Not Your Garden Variety ANT Farm


Not Your Garden Variety ANT Farm

©2019 by Lee Frederick Somerstein



I had a most remarkable experience the other day, taking a tour of Windy Acres, a five-acre farm and sanctuary in Bellingham, WA. Windy Acres is no ordinary farm, or sanctuary for that matter. Its crop is growing healthier at-risk kids ages 6-18. Volunteers also help the therapists with veterans and seniors.


Here’s another thing that makes Windy Acres special; the “therapists” are all animals. From the barn cat to the horse herd and a whole lot in between, these animals are improving people’s lives every day.

From their Website:

“Since 1999, Animals as Natural Therapy has helped thousands of people find healing through horses and other animals. Additional services include mobile therapy animals, leadership, anti-bullying workshops and team-building experiences.”

Why Animals, you might ask?

Their work is based on the knowledge that animals can reach a place in the human heart that other approaches may not.

Many of those served are struggling with trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger, drugs, alcoholism, behavior management and/or other challenges affecting their daily lives.

Executive and Program Director Sonja Wingard explains, “Equine and animal-assisted therapy have been shown to be effective interventions for people young and old struggling with mental, behavioral and emotional health issues.”



I literally stumbled on the place while running errands around town. One quick look at the many signs on the fences, proudly proclaiming thanks to their sponsors, was enough to make me pull a U-turn and drive into the small, gravel parking lot. I already knew that I wanted to volunteer. In fact, I was ready to start the next day!

But life doesn’t move at Somerstein speed, nor does Windy Acres. Free tours are conducted the third Friday of every month and volunteer training only three times a year, or as needed. I signed up on the spot for my tour and grabbed the Volunteer Information and Release Form. I’m in.

My visit left a deep hoof print on my heart. I got a walking tour of the property and met some young adults who introduced me to their horses and explained how the various programs were helping them. Along the way, I made many new animal friends, including a pair of noble looking horses well into their 30's. Oh, and the turkey who will live beyond Thanksgiving. This ANT Farm is a no-kill sanctuary.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woodstock, Sort Of.......

Image
©2009 by LeeZard Millions of people will tell you they were at Woodstock in 1969. Only about half-a-million are telling the truth. I am one of them. I was a young (22) Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for a fledgling radio network operated by Metromedia. At the time, Metromedia was the single largest owner of non-network (ABC, CBS & NBC) affiliated radio and TV stations in the country. In those days, by the way, the FCC allowed only a maximum ownership of seven AMs, seven FMs and seven TV stations by a single company. Everyone had heard of this Rock & Roll festival near the small town of Bethel in upstate New York but nobody was prepared for the historic event it would become. On Friday August 15, 1969 I flew to New York City to attend a friend’s Saturday night wedding. At about 6 a.m. Saturday morning the phone rang at my parents’ house (where I was staying). It was my boss in D.C. “It’s a disaster up at that Rock thing in New York – 20-mile long traffic jams; nobody can g...
Read more

BRANDO

Image
©2011 by LeeZard Brando the Wonder Dog died peacefully in my arms at 10:35 PM (PST) on  November 25th, 2011. He was 12-years old. The last words he heard were, “I love you, Brando.” Brando died from an overdose of barbiturates administered by a critical care veterinarian after he was diagnosed with cancer in his shoulder that had spread to his lungs. His chest cavity was filled with blood and fluid; he was slowly suffocating. I had no choice but to put him down. Nonetheless, it was a difficult and wrenching decision.     I wanted to get that part out of the way off the top because I don’t want this to be a maudlin obituary. This is the story of a great and loyal German Shepherd, a dignified and grand old man who lived to love and play. He got plenty of both in the all too brief time we had with him. Brando chose me for adoption in June, 2007, a few months before his eighth birthday. I was looking for a German Shepherd; I knew them to be smart, loyal and protecti...
Read more

Michael Jackson Ain't All That

Image
©2009 by LeeZard LeeZard is already burned out on the Michael Jackson brouhaha. I’m sorry, boys & girls but Michael Jackson isn’t (wasn’t) Elvis. He wasn’t The Beatles or Frank Sinatra. Let’s put aside, for the moment, Jackson’s penchant for diddling little boys, the apparent denial of his Blackness and whatever other “foibles” soiled his fable. As an icon, he doesn’t measure up to the “A” list above. Why? Is Leezard just being contrary? I don’t think so. While MJ fans argue that his record sales are the equal to those of the Beatles and Elvis, the “official” count shows otherwise – by at least a quarter-of-a-million (that will certainly change as MJ sales have skyrocketed since his death). But, anyone can diddle with numbers (much better than diddling with little boys!). Let’s take two examples from my generation and look at the bigger picture, starting with The King (MJ was merely “The King of Pop”). Elvis changed everything. It’s not out of reach to say he jump-started the Rock ...
Read more