2013 Happy New Year!

Our poor blog has certainly been neglected this past year! Forgive me as things have been increasingly busy at Snooters! I am not sure if there is more to do or I am just slowing down ! This past year has had its ups & downs (like all years). We have grown in size & more people know of "Snooters". We have a small group of regular volunteers, which is a big help. Our Facebook page has over 2800 "likes" , which is very exciting. Our first Open House welcomed over 300 people...wow! Our 2 volunteer days were very successful, meeting new friends & getting tons of work done! We have welcomed some new animal family members....Katie (pug), Snoot (pig),Guinness (pig), Edgar Francois (pig), a couple of new "chicken Ladies" ! With the new additions we have sadly lost a few of our family....Sunny (pig), Gonzo (parrot), Maxwell (pig), Gracie (pig), Buddy-goose (goose). It is always hard to say good-bye, but knowing they lived a comfortable, loving life helps. 2013 promises to be a busy year! We will be constructing the new "big pig" house & area. Right now this area is very muddy & the individual houses no longer suit the pigs needs. In the spring after getting all the permits....fingers crossed....we will begin construction. Drainage, cement pad, a large pig house with "food preparation area", new fencing. This is a big part due to our fundraiser last fall....we raised $18,000...thanks to kind & loving people in our animal community ! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We will again be involved in a few events.... the release of "Ghosts in our Machine" documentary Spring 2013(some of our gang is in it !),"Rescue Me 2" (July 4th 2013) & "Walk for Ontario Farm Animals" (August 25th 2013), the "Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair" in September . On a personal note I will be attending as many events to protest the Circus, animal slaughter , fur , roadside zoos/marine parks as physically possible. I will continue to promote & assist people to changing to a vegan lifestyle however I can. I truly hope 2013 will be a good year for all ! Thank you for all your support & we look forward to seeing/meeting you this up coming year!

SNAP South Simcoe - Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary

SNAP South Simcoe - Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary

2012 Volunteer Days & Open House!!!

Hello everyone!!

I finally sat down & picked the dates for our volunteer gatherings & Open House. Thank you for your patience!

Volunteer Days

June 9th and October 20th


Open House

July 14th 12-5pm

I will be posting more details and event pages closer to the dates.

A Warm Welcome to 2012!!

Happy New Year everyone!
2011 was a year of ups & downs....emotionally, financially & otherwise. Friends made...friends lost. New animal family members & beloved ones gone (R.I.P. Riley & Jackie).
We are blessed to have wonderful friends, family & supporters who get you over these bumps in the road! We both have jobs & the bills get paid. Our health is good (of course we are vegans...LOL!)
Looking forward to a great 2012! We will be having a couple of public Volunteer Days & Open Houses (just waiting to book my holidays in order to pick some dates). I will post the dates here, on our web site & on our Facebook page when I know.
So far this winter we have enjoyed good weather....everyone has stayed safe & warm. Gearing up for this years animal rights activities.....Fur protest, Seal protest & the one close to my heart....the Shrine Circus Protest (all freaking summer long!) We look forward to the launch of Mercy for Animals Canada, 10,000 Tastes/10 billion Reasons event, "Rescue Me" event, Tarve & of course the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair! I am sure there are lots more on the horizon!
Thank you for your support of Snooters! Look forward to either meeting or reconnecting with you all in the new year!

PS...pictures of Snowball the peacock, Ashli/Norman, Tommy & Flossy!

Exciting News in Toronto

There is some really exciting news here in the animal rights community! Mercy for Animals (USA) is starting up a Mercy for Animals Canada! This will mean big changes to the industries. People will get to see what goes on behind those closed doors in the factory farms & slaughterhouses. Nathan Runkle , the founder of Mercy for Animals USA has been in Toronto this past week meeting, greeting & planning with our own Joseph & Shannon (& their team). Twyla from CETFA will be heading up investigations! Nathan ,Shannon & Joseph came out to Snooters for a visit last weekend & it was such an honour to show him around & have him meet all our gang! Nathan also kindly did a mini talk about MFA to our volunteer group.

We had a very successful volunteer day last weekend with two U of T groups helping out in preparation for winter. So many chores done ! Thanks everyone!

We are about 1 week away from the steers (Norman & Ashli) & the sheep boys (Timmy & Tommy) going into their new barn...it has been a long road but we are so close now!

Sanctuary Visits 2012

Visits to the Sanctuary....
Starting in 2012 we are NOT going to be offering individual visits to the sanctuary. We are finding it too difficult to co-ordinate our time between chores, the animals, our paying jobs, family & our animal rights passions. Instead we will be offering x3 OPEN HOUSES per year & hopefully x2 VOLUNTEER DAYS per year. I hope this works out...we will revisit the topic after a year to see! The beginning of 2012 I will post dates for these functions so if you wish to attend you will have lots of time to plan ahead!
Thank you for your understanding & support of Snooters!

Summer of 2011

I looked at the blog & realized I have not posted anything for 2 months! My how time flies!! The summer is coming to an end, but much was accomplished these past few months. The buildings are complete....just need some final touches & the sheep (Timmy/Tommy) & steers (Ashli/Norman) can move in!!!
The first weekend in August, Anouk Bikkers & I headed down to the Farm Sanctuary Hoedown in NY....150 people (vegans) , camping, enjoying the lectures, food & the animals....a very fun time!!
The following week we were invited to be involved with an amazing event "10,000 tastes, 10 billion reasons" & it was so much fun! We had a table at Yonge/Dundas Sq & met so many great people! Sold some shirts, mugs, posters etc to help with expenses. The evening portion was a lecture by Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary....it was inspirational (as always) listening to him talk about the past 25 years since FS started up. Thank you Shannon & Joseph for including us!
We have had lots of visitors this summer & just had a small volunteer day (organized by a Toronto A/R group TARVE) which went very well. Lots of work done, time with the gang & lunch....a good time had by all !
September brings the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto. We are sharing a table with "We animals" & "Ghosts in our Machine". (aka Jo-anne McArthur & Liz Marshall)...quite an honour, I am very excited! I hope many of you will come down to this wonderful experience....drop by our table & say "hi" !
The animals are all doing well...enjoying some of these cooler temps! We had 8 peafowl chicks born in July...2 have since passed away but the others seem to be doing well. A joy to see new life on the farm!
I will post more once we have T & T/Ashli&Norman into their new area....I am excited to see how they will enjoy it!

News, news & more news....

Lets see where do I start?? Back in May we had started construction on a new house for the calf's(steers) & sheep. Our neighbour decided he did not like it & put in a complaint. This started the ball rolling & has led to so much red tape it is unbelievable! Seems if a structure houses animals it has to be 105 ft off the property line (any other structure only has to be 4 ft off the property line). The one in question is 40 ft off. Since the house was almost built we decided to keep it as a shed (legal) & build another house further back. So now x2 building permits! Then we find out we are on "protected wet land" so we have to get permission from the conservation authority to build anything....another $500 in permits & it is approved. So, as of 2 days ago we have all the permits & construction has begun! What was going to be an $9000 job has turned into a $25,000 job! Thank you Mr Thompson...idiot !
Fortunately the chicken coop went up without any problems! The girls moved in & love the freedom to explore their little fenced area. Sad news..the other night while we were out something (probably a raccoon) killed one of the girls. We will be getting electric fencing on their perimeter to avoid this happening again. Poor baby R.I.P.
The sheep boys are in a temporary area until their house is complete. They are loving it too! We had them sheared & they are so handsome! What sweet boys they are! Penny (potbellied pig) has been moved from the barn into Katie's old area....she loves the sunshine! Penny came from a horse farm were she had been trampled & has no use of her front right leg. She was kept in a very dark, damp part of their barn. She now has fresh straw, good meals, sun & love!
The Shrine Circus is in the Toronto region. So much time has been spent protesting against the use of animals in their acts. They have x2 beautiful Asian elephants, Shelly & Marie. They were kidnapped from Asia as babies & have been performing ever since...they are now 36 & 46 yrs old. One day I hope to not have to protest this & circuses will not use animals!
Back to Snooters.....all the gang are doing great! Gracie has been feeling well enough to soak her arthritic leg in the mud hole every night! Sunny (also arthritic) walks about challenging Johnny & Roy through the fence...this means he is feeling good! We have had a lot of rain lately so the mud holes are nice & full for all to enjoy!
We have been included in a great event taking place on August 10th at Yonge & Dundas Square in Toronto....lots of vegan food, lectures, products, music....come on out & join us! I will post the event closer to the date.
Have a great summer everyone!!

the Good and the Bad!

Lets start with the bad first!!! Well, we saved & had the sheep/steer barn built...a beautiful structure with 2 stalls (12x12 each). The barn was 90% done when our neighbour decided he did not like it. His house is some 400 ft away with a row of trees in between but he stopped construction. This is our fault, we read the bylaws as a structure only has to be 4 ft from the property line (this one is 32 feet) BUT apparently if it houses animals it has to be 105 ft from the property line! Because this building is almost complete & we had already paid instead of tearing it down we are making it into a shed (making it legal for the distance). Unfortunately we still have to build the animals shelter & this means lots of clearing in the forest & more fencing...to the tune of approx $12,000 more ! The building permits are in the works & hopefully construction can begin again soon.

The new chicken coop is started also & should be complete by weeks end. Everything is falling into place again... ;)

Now some good news....while at work last week I came upon a baby Canada goose laying in a busy store parking lot in Toronto. He was unable to walk. I brought him home, named him "Star" & he gained strength & learned to swim in the bathtub . He was running all over the house with only a very slight limp. We have 3 families of Canada Geese in our pond & today one family of 4 babies & the parents were eating on the lawn....the babies were about Star's size so I put him out there & he ran over to them. The entire bunch then walked over to the pond & swam to the other side!!! I will miss him but am very happy he has a goose family now! A city goose becoming a country goose!

Volunteer Day CANCELLED/POSTPONED

I am so sorry to have to do this but we are canceling Volunteer Day On May 28th. We are having some family health issues & our neighbour is causing problems legally with our new calf/sheep barn. There is a possibility we may have to take down the new $8000 barn....this will be money lost. Frankly, funds are so limited we cannot afford supplies & food for volunteer day.

I hope this has not caused anyone any inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.

Spring has sprung...sort of....

We had some nice warm temps at the beginning of March....the snow melting away, the geese arriving back to the pond & the peacocks fanning for the girls! Then BAM...snow & cold temps again! This week is suppose to warm up nicely....it is only March after all !

With the warm weather we had problems with the calfs house....a little streams seems to like to run right through the shelter. We had the contractors over & it looks like the best idea is to move the shelter to higher ground. They assure me this can be done in a day as not to upset the boys too much. After it is moved they are building an extension on to the house for the sheep-boys.

That brings me to our next bit of news.... the two sheep boys arrived from the university of Guelph via Cedar Row sanctuary last week....thank you to Siobhan & Florine for bringing them all the way here! We have named them Timothy & Thomas....Timmy & Tommy or T & T !!!

What sweet fellas they are....very social ! Right now they are living in 1/2 of the stall in the barn....Penny (potbellied pig) in the other half until their shelter is built. They will share the paddock with Norman & Ashli . I can hardly wait to see them running about in the fresh air!!

We have the plans done up for the new chicken coop too....very fancy. I hope the girls enjoy it!

Construction to begin soon!

Volunteer day is planned for May 28th so I am hoping this will all be done so the structures can be painted then.

A beautiful sunny day today....going out to enjoy it now!

Snooters Spring Volunteer Day 2011 !

Saturday May 28th (10am-4pm) is Snooters Spring Volunteer Day !!

Join us for some chores, meet & greet, vegan lunch & lots of animal time !

Please RSVP as soon as possible as I want to keep the numbers to about 50 people attending.

snootersforeverhome@gmail.com

See you then!

***Event is FULL !!! If you wish to be put onto a waiting list please email me** Thank you for all the great support. We can only comfortably accommodate 50-60 people with chores, lunch etc. I hope you understand.

Pook is Home!

Pook is our new rescue dog.

Pook is an 11 year old Pug who was surrendered to a NY state rescue along with 9 other pugs. This was a backyard breeding operation. These pugs were not spay/neutered, had fleas, were malnourished , never vetted & some heartworm positive.

Pook was the last one to find a home. He had needed nasal surgery to open up his airways for better breathing & needed recoup time at the foster home in NY.

My daughter Angela & I drove to Buffalo yesterday to pick up the little man. We were met by this adorable older pug (Pook) with a grey head & tan body....you could not help but smile! He sat quietly in his crate for the 3 hour drive & has settled in so nicely here at home. He has been here less than 24 hours & you would think he spent his entire life with us!

Pook is sleeping on his new big fluffy bed as I write this. We are so happy to have him here !

Welcome Pook!!!!

If you can spare a few dollars this rescue organization is amazing. They are called "Buffalo Pug & small breed rescue"

http://www.buffalopugs.org/index.php

Interesting week!

Yesterday we had a film crew out to Snooters for a show on Showcase. This show is suppose to be about the horrors of factory farming. That is why I agreed to do it. A crew of about 10 guys pulled up & I soon realized this show was much different then I had been led to believe. The host, Kenny, is a comedian (remember Kenny & Spenny?) The show is suppose to have serious topics with a "comedic flair" (the producers words). I thought "OH NO" this is going to be a joke. They were here for several hours, lots of film taken & long interviews with me. They brought in an animal communicator (in my opinion it did not go so well). I have a feeling I will be the "crazy pig lady" in this show. Live & learn....ask more questions & ask to be paid !!! Thank goodness I had 2 friends (Anouk & Sharon) here as moral support!

Today was totally different. Jo-Anne, Karol & Liz (a director/producer for documentaries) came over to take pictures of our parrot Gonzo for an upcoming documentary. It was so nice to be in the company of people who totally "get it" (animal rights that is!) . We had fun with the calfs, had lunch & good conversation. A lovely donation was left for the sanctuary for my time.

I am still waiting on our newest rescue....he is an 11 yr old pug named "Pook". He is in Buffalo & I just have to arrange to pick him up. He looks very sweet! Another puppy mill breeder ;( I will be excited to bring him home !!

Anti FUR Demos

This past weekend was filled with anti fur demos across Canada. There were 3 in the Toronto area. I attended the one on Saturday outside Holt Renfrew at Bay & Bloor. It was a great turnout , between 60-70 people! Lots of great signs & literature handed out. My only hope is that people will listen! This year has seen such an influx of fur products. I can only hope this "trend" will pass quickly.

If you see someone wearing fur, try to educate them on the cruelty involved in their fashion statement.

If they walk away, so be it....at least YOU tried!

Home Sweet Home Penny!

Our newest rescue arrived today via Bob & Sherry from Ruby Ranch pig sanctuary. Penelope was the product of a broken home. She sustained a severe front leg injury after being trampled by a horse over a year ago.

We learned about her about a week ago & offered up a home. "Penny" is a (approx)3 year old potbellied pig. She arrived this afternoon & settled in nicely. I always feel so bad for them as she is leaving the only home she has ever known....good or bad. It will take some time for her to feel comfortable .

Penny is in one of the stalls in the barn for now but will move out to Katie's old house in the spring so she can have free access to the outdoors. She ate , took treats & is all buried in the blankets & straw as I type this. Penny will do just fine at Snooters.....we will care for & love her always!

Welcome Penny!!!

It is COLD here....

Okay, I know it is January in Canada so I should not be surprised at the -20c temps BUT I still hate it !!!

I worry about the gang outside. They all have heated houses but I still worry about them all.

Today was one of those cold but bright blue sky days....took some pics & did enjoy the time spent outside with everyone.

On the "up" side winter is almost half over!

Now for my pet peeve (one of many!) I cannot believe how many of those stupid "Canada Goose Coats" I have been seeing. Young, old, male, female , if doesn't seem to matter. I really thought (foolishly) that people had evolved & were actually not wearing fur because of the cruelty. I guess not, as these ugly coats are everywhere. For those of you who are not familiar with them.....they are goose down filled coats with coyote trim on the hoods. The cost of wearing these ugly things is between $300 - $600 depending on the style. Sadly, they are very trendy.

I guess people just do not think about the geese being plucked alive & the coyotes in traps suffering sometimes for days before the trapper makes his way back to check. They DON'T but they SHOULD !! I always give a sneer & dirty look as they walk by....sometimes saying out loud how horrible it is to wear something so cruel. I think I might make up some pamphlets to hand out to these ignorant people.

Stepping off my soapbox now....

Please share...

Friends missing dog...

http://939bobfm.blogspot.com/2011/01/missing-bernese-mountain-dog-please.html

New Year...New Hopes....

Let me first start off with a very Happy New Year to all !!! Wishing you all a happy, healthy 2011 !!!

I want to thank everyone who supports us physically, financially & most importantly emotionally.

This year has seen many changes to Snooters. We had our first ( & second) volunteer days.We have set up a web site & have been fundraising with much success! We have met some wonderful people who share our values....who we now call, with pride, "friends" !

We have lost a few of our animal family....the (first) rescue hens, our beloved old gal" Katie" (pig), our new hen "Tiny" & our very loved puppy mill rescue Chi/pug "Puggles".....losing loved ones is always hard & we treasure their memories forever. The animal rights community lost a very special member in February of 2010. Ashli Taylor (who our calf "Ashli" is named after) was killed in a truck accident. Ashli was a very special girl who I only met twice but immediately connected with. Ashli loved "Snooters" (although she never had the chance to visit)....I do feel she "visits" in a different way now .....I believe she watches over us .

In 2010 we saw the rescue of "Ashli & Norman", the calf's who came to us at 3 days old from the cruel dairy industry ...they are such wonderful additions to the sanctuary! We now have 3 more rescue battery cage hens who are doing so well. The first project of 2011 is to build them an awesome hen house (thanks to Ashley Archer who raised $1000 for the cause!) We will welcome 3 sheep from a research facility in Feb 2011...we look forward to meeting these gals & giving them their forever homes.

I attended many gatherings(as many as I can) for animal rights & continue to spread the word everyday to all who will lend an ear (& even to those who won't !!!)

All in all 2010 was a good year & we have high hopes for 2011 !!

Thank you everyone! We look forward to meeting new friends this year & connecting with "old" ones too!

Again, Happy New Year to ALL ....2 & 4 legged creatures!!!

XXXOOO

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!