Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary

Kachina, A Baby

Mini Horse,

Arrived At

Happy Trails

In Need Of

New Hooves

Story On Page 3

Happy Trails Farm Animal SanctuarySEPTEMBER 2009

Newsletter

letter fromthe director

Dear FriendsOf Happy Trails,

And I truly mean itwhen I say the word“friends”! We have beenextraordinarily blessedwith the friendship andsupport of our communityand folks from not only here inOhio but from other states aswell. People are taking a standagainst all types of animalabuse and are no longer lookingthe other way. Instead theyare reporting abuses andbecoming a voice for those whocannot speak out for them-selves.

Daily I see the tide turningwhere more and more countiesin Ohio are requesting theassistance of Happy Trailsregarding farm animal andhorse abuse and neglect cases.Someone recently asked mewhy it seems that all of asudden there are more animalabuse cases out there. Thereare not more animal abusecases. It’s just that animalabuse is finally being recog-nized for the crime that it isand people are taking it moreseriously. Instead of overlook-ing animal abuse or makingexcuses for the abusers,people are stepping forwardand bringing animal sufferingto light. I applaud all those whomake the effort to reportsuspected animal abuse totheir county humane societies.

I continue to be amazeddaily at the wonderful adop-tions that take place, at thenumber of people who attend

Make sure to keep up with

all the latest Happy Trails

stories and happenings

on our website at

www.happytrailsfarm.org

Funny But True

This falls into the category of

“Things you would only hear atHappy Trails”.

Allow me to set the stage first...

Mary Bittence, Happy Trails BoardPresident, adopted a beautiful,gigantic rooster named Dorito a fewyears ago. Dorito is brought intoher warm basement when bitterwinter temperatures dip down intothe single digits. Keep in mind thatDorito is known for his feistypersonality and his no-nonsenseoutlook on life and the people heallows in his inner circle.

While working at the sanctuary onecold winter day, Mary’s phonerang, and I heard her saying, “Yes,that’s ok,” and she hung up.Turning to me, she said with allseriousness, “So who else has ahusband who would call and askif it’s okay to put the chickenoutside so it won’t attack thesatellite TV guy?”

5623 New Milford Road • Ravenna, Ohio 44266

(330) 296-5914 www.happytrailsfarm.org

our volun-teer orien-tations, atthe supportwhicharrives justin the nickof time, and

with the public interest in theanimal rescue work that wehandle.

As we continue to grow, weare now looking into the futurewith dreams for a much largertract of land which wouldenable us to handle the sheernumber of calls that we arebombarded with regularly. Weare at the point where we arenow outgrowing the facilitiesof Happy Trails, and are begin-ning plans for growth andexpansion over the next sev-eral years.

I am positive that all willfall into place with the contin-ued encouragement, supportand inspiration from you, ourfriends, for that is whatfrienships are all about —encouraging, supporting andinspiring each other to do good!The circle of compassioncontinues to grow, and to-gether we are making a differ-ence! I’d like to say a verysincere thank you to all of you,our friends, who make ourrescue and rehabilitation workpossible!

With compassion for allanimals,

Annette FisherExecutive Director

page 3

Story Of Kachina

Continued on page 16Who loves ya baby? If that question was asked of Kachina, the

answer would be, everybody! Here volunteer Kevin Bragg reassures thebaby horse while she waits patiently on the examination table at OSU.

A call came in from an Amish farmer on

Tuesday, June 23. He had heard about Happy

Trails Amish Horse Retirement Program, and

was wondering if we would be interested in

accepting his 10 week old mini horse that was

crippled. This mini has now officially set a

record for Happy Trails as being the youngest

horse ever to enter our Amish Horse Retire-

ment Program!

The baby was born the day after Easter and

was walking on her pasterns (ankles). Her

back was hunched up and she could not put

any weight on her hind legs. Her ankles

flopped inward, and her hooves had grown

into a curve. When she walked, she put all the

weight of her frail little body completely onto

her front limbs, and held her back legs up in

the air like a trained dog in a circus. Her nose

nearly hit the ground when she attempted to

walk.

After a phone consultation with our vet friends

at OSU (Ohio State University Veterinary

Teaching Hospital in Columbus), we followed

their advice one step at a time. We made

arrangements to immediately pick up the ten

week old baby, though it was normally too soon to wean a baby horse. This was going to be her only chance at

treatment and recovery, and we had to act fast before

further or permanent damage would be caused to her

limbs and possibly her spine.

She was precious. Absolutely precious. She immedi-

ately stole the hearts of everyone who met her. It was

obvious that she had a great deal of difficulty walking. If

she were laying down, she could not stand up on her

own. I decided that she needed a very special name —

a name that would dictate what she would be able to do

someday. I turned to my Native American names to see

if anything fit. That’s when I discovered the

name...Kachina. It is from the Hopi language, and it

means “Sacred Dancer”. It was perfect — we wanted

her to not only be able to walk, but we wanted her to

Oliver was about 1,000lbs.of pure love for his humancaretakers.

He arrived at the sanctuary as ababy, abandoned one cold winternight in the outdoor dog kennels ofthe Wayne County Humane Societyabout seven years ago. Like manyfarm animals who end up at localhumane societies, Oliver the pigfound his way to Happy Trails. Histail was already docked and his earwas already notched. However, hewas sweet and friendly and due tothe cold weather, had to stay in thehouse for a bit until spring arrived.

Oliver was always a gentle soul,and was kind and considerate andaffectionate with his servants atHappy Trails. He endeared himselfto everyone who worked with him.

He was best known for his interiordecorating abilities. Unknowingly,several volunteers would helpfully

remove the big twigs and branchesfrom inside his shelter when theywere cleaning and providing himwith fresh straw. Oliver shared hisshelter with his two 1,000 lb. farmpiggy friends, Mrs. Beasley andMaria Pig. Irritated at the rudenessof the volunteers, Oliver would haveto get up, go outside, find more

branches with leaves onthem, and bring them backinto his shelter. He wouldthen set the branch downcarefully, stand back andeyeball it. If it were notplaced in quite the rightspot, he would carefullypick up the branch and then move itto a new location. He might have to

do this four or five times until itlooked just right. He had quite theeye for interior design, and we alladmired this quality about this veryspecial pig.

Over the last few years, Oliver

I was honored to have known Oliverand to have had him as a friend.His sweet kind spirit touched somany during his lifetime andbecause of that he will live on in thehearts of so many people. His heartwas bigger than he was and thats abig big heart. Enjoy piggy heavendear Oliver you were so dearlyloved and will be missed so verymuch.

Illona Urban

He was my favorite big piggy. Once I got overbeing afraid of them I realized he was nothing buta big “overgrown” puppy. My best memory of himis when Mary gave him that canalope. There satOliver like a dog just chomping away on this 1/2 ofa canalope, mouth wide open, orange canalopedrooling down the sides of his mouth and he justlooked sooooo happy! Munch, mummm, munch,mmmmmmm, slopppppp...May he enjoy his newlife (pain free) and we will see him again!

Cheri Rider

Oliver was the best motivator tobecome vegetarian. It was impos-sible to spend time playing with thisfun, quirky pig and watch himdecorate his shelter and then gohome and eat meat.!

Mary Bittence

He seemed to dislike getting up inthe morning as much as I do, andwhen I fed that group it alwaysmade me smile.

Theda Schwing

developed arthritis in his hindquarters. He began having a reallydifficult time getting up from hisnaps. On Sunday morning, August2nd, I went out to feed the big pigsas usual. However, Oliver wasn’t inhis shelter with his friends. A quick

glance around confirmed that Oliverwas in his very favorite ucky mudwaller, but it was immediatelyobvious that he had passed awayduring the night. My heart fell.

We are guessing that Oliver mayhave died from a heart attack.

Russ, Rob and Aleximmediately stoppedtheir Sunday projectsand helped get Olivermoved back toHeaven’s Trail, HappyTrails Pet Cemetery.When it was time tobury Oliver, all hisfaithful servants gath-ered around andtossed branches down

The Death Of A Friend,Oliver The Pig

Continued on page 18

page 5

Bingo The Wild Child

Bingo, a 10 year old mini horsegelding, arrived at Happy Trails inneed of having an injured andreceding eye removed. Thanks tothe kindness of Happy Trails com-passionate supporters, this was madepossible. The little trooper wasscheduled for eye removal surgeryon August 5th at OSU (Ohio StateUniversity Veterinary TeachingHospital) in Columbus. One of ourgoals at Happy Trails is to give eachand every rescued animal the verybest quality of life possible, and toaddress any health issues that mightcause them pain or discomfort. ForBingo, this health issue dealt with hisbadly injured blind left eye. It wouldoccasionally drain and had severalinfections. Leaving the socket opento debris, flies and other foreignobjects was simply asking for amajor infection that could becomelife-threatening, and not to mentionincredibly painful.

After surgery, this little pistol recov-ered nicely and is FULL of energyand loves life! He would stand forhours for anyone interested inbrushing and grooming his bad self.

Bingo, as hyper as hecould be, had won overall the volunteers atHappy Trails and wasspoiled rotten by all ofhis servants.

Busy Bingo wasrecently (and thank-fully!) adopted (andthat’s an entire storyin itself - see the nextnewsletter!) Butbefore he left us to goto his perfect foreverhome, Bingo’s bestfriend was Houston, anolder Arabian gelding.Houston is always agreat baby-sitter, andhe kept watch over hislittle charge. The veryfirst day that we turned Houston andBingo out in the far back paddockstogether, Houston pretended toignore the mini. That was until Bingofigured out that the gate on top ofthe hill was open and that it lead intoa big three-acre wooded area wherehe could run around and scream allhe wanted to!

Off went Bingo up the hillat top speed and throughthe gate. He disappearedinto the woods. Houston’shead jerked up. Hequickly spun his headaround and looked thisway and that way for thelittle so-and-so. No mini insight. Houston whinniedloudly. I swear that theArab looked at me androlled his eyes. “Goodgrief,” he seemed to say.“I lost the kid!” Whirlingaround, Houston took offat a gallop up the hill andthrough the gate. Heseemed determined to findhis new little buddy, but it

wasn’t to be. Moments later, Bingocame flying back down the hill,alone, through the open gate. Hewas having a blast, and didn’t carewho was concerned about hiswhereabouts! Feeling badly forHouston, we searched the woodsuntil we found him still runningaround frantically looking for thelittle horse and calling at the top ofthis lungs. “Houston, Bingo’s back inthe paddock again!” Houstonseemed to understand, and quicklyworked his way through the woodsand into the lower paddock. Hesternly berated the mini with irritatedneighs as an older brother would yellat a defiant younger sibling. Bingodidn’t care. He was busy runningabout, back and forth around thepaddock, as only Bingo could do,without a care in the world. Houstonfinally settled back under his favoritetree to rest, but he kept a wary eyeon little Bingo!

Many thanks to everyone who madeBingo’s special medical care andsurgery possible!

Happy Trails Board Member, Cheri Rider, creates a miracle asshe gets hyper Bingo to stand still for more than three seconds.

page 6

Big Tough Guys Love Animals Too!Meet Happy Trails big tough guy vegans and vegetarians.

We love our men who love the animals!!!

Meet Russ Fisher,

Happy Trails Co-

Founder, Mr. I-Can-Fix-

Anything repair man,

animal lover, former U.S.

Marine, and all-around

good guy in general. This

“big tough guy” is a

softie when it comes to

the animals, and you can

always find him hugging

and petting a rescued

animal!

Big Tough Guy Page...

If you were to seeany one of these“big tough guys”

on the street,would the first thing

that entered your mindbe something like,“I’ll bet that guy’sa vegetarian!”???

Meet Matt Kucern,

musician, college student,

vegan, vegan, vegan, Happy

Trails hard-workin’ volun-

teer, and someone who is

really out there making a

difference for the animals.

We’re proud to have Matt

as part of the Happy Trails

volunteer crew!

Meet Justin Schlosser,

server at VegiTerranean,

Chrissie Hynde’s popular

vegan restaurant in Akron, and

big fan of Happy Trails.

Justin’s Septemeber wedding

will feature, of course, deli-

cious vegan cousine!

page 7

Meet Shawn Tusko, foster dad to two beautiful,

comical farm pigs, crazy about horses, all around sweet-

heart, and an incredible volunteer carpenter before a back

injury put his volunteer work on hold recently. We are

rootin’ for Shawn to feel better soon — we need him!

(left) Meet Jason

Wolbolt, die hard

vegan, Happy Trails

completely dedicated

volunteer, and animal

lover extraordinaire. Jason

just adopted a boatload of

Happy Trails goats (who he

simply adores) after re-

cently purchasing a house

with some land. He’s a very

hard worker!

(right) Meet Seth

Klimas, proud parent/

guardian of Peppe Le Pu,

Paris, and Louie Louie,

three rescued Happy Trails

pot belly pigs, as well as

three Happy Trails rescued

goats, sports an impressive

tatoo of the word “VEGAN”

on his arm, and is probably

one of the nicest people

you’ll ever meet! We are

thrilled to know and work

with Seth!

Meet Rob

Willard, Happy

Trails board

member, animal

transport guy, and

animal emer-

gency crew

worker. He is

great at loading

unruly horses

into trailers!

Meet Kids Who Care

page 8

“Who’s Your Favorite Animal?”

When it comes to understanding animalsand the concept of compassion, we have

discovered that many kids are moreconnected than adults.

Natasha, 8, and Dylan, 9, sit with the metalangel pig that marks Janice The Pig’s grave.

The compassionate kids shown here in this picturesurprised their mom, Mindy Tusko, when she broughtthem out to the sanctuary for a visit. They wanted todonate their birthday money to help the animals. Mindy, aHappy Trails volunteer, gave her three children a tour,introducing them to all the animals and explaining theirrescue stories. Afterward, Mindy asked each of the kidswhich animal was their favorite. Michael, 12 years old,liked Barney, a big fat Standardbred. Natasha, 8 yearsold, immediately stated that Oliver was her favorite.(Natasha just had the opportunity to meet Oliver thefarm pig the day before he passed away. He musthave known he was needed here to touch severalmore lives on his last day with all the tours that weregoing through the sanctuary. I’m sure he would haveloved to have known that he was chosen as this littlegirl’s favorite animal!) Then Dylan, 9 years old, pon-dered thequestion for amoment, andthen matter-of-factly stated,“Well the pigsin the back aremy secondfavorite. Myfavorite isJanice.” Mindylooked atDylan, puzzled.Keep in mindthat Janice isthe all impor-tant pig whofounded HappyTrails in thefirst place. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge two yearsago in September, but the kids had the opportunity to visither grave site. “You didn’t even meet or pet Janice. Whyis she your favorite?” Mindy asked. Dylan looked at her

and smiled, and as he lookedaround Happy Trails at allthe animals, told her, “Be-cause of Janice, all theseanimals have a safe place tolive now. They don’t have to

worry about being killed. Without her where would theybe?” Natasha had to agree, and chimed in that JaniceThe Pig brought peace to this world. Wow! How do youtop that?

If only an 8 and 9 year old could teach adults to seethe animals and this world as they do! I am willing tobet they both grow up to have careers where they toowill help spread kindness, caring and compassion foranimals and people, and they will make a big difference inthe world in which they live.

“Car Washes For A Penny!”

On a warm sunny day this summer, three young friendsfrom Kent decided to wash cars in their neighborhood forsomething fun to do. Not knowing what they shouldcharge, they told their neighbors they would wash theircars for a penny. They were pleasantly surprised when

most people paida great dealmore than that,and as themoney started toadd up, conver-sation turned towhat to do withall of that cash.

JacksonTankersleycame up withthe idea ofdonating themoney to HappyTrails and hisidea was quicklyseconded by

Bailey McWilliams-Woods and Carter Hale. Jackson is aproud sponsor of Natasha the goat and he and Bailey hadmade a visit to the farm last winter. So, when all the carswere washed and the money was counted, there was atotal of $60.65 donated to the animals of Happy TrailsOn August 17, all three took a tour to meet and greetsome old friends and some new ones, and to see firsthand some of the ways their money was being put to use.Cairo, the new baby goose, welcomed them first andshowed them just how good he/she could walk in and outof the wading pool. The adorable baby potbelly pigsscampered around them trying tasty bits of apple andallowing a few ear scratches and one belly rub. Then itwas on to goats, roosters, big pigs andhorses. Little baby Kachina was the hitof the horse barn and she got up andwalked for them just to prove how muchstronger she was becoming. Of course itwas all under the watchful eye ofHouston, her official baby sitter who gave all three kids anod of approval.

Jackson, Bailey and Carter are hoping that they caninspire other kids to be kind and caring and compassion-ate to animals, and Happy Trails is proud to have them asour good will ambassadors. Great job kids and thanksfrom all of the animals at Happy Trails!

Amazing, compassionate kids (left to right)Carter, Jackson and Bailey.

page 9

DUCK FACTS

13. In many breeds of ducks,you can tell the girls fromthe boys by:a. the sound of their quackb. a single tail featherc. both a and c

14. Name abreed ofduck thatdoes notnormallyenjoy thewater:a. Pekinb. Muscovyc. Mallard

HORSE FACTS:

1. Horses need to have theirhooves trimmed:a. once a weekb. every six weeksc. never

2. When a horse dentist“floats” a horse’s teeth, thatmeans to:a. clean them with waterb. pull their teeth outc. file the sharp edges offtheir teeth

COW FACTS

9. Black and white spottedcows are a breed called:a. Holstein

b. Jerseyc. Black Angus

10. Cows have howmany stomachs?a. oneb. twoc. four

GOAT FACTS

11. Baby goats are called:a. calvesb. kidsc. lambs

12. Whichbreed ofgoat doesnot natu-rally haveears?a. Lamonchab. Neubianc. Alpine

SHEEP FACTS

5. A female sheep iscalled a:a. whetherb. doec. ewe

6. Twice ayear, sheepshould be:a. shearedb. tested for glassesc. given a bath

CHICKEN FACTS

7. A male chicken is called aa. henb. roosterc. pullet

8. The red“hat” ontop of arooster’shead iscalled aa. waddleb. brushc. comb

PIG FACTS

3. As a full-grownadult, afarm pig

can grow up toweight around:a. 100 lbs.b. 500 lbs.

c. 1,000 lbs.

4. A typical pot belly pigusually grows up to weighbetween:a. 20 to 30lbs.b. 100 to 200 lbs.c. 500 to 600lbs.

ALL NEW KID’S PAGE Fun Farm Animal Facts — Test Your Knowledge!

ANSWERS:1. b; 2. c; 3.c; 4.b; 5.c;6.a; 7.a; 8.c; 9.a; 10.c;11.b; 12.a; 13. c; 14. b

page 10

Ohio HorseLicense Plates

Time to renew yourlicense plates?

How about supporting Ohio’s

horse rescue organizations through

a new set of plates?

Contact The Ohio Coalition for

Animals by going to

www.horseplate.org for details.

The Ohio Coalition for Animals

is a nonprofit organization that will

use the money generated by the sale

of the Ohio’s Horse license plate to

fund educational, charitable and

other statewide equine programs.

The Ohio’s horse license plate

is now available for purchase at the

BMV, www.oplates.com

<http://www.oplates.com/

>, costing the owner of a

car, truck or trailer an

additional $30 annually.

The Ohio Coalition for

Animals will receive $20

from every plate sold.

Funds will be dispersed

throughout the state to assist with

the challenges rescue groups face in

Ohio. More horses and fewer

donors challenge equine groups. No

government funding exists for horse

rescue and adoption groups who

depend solely on the public’s

support.

Meet Cairo

A fuzzy-wuzzy domestic gray

gosling was found abandoned at

a lake in Barberton. Thanks to

Sanders Wildlife Center, the

friendly little fellow ended up at

the gates of Happy Trails. Every

year in the months following the

Easter holiday, far too many

domestic ducks and geese are

conveniently dumped near public

ponds and lakes after they were

inappropriately purchased as

Easter pets. Un-thinking folks

who live in the city often get the

unfortunate animal victims as

pets, and when the novelty wears

off, the animal is abandoned.

Placing domestic feathered

friends on open ponds is pretty

much like providing feed for your

local wildlife, such as coyotes,

mink, raccoons and other preda-

tors. Cairo was one of the lucky

ones, and limped his way into

the hearts of the volunteers at

Happy Trails. He loves to be

hugged and held, and did not

even realize he was a goose

until he spent some time with the

resident geese elders at the

sanctuary. Be sure to visit Cairo

when you come to Happy Trails!

Quickest Adoption Ever!

On Friday, July 3rd, a beautiful littlehen was brought to Happy Trailsthrough our friends at SandersWildlife Center. She was found as astray animal in the city of Norton.Due to the holiday weekend, we ofcourse named her Betsy Ross!

Skip to Sunday, August 2nd, whenVicki Clause was back at HappyTrails for a second adoption offeathered friends. xxx and her familylove their farm pets, and they oohedand ahhed over Betsy Ross. Whilethey were picking out their newfamily members, a ClevelandAnimal Protective League represen-tative arrived at the sanctuary withyet another chicken that was

discov-ered asa strayanimalin theyard ofa ratherniceCleveland development. The newchicken didn’t even have time to getsettled in, when Vicki fell in lovewith the beautiful little hen also.Within 20 minutes of her arrival atHappy Trails,she was adopted andon her way to her new home withhens Betsy Ross and AmeliaAirhart, and Red II the rooster.That truly had to be the quickesttime ever for a new arrival to beplaced in a loving and caring home!

page 11

New Arrivals

Behind TheScenes WithChuck Conring

Happy Trails volunteer webmastergenious, Chuck Conring, grew up on aranch in Texas, roping cows (we’veforgiven him) and riding crazy horses. Ifyou would have told him way back thenthat he would be volunteering to createand oversee the website of a farmanimal sanctuary that rescues farmanimals instead of eating them, he mayhave very well told you that you werecrazy! But now he’s the crazy one —crazy about Happy Trails that is! Chuckis our computer guru, and about 99.9%of our computer work could not bedone without him. You will rarely seeChuck or his wife, Nancy (who handlesour ever-growing mailing lists) at thesanctuary, but the work that they do onbehalf of the rescued animals behindthe scenes is invaluable and quiteimpressive.

Thanks to both Chuck and Nancy forhaving been with us about 100years....ok, well, maybe not that many,but it sure seems like it, probably forboth them and for us! And thanks amillion guys, for the billions of hours thatyou dedicate to the animals!!

If you need a real professional tohelp with web development orcustom software, call Chuck at 330-733-1478.

PUMBA

PIPPY

LONGSTOCKING

KENARDTOOTSIE

Pippy Longstocking (right)showed up at a private home inTallmadge and refused to leave.After four days of mass yarddestruction, the owners of theproperty had had enough and calledHappy Trails for help. The activepink piggy was apprehended andtaken to Happy Trails. After herowner was found, he agreed torelinquish her to the care of thesanctuary. Pumba Pig arrived atthe doorstep of an unsuspectinghome owner in central Ohio, and

also decided not to leave. Thehome owner agreed to take thebusy and hormonal boy to OSU forneutering, and afterward he jour-neyed to Happy Trails for a thirtyday quarantine. The little guy is nowhappily living in Piggerton Estates,and is available for adoption!Tootsie, possibly the largest potbelly pig to ever grace the

sanctuary’s yards, arrived compli-ments of the Ohio SPCA, who’sfacility was simply not set up toproperly handle a pot belly piggyand all her needs. Happy Trailsencourages rescue groups to worktogether for the good of the animals,and was happy to help out with thisbig girl. She too is now available foradoption! Kenard was found bysome good samaritans in GeaugaCounty and was an abandonedgoat. Again, working hand-in-handwith our friends in other counties,we agreed to help Geauga County’sRescue Village and brought Kenardto Happy Trails. He has since beenadopted into the most wonderfulhome a goat could ever ask for! Wealso recently welcomed two newchickens (hens), three new ducks,several new horses, are waiting thearrival of five sheep, and a partridgein a pear tree (ok, just kidding

about the partridge)!

page 12

Happy Trails assists Ohio’s humanesocieties, animal protective leagues,and law enforcement officials whenfarm animals and horses are re-moved from situations of horrificabuse and neglect. On Wednesday,August 19th, Happy Trails worked

hand-in-hand withtheTrumbullCountyHumaneOfficer toassist in the removal of seven horsesand five goats from a situation ofsevere neglect. Several of thehorses were in stalls that wereactually nailed shut, indicating thatthey hadn’t been let out of their

swampy stalls in quite a while. Onehorse’s hooves were so long thatwe suspect permanent tendon

Working Hand-In-Hand WithTrumbull County Humane Society

Assisting CopleyTownship PoliceWith Stray Horses

damage.Two of thehorse’s skinwas soseverelyinfected thatit had begunto rot.Three of thehorses were brought to HappyTrails for rehabilitation, and wehelped to place one of the horses inan approved foster home. The otherhorses and goats were placed infoster care through the TrumbullCounty Humane Society.

Happy Trails is very thankfulto see Ohio’s county humanesocieties and authoritiesremoving farm animals andhorses from abusive situationsand holding animal ownersaccountable for their actions.

As usual, the rescued horsesin this situation have a longand difficult road to recovery

in front of them. As this is an activecruelty case, we will plan to sharedetails of the situation at a later time

Happy Trails is constantly promot-ing the collective efforts of all rescueorganizations working together forthe good of the animals, and ulti-mately the good of our communi-ties. We are grateful to have thechance to work with the goodfolks in Trumbull County who

arechoosingnot toallowanimalabuse intheircommu-nity.

On Friday, July 31, CopleyTownship Police requestedHappy Trails assistance to pickup three stray horses, two mini’sand one full-sized horse. The

older minisufferedfrom lack ofcalcium dueto severemalnutrition,thrush (ahoof dis-ease), and

has neurological issues. All threewere diagnosed with severe worminfestation. The owner was located,and due to previous animal abusecharges and a court order thatprevented him from owning animals,the three horses were signed over to

Dr. Randy Alger examinesa mini mare who we namedSuvali, meaning “full of grace”.

Ten year oldAppaloosamare BlancaDulce had rawopen soresbehind herankles andlacerations down her back legs.

page 13

Great Recipe!

• 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all purposeflour

• 2 tsp baking powder• 1 tsp baking soda• 1/2 tsp salt• 3/4 cup corn meal• 1/4 cup corn oil (vegetable orcanola oil will do)• 2 cups soy milk• 1/4 cup soy yogurt (plain or vanilla)juice from 2 lemons• 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat waffle iron. Sift together allof the dry ingredients. In anotherbowl, mix together all of the wetingredients until well combined.

Finally, combine all of the ingredi-ents into the larger of the two bowlsand mix until just combined. Sprayyour waffle iron with a non-stickspray, and you are ready to pour!

Lemon Corn WafflesWith Blueberry Sauce

“Here is one of my favorite breakfastrecipes,” says Tara Vante, a HappyTrails volunteer. It is taken from IsaChandra Moskowitz’s Vegan With aVengeance cookbook.

This recipe is highly recommended by one veryhandsome white broiler rooster named Hotshot.He enjoys endorsing deliciousanimal-friendly and cruelty-free recipes.

The thinking person mustoppose all cruel customs

no matter howdeeply rooted in traditionand surrounded by a halo.

When we have a choice,we must avoid bringing tormentand injury into the life of another

Albert Schweitzer

Yahzi, a mini yearling, wasrecently adopted to a trulywonderful home!

the local Summit County HumaneSociety, who in turn, signed themover to Happy Trails. They arerecovering in the protective custodyof Happy Trails.

The small black and white mini horsehas been adopted by a wonderfulfamily. Sitting in the barn andadmiring the little filly that barelycame up to her knees, Yahzi’s newmom wondered out loud, “Do youthink it would be all right to take herhome in my mini van?” With the helpof a willing teenager, we agreed to

try. Into theback of thevan we sentthe kid andsome grain.We positioneda bale ofstraw on theground at theback of thevan, and leadlittle Yahzi upto the bale.“Look Yahzi,

food!” She was all about that! Witha little encouragement, Yahzi put herfront hooves on the bale of strawand jumped up next to her teenageguardian. Down went the back doorand away they went. I have nowconcluded that that’s why they callthem...’mini’ vans... :)

Suvali, the special-needs mini, andBlanca Dulce, the beautiful flea-bitten grey ten year old mare who issweet as pie, are both now availablefor adoption. Call 330-296-5914 formore information.

Copley TownshipStray Horses (Continued)

Excellent Recipes!How about trying a meal or two this week that

is animal-friendly, cruelty-free and heart-

healthy? The scrumptious breakfast recipe

above is completely free of any animal

products (they call a meal like this “vegan”).

We’ll do our best to feature at least one

animal-friendly recipe in each newsletter!

For the blueberry sauce:

1½ tbsp arrowroot powder1 pound frozen blueberries, partiallythawed½ cup maple syrup1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, off the heat,toss the arrowroot with the blueber-ries until it is mostly dissolved. Thistakes about 5 minutes; mix occa-sionally over medium heat, cookuntil the moisture is released andthe blueberries are warm. Add theremaining ingredients. Simmer forabout 5 more minutes, until thesauce thickens a bit.

These are delicious!

Your Kindness And CaringMake Our Animal

Rescue Efforts Possible

Thank You ForYour Support!

Donation Form OnInside Back Cover

Tara Vante

gives a bath

to Suvali, a

mini mare,

on a warm

summer

day.

page 14

PETTIGREW FEED &

HARDWARE

www.pettigrew-online.com

6773 Tallmadge Road • Edinburg CenterRavenna, Ohio 44266

TELEPHONE

330-325-1500

1-866-40-FEEDS

1-866-403-3337

Happy Trails needed a feed store that would welcome ourlarge volume feed orders and not complain when we’darrive in a hurry in need of mass quanitities of grain —

someone who would appreciate our business.

We found exactly that in Pettigrew Feed & Hardware!

With a full line of grain for all types of animals anda large selection of hardware and farm supplies,we’d like to encourage folks to stop by and visitPettigrew Feed. We highly recommend their

friendly service, family atmosphere and quality feeds!

Great people, great products, great prices!

A Boy’s Best Friend

Happy Trails haswitnessed someincredible animaladoptions recently. Itruly wish we had roomin our newsletters tohighlight them all. Oneof the horses whorecently went to herforever home is Ariel.She is making a dreamcome true for 4 yearold Luc Thompson. Hismom, Lynn, is simplythrilled with this newaddition to their family.“Ariel loves beinggroomed and bathedand fussed over! Sheis the most patient riding teacher to myfour year old son. He has begged me each night sincewe got her to take him back out to the barn with hissleeping bag and flashlight to sleep with her ‘in caseshe gets lonely’.” How’s that for a happy ending story?

page 15

A Few BabyPigs AvailableFor Adoption

Several baby pigs are still availablefor adoption. Cute as a button andquick as lightening, they are funny,comical, inquisitive, and ornery! Foradoption information, call adoptioncounselor Sharon Barnard at 330-573-1450.

Eight DeerfieldHorses StillNeed Homes

After having signed over the 15horses in the Deerfield neglect case,the owner pled guilty to charges ofanimal cruelty. Seven of the horseshave now been adopted to the mostwonderful homes they could ever

ask for. There are still eight horsesremaining in the care of HappyTrails that are desperately in need ofadoptive homes. By finding them aforever home, we will then in turnhave the space available to helpmore animal abuse calls that con-tinue to come in. Horses availableinclude Brandy, a now-gorgeous redroan, and Sage, an absolutelybeautiful Appaloosa mare. For acomplete list of horses available foradoption, please call Happy Trails at330-296-5914.

Yearling NowAvailable

Quarter horse Baby Hurley wasborn while in the custody of HappyTrails. Baby Hurley, now slightlyover a year old, is lookin’ good andhas been gelded! He is filling outand becoming quite the handsomeyoung gentleman. To learn moreabout this cutie-pie, call Happy Trailsat 330-296-5914.

Donations

With winter right around the cornerand predictions for a bitterly coldseason, we are anticipating a recordnumber of cruelty cases this year.

More and more counties in Ohioare requesting our animal rescueservices than ever before. HappyTrails relies on private donations toprovide the animals with emergencyvet care, proper nutrition such asgrain and hay, routine health caresuch as hoof trimmings and vaccina-tions, and safe and appropriateshelters and fencing. Please helpsupport the rescued animals alreadyin our programs as well as helpingus to prepare for the animal emer-gency situations right around thecorner. A donation form is locatedon the inside back page of thisnewsletter. Your kindness andsupport is enabling Happy Trails tobecome the organization that allcounties in Ohio turn to when farmanimal and equine cruelty arebrought to light. We are extremelygrateful to you!

SAGE

BRANDY

Your Kindness And CaringMake Our Animal

Rescue Efforts Possible

Thank You ForYour Support!

Donation Form OnInside Back Cover

HOUSTON is a special needshorse who is on medication andspecial supplmements.

HURLEY

Baby Kachina (continued)

page 16

be able to trot — to dance across afield someday. I recognized that mydream for her might not fit thereality of the situation, but, I de-cided, that was to be our goal.

After a weekend of getting settled inat Happy Trails, we prepared forthe vet visit. We set Kachina in theback of volunteer Kevin Bragg’scar for a trip to OSU in Columbuson Monday, June 29th. We didn’t

get more than a block down thestreet when I turned around to seethat the baby had rolled over upsidedown. Good grief. “Kevin, pullover!” I crawled in the back to tryto right the baby. She didn’t have agood sense of balance, and itappeared that I would have tobalance on the folded down seatsand hold onto her for the two hourjourney. How fun and uncomfort-able this was going to be...

We tried to stay positive, though weboth knew that there was a chancethat nothing could be done to repairthe damage to the baby’s legs. Weconcentrated on the fact that she

could someday danceher way down the barnaisle and across theyard.

The vets at OSU arealways very patient,kind, and explain thingsin such a way that wecan all understand thecircumstances. After alengthy examination and a series ofradiographs, Dr. Elce declared thatKachina’s prognosis would be“guarded”. I decided that I wouldcall her prognosis “hopeful”!Kachina needed some hoof extend-ers. From using only her front legsto walk and holding her back legsup in the air, her hooves turneddramatically inward and gave her nosolid platform to push from whenshe would try to take a step.Kachina was the best horse patientof all time. She allowed us to lay herdown on her side with no anesthe-sia, and she actually laid there veryquietly and calmly. It was as thoughshe instinctively knew that we weretrying to help her. Dr. Elce mixed upa bondo-like substanceand began to form hoofextensions on Kachina’sback feet. The newhooves, a dirty yellowcolor, were extended tothe outside of her legs.We were supposed tokeep the baby calm untilthe new hooves dried.Would she lay still thatlong? There was still onemore procedure to do.Steroid injections ofcortisone needed to beinserted into her stifle(knee) area, where they

seemed to be inflamed and painful.She took the injections like achamp, showing complete trust andfaith in her human caretakers.

The new hooves hardened in ashort amount of time, and we stoodher up so she could try them out. Inmere seconds, she took off downthe corridor as though she hadplaces to go. We had to laugh asshe practiced walking. She wasnow able to actually put weight onher back legs — something shecould not do before. The new hoofadditions were a success!

Once back at Happy Trails, webegan massage therapy withKachina, massaging her spine, her

Dr. Elce (right) and another OSU vetexamine the cooperative baby.

Kachina grazes next to her herdmate, Houston, who alwayskeeps a watchful eye on his little buddy.

Kachina has many fans at OSU, and upon her arrival wasinstantly greeted and surrounded by a team of elevenmedical staff members. What a little celebrity!

page 17

Kachina (continued)

legs and her neck. Good blood flowand healthy circulation alwaysseems to help promote healing.Every day Kachina walks better,further, steadier, and more confi-dently. She is developing quite anextraordinary personality, and is a

young lady who knows exactlywhat she wants and when she wantsit. Kachina will walk right up to usand demand our full attention. Ofcourse she gets it from anyone insight!

We are now taking one day at atime. Her ankles are still somewhatweak, but she can now jump upfrom a laying down position andspring into action. She can hold herneck up higher as her back contin-ues to get stronger.

In Kachina’s mind she is a bighorse. She wants so badly to bearound the much larger horseresidents at Happy Trails, anddoesn’t understand the conse-quences of her tiny, frail size if shewere to be in with a herd. While thebigger horses look down at herover top of the other side of the

fence, we did allow her to makefriends with Houston, an olderArabian gelding, who loves andkeeps a wary eye on his little chargeat all times. She grazes next to himin the morning sunshine, and laysdown underneath him when it’safternoon nap time. She simplyadores her big horse friend.

We have since made yet anotherjourney to OSU, where Kachinahad new radiographs taken tomonitor her progress. Original x-rays of her spine showed that therewere edges that had not completelyfinished forming, and the same withher kneejoints. Dr.Elce washopefulthat theboneswouldcontinue todevelop astime wenton andKachinawasprovidedwith good,healthynutrition.Her newlyformedhoofextensionswere also

reworked.

One day when I was watchingKachina eat the grassy clover in theyard at Happy Trails, she suddenlyraised her head and spun around.She decided it was time to headback to the barn for whateverreason. She began walking veryquickly. I held my breath — wouldshe fall? Not even close! Her quickwalk suddenly turned into a trot!She was pushing off using her backlegs and going as fast as her little

body could go! I felt the tears. Ithad been over a week since the visitto OSU, and it’s been as if we’vebeen watching a miracle happenright before our eyes. Kachina wasmaking progress daily, and we wereblessed to be allowed to witness

her recovery.

Kachina then made her debut with agroup of senior citizens who arrivedfor a visit at Happy Trails fromPebble Creek Nursing Home.Kachina politely stood in the middleof a group of wheelchairs and waspleased as punch to have everyonereach out to pet her.

Kachinadoes notallow herdailyhandicapsto holdher back,and if weallowourselvesto see ourownreflectionin thisyoung minihorse, shetruly has alot toteach us.Kachinamay besmall instature,

but she is a giant in mind and inconfidence! Make sure to meetKachina when you visit HappyTrails. Donations toward hermedical and veterinary expenseswill be very much appreciated. Taxdeductible donations can be sent toHappy Trails, 5623 New MilfordRd., Ravenna, Ohio 44266. We willpost updates about Kachina’sprogress!

Kachina likes to graze with the other biggerhorses on the safe side of the fence. HereBarney the Standardbred checks her out.

Lori Luisis, Happy Trails volunteer, helps transport thebaby for her second trip to OSU.

page 18

Happy Trails has been blessedwith many opportunities and thesupport of kind and compassion-ate individuals and organizationsalike. Though we don’t have thespace to list every act of kindness,we certainly enjoy getting tohighlight a few!

Many thanks to Mercy ForAnimals for inviting Happy Trails tobe the featured guest at theirFebruary dinner at the BeachwoodLibrary. Well over 100 peopleattended the vegan buffet andviewed Happy Trails new powerpoint presentation that reviewedseveral case studies of our animalrescues.

A special thank-you goes out tothe kids involved with Dance Imagewho organized a creative dancepresentation with proceeds benefit-ting Happy Trails.

The 4-Wheel Off Road Clubheld a road rally which began at thefire department with proceedsgoing to both Harvest For Hungerand Happy Trails.

To everyone who has donatedaluminum cans and ink cartridgesfor our recycle programs, thank you,thank you, thank you! Please keepsaving both items — drop-off daysare on Saturdays and Sundays from1pm-4pm.

To every 4-H group who hasdonated a work day to the sanctu-ary; to all the churches, rotary clubsand other organizations who haverequested a Happy Trails presenta-tion; to the kids and special interestgroups who have held fundraisers tohelp the animals; and to everyonewho has contributed in some way tothe success of Happy Trails, wethank you from the bottom of ourhooves!

Thank You’s

into his grave so that he could beburied with a few of his very favor-ite things in this world. Each branchsymbolized the love each person hadfor this monstrous pig, for their lovefor the pig was as big as the animalhimself.

I believe that Oliver is now nappingcomfortably in the biggest and goo-iest mud waller that heaven has to

offer, and he spends his days, freefrom pain and is now able to walkwithout difficulty. He decorates hisnew shelter with beautiful, bigbranches with bright green leaves onthem from the cool forest aroundhim.

May you enjoy life across theRainbow Bridge dear Oliver —we send you much love, from allyour dedicated and caring peoplefriends at Happy Trails!

Oliver(Continued from page 4)

Oliver was such a love bug. I’m gladmy children had the opportunity tolove on him and feed him treatsbefore he left us for the RainbowBridge. Just know that he is happyand running around just like a babypig would. Oliver showed love andcompassion to everyone he met andI know I will personally miss him.

Mindy Tusko

Happy Trails co-founder Russ Fisherhugs muddy Oliver the pig.

“What is man without

the beasts?

If all the beasts were gone,men would die from great

loneliness of spirit.

For whatever happensto the beasts,

soon happens to man.

All things are connected.”

Chief Seattle

American Indian

Duwamish Tribe

Happy Trails operates as an all-volunteer organization and hasno paid staff members. If youare at least 18 years old andare interested in learning moreabout the many volunteeropportunities with HappyTrails, call Sue Buttermore,Happy Trails Volunteer Coordi-nator, at 330-388-2106.

Volunteering

Volunteer Matt Kucern walks Yahzi themini horse out to the yard.

page 19

NAME _____________________________________ ADDRESS ____________________________________

CITY/STATE/ZIP ________________________________________ PHONE___________________________

You can sign up to receive occasional sanctuary news updates through e-mail.Log onto our website at www.happytrailsfarm.org and register to receive farm news!

Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary is a 501c3non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of

kind folks who believe in our animal rescue efforts.

Please consider making a difference by sendinga donation to help spread compassion and the save the life

of a neglected, abused or abandoned farm animal today.

DONATION INFORMATION

I’d like to send a donation at this time of

q$25 q$35 q$55 q$75 q$125 q$______other

q Please use this donation where it is needed the most.

q I’d like my donation to be in memory of my beloved pet

__________ (name), a __________(type of animal), who has crossed

the Rainbow Bridge

qPlease add me to your mailing list. q I am already on your mailing list.

qPlease send me a tax-deductible receipt for my donation.

Return to Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Inc.5623 New Milford Rd., Ravenna, Oh 44266

Happy Trails rescue programs are funded by

your thoughtful and generous donations.

Many thanks for your support and kindness!

How YourDonation Helps

The biggest expenses at HappyTrails are the medical and veterinarycare of the rescued animals, andcoming in at a close second are thefeed, grain, hay, supplements andnutritional needs required topromote healing and recovery.Shelter needs, barn and shelterrepairs, fencing and daily carecome in third. We are completely

Fall Wish ListHere are items, both big andsmall, that would be helpful!

• Bottled water or soft drinks for ourhard working volunteers

• Bags of stall dry

• Hay and straw (and lots of both!) notmore than a year old and cannotbemoldy

• Snow shovels

• Gas & fuel cards fordiesel and gasoline

• Draft-size horse halters

• A post-hole digger attachment for ourBob Cat

• Large pet porters in good condition.

• Postage stamps, 8½”x11" color orwhite copy paper

• Printer cartridges for our EpsonCX4800 printer

• Feed: Hog pellets, duck/goose pellets,chicken laying mash or scratch (anybrands)

• Paste wormers such as Quest,Strongid, Zimectrin,Panacur, etc.

• A large storage shed tohouse tools, equipmentand animal supplies orto serve as an animal

shelter

• A reliable 1-ton truck (to pull the horsetrailer and transportanimals, to haulfeed, to takepet porters fullof pot belly pigsto and from the vet, etc.)

• Horse tack — new or used. Items thatwe cannot use at the sanctuary aretaken to auction, and all proceedsbenefit our equine rescue programs

• A stock trailer

• Outdoor picnictables or park-type

benches in goodcondition

Happy Trails is a 501c3 non-profit organiza-tion. Donations are tax deductible aspermitted by law.

depen-dentuponyourcom-passion,caringandwilling-ness tomake a difference! Many thanks forshowing that you care!

OR CURRENT RESIDENT

5623 New Milford Road • Ravenna, Ohio 44266

(330) 296-5914 www.happytrailsfarm.org

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID

AKRON OH

PERMIT NO.12

How You Can Visit Happy Trails!

However, Happy Trails does not

have a paid staff, and therefore

does not have hours where the

sanctuary can be open to the

public on a regular basis.

We do appreciate everyone’s

understanding that the care of the

animals comes first as our top

priority with our limited volunteer

time. ALL visitors must have an

appointment.

How To Schedule A Visit

We will be hosting fall group tours

on Saturdays and Sunday during

October and November and

reservations are required. Please

call ahead to see what times are

The rescued animals sure

do enjoy having visitors!

available — 330-296-5914.

Though there is not a set tour fee,

we do respectfully request a mon-

etary donation on behalf of the

rescued animals since their care

depends soley on the generosity of

our supporters and the volunteers

who take

their time

away from

the care of

the animals to

host tours.

We promise

to do our

very best to

accomodate

as many

visitors as

possible!

Like being outdoors?

To sign up for our

Winter Volunteer Program, call

Sue Buttermore at 330-388-2106.

Willis the pig is currentlyrecruiting winter volunteers.Don’t be left out in the cold!Join our dedicated volunteersin taking care of the rescuedanimals this winter!