters Sanctuary

Pigs in Peril Find Forever Homes at Snooters Sanctuary

The world lost a great animal advocate...

Ashli Taylor was a charming young woman who I met only twice . Ashli had a smile that just lit up the room. She was very well voiced on animal rights issues & stood by her convictions. A vegan for 18 years & proud of it !

Ashli was the one who first brought to my attention the "fill your freezer" live pig on the Kijij list. Along with her & many others , within 24 hours we had a home, money raised, transport & a name "Noelle" (it was Christmas time). The day I called & found out Noelle had been sold to someone else & was all ready at the butcher shop, Ashli was the first person I contacted...in tears.

She called the "lady" who did this & spoke to her in a way I could not have...she got her points across without swearing or name calling (something I could not have done at the time), she was a young woman who was mature beyond her years. As I continued to rant about what had happened during the next few days Ashli just simply said "Susan, don't give these people anymore of your time...just let go & move on...they don't deserve it"....here was a girl young enough to be my daughter giving me this amazing advise. This is something I will always hear when other things occur in my life. Thanks for that Ashli.

Whatever your beliefs are I choose to think of her in heaven taking care of all the animals at Rainbow Bridge....especially Noelle who was so close to being rescued.

Thanks Ashli for all you have accomplished in your young life...your family should (and I am sure are) very proud of you !

Nothing to report....

I like to post something at least once a week but to be honest I have nothing to report!! This happens to be a good thing in my mind ! Everyone is happy, healthy & comfortable, even with these very cold temps we have been having here in Ontario.

Today the sun is shining again & the shadows reflecting off the beautiful white snow is quite the sight!

Yesterday, even though the temp was only -8c at the best Gracie was sunning herself outside her house...she even had a bit of a pink/sunburned belly at supper time! The peafowl find the most sheltered, sunny spots to spend the day & warm up for the cold night, right now they are on the porch outside the window but will move with the sun! Ally is outside doing her "business" but also rooting away in the snow. Little Puggles is at my feet saying "pick me up please"...and I will after posting this.

So in ending all is well with the world...at least "this world"!!

L.B (little bunny)

We lost another family member here at Snooters today....L.B. our bunny passed away suddenly this afternoon. She was fine yesterday & came out for breakfast this morning but by dinner time had died in her stall. We have no idea how old she was. ;(

L.B. came to live with us about 7 years ago. I was working the night shift in Toronto & about 2am came back to the station to see this little creature sitting beside my car in the parking lot. I walked up to this little one fully expecting her to bolt away but instead she hopped right up to me! I put her in the washroom for the rest of the night & home we came the following morning! L.B. has lived with us ever since. She was a sweet little girl & I will miss her excitement over the ginger cookie she got everyday at breakfast! RIP little one....

Pig Lovers Visit

Yesterday was a cold but sunny day here at Snooters. We had some old friends & new friends come to visit us here. It is always so nice to get together with people who are true animal lovers!

The "new" friends came to us via our web site. They have shown interest in coming out to volunteer in the spring!

They met all the gang, some more behaved than others (the pigs , not the people!) Poppy decided to bite mittens...she is always hoping there is a hidden treat in them!

Some very much appreciated donations of blankets, apples & Home Depot gift cards!!!

The "old" friends are fellow pig people! Marianne & Ben have a sanctuary north of us , Kim & Roy have 5 pigs & Kim is the networking extraordinaire & Kristi is our dear friend, wealth of pig knowledge & who we have gotten several of our factory farm rescues from...affectionately known as our "pig pusher" !

It is always nice to see everyone !