A message from the sanctuary president

Our first year at home

Summer 2008
posted 11 October 2008

Full body shot of Ben in his present healthy state.

For more information about Ben, and to see what he looked like when he arrived at the Sanctuary, visit "Coming of Age."

Dear Friends,

A little over a year has passed since moving to our own new home with 54 acres of beautiful countryside. This first year has brought on a whole bunch of new challenges—the weather being the biggest hurdle to overcome with the snow and constant rain causing flooding.

Muscle and determination was our next obstacle. Fortunately, many of you answered our pleas for help, and we made it through. Thank you! Through all of this we have never wavered from our determination to help the animals.

On a daily basis, we receive calls regarding farm animals, wild animals and companion animals. Although our expertise is mainly with farm animals, we are frequently a resource for other animal-oriented organizations around the state.

One of our notable rescues is of Ben, the horse who had been hit by a truck. Injured and scared, Ben was put into a neighbor’s pasture until the owner could be contacted. Once contacted, the owner came to look at him and then drove away, abandoning Ben.

When Ben arrived at the sanctuary, he was underweight and was lame due to a latent abscess on his left front ankle. At one time, our veterinarian told us he would be permanently lame due to fibrous material forming along the tendons’ sheaths in the leg and ankle. However, there is just something about a statement like this that makes us work even harder to prove it wrong. After months of soaking, wrapping, exercise and good nutrition, Ben is sound and has put on more than a few extra pounds.

Then came Fyrefly, the neglected 28 year-old Arabian mare with a thyroid problem. After that came Chevy, the sheep, listed on Craig’s list as “free for slaughter.” And now we have just added, Suzie, the little mule, as well as more chickens than one can count. Two additional horses from the Scio rescue are temporarily in our care, and we are looking forward to the imminent arrival of ten pigs from the Iowa flooding.

Despite these great success stories, a new and more difficult challenge has come our way. Being called “foreclosure animals,” animals of all types are being abandoned along roadways and wilderness areas to survive on their own. Several have even been dumped out at the Sanctuary. Our answer to this tragedy is to create the first of its kind off-site web link, “Adoption Center,” to help people needing to place an animal. See the article included in this issue. On behalf of the animals and all of us at the Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary, we thank you for your continued generosity and support.

With much gratitude,

Wayne S. Geiger, President