A few weeks ago an invitation from GARP (Georgia Animal Rights and Protection) popped into my mailbox, asking me to take part in a volunteers day at an animal sanctuary. It was perfect as I’d been waiting for something just like that to come up so I could get out of the city and do some good.
A hop, skip and a short ride to the country later, we arrived at Freedom Acres Rescue farm. It felt homely as soon as I stepped out of the car; it was the first day the weather had cooled down from the high nineties of a record-breaking October, the free range land reached far across the highs and lows of the countryside, the air was breezy and fresh and our nostrils were filled with a strong whiff of manure… It smelt like childhood and I missed it.
We were greeted by a pack of dogs who worked hard to show us we are not welcomed to walk through the gate but putting fear aside I reached my hand through the gate bars and soon enough I’d made friends with the guards who were starting to become more curious than offensive.
As we got familiar with the owner and founder of the Freedom Acres, Lisa Kario, more people started to arrive and in about half an hour there were around 30 of us ready and eager to help out. Lisa is the sole caretaker of these animals, having founded it in 2014 after volunteering herself and then finding this land to make her own.
She took us through the gate and we were all given jobs to do like emptying and cleaning the old tool shed, swiping the pig quarters and picking up and collecting twigs.
Needless to say a lot of the time was spent getting to know all the different animals; 2 horses, near 10 dogs, 3 cats, at least 4 pigs, 2 donkeys, 3 very scaredy-cat alpacas, several goats, sheep, chickens, roosters and ducks. I became best friends with Rebel, one of the horses, whose name matches his personality. He was like a teenager, eating apples from my hand, following people around and stealing carrots from my back pocket when I wasn’t looking. Him, like many other animals really enjoyed the people there, they wanted to socialise and communicate.
One of the sheep was so in love with the cuddles and scratches a volunteer was giving her that she blocked his way every time he was trying to get back to work. She’d bump her head against your hand, like a dog, when you got caught up in chatting and were forgetting to pet her.
I also learned something new about the pigs that were there. They are called “mini pigs” or “micro mini pigs” but they were…big. Just like regular pigs. So how are they mini? They didn’t look like the tiny ones you see some people having as pets at their house.
The truth is there is no such thing as mini pigs, it’s a scam. The ones they advertise to people as house pets, are just babies. They grow up to be regular farm pigs. So what happens? When they do so, the owners are surprised, say that they were cheated and pretty much throw the pig on the street. Luckily there are good humans like Lisa who are able to take them in and care for them.
Sadly, this abandonment happens to most animals who arrive at sanctuaries. Some come from horrific backgrounds like being saved from dairy farms or on their way to slaughterhouses, being left in chains outdoors without food or water when their owners have decided to pick up and move and just leave the animals behind, or coming from being abused and mistreated. It breaks my heart having to think that people get pets so lightly without actually thinking how many years they would have to take care of it, with just a dog or a cat can be 12-20 years. Once you take them home, they are depending on you for shelter and food and care and love, just like children.
I am so grateful that I got this experience to spend the day at a sanctuary and to see exactly how much immense work and stamina goes into taking care of these animals. I have so much respect and admiration for people like Lisa who devote their life to doing so and am hopeful that one day I can contribute to this cause in a deeper way as I believe all live beings on this earth deserve love and kindness.
If you’d like to know more about Freedom Acres or are able to donate to their cause, please visit https://freedomacresrescue.com
