YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT
CAN HELP
Spring Farm CARES is home to many animals with disabilities and special needs – beings who daily open our hearts to love, and teach us of courage, trust, and, most definitely, heroism. Many of them have long-term, even life-long, special needs. All require in-depth medical care/treatment and medications, nursing, rehabilitative care, and special, often creative, attention. Some require repeated surgical procedures or trips to a specialist. The medical bills are sometimes staggering. But we feel blessed by these angel animals, blessed and grateful that these teachers have come among us. They are quartered variously here at the farm, according to their needs, some sharing the on-site living quarters of our directors. Because of their various conditions and on-going needs for special care, none are up for adoption. They will be with us for life, however long or short those lives may be.
YOUR FRIENDSHIP MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES
You can share in the lives of these extra-ordinary beings by sponsoring one, or more, of them. Your donations will help pay for their various special needs and help us continue to provide the high quality of care that they require for the remainder of their lives.
ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP
Your donation will be used directly in the care of our animals. Choose your animal and your name will be placed next to that animal's story here on our website for one year. You may also donate in memory of a loved one, human or animal, and that memorial will appear along with your own name.
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
PAL - $100
BUDDY - $150 / SPECIAL FRIEND- $250
ANGEL - $500 / GUARDIAN ANGEL - $1,000
To Sponsor an Animal, call (315) 737-9339,
Mon.-Fri., 9AM-4PM or send a check to
Spring Farm CARES, 3364 State Rt. 12, Clinton, NY 13323
with the name of the animal you wish to sponsor. Or go to our Donations Page, and in the Comments section please let us know the animal you wish to sponsor along with the level of sponsorship.
HERE ARE SEVERAL OF OUR ANIMALS LOOKING FOR SPONSORS
- BURNING BRIGHT - Cat with severe cleft palette
- KIKI - Cat with diabetes
- WEE WEE - very unusual cat with chronic health concerns
- ZACK - Fantastic cat, leukemia positive
- BEULAH MAE - cat with severe asthma
- SASHA - Dog who is blind
- HANNAH - Pitbull/beagle mix with health issues
- MACK - Border Collie - spinal injury
- CHARLIE - Shetland pony with bad feet due to neglect
- BREEZIE - Horse with fractured withers and sterile abscess
- TJ - Horse who is blind
- ECHO - Horse with sight problems and neurological issues
- BELLE - Morgan Horse sent to us for behavioral problems
- GYPSY - Thoroughbred retired race horse
- FELIX - Donkey from a neglect case
- LEO - Donkey from a neglect case
- ADDIE - Quarter Horse mare with neurological issues
- MOLLY - Welch Pony cross who is blind
BURNING BRIGHT'S FRIENDS
Dr. Paul Bookbinder, Upstate Veterinary Surgical Center
BURNING BRIGHT
Burning Bright was only a few hours old when he was brought to us in late 2005. Director Bonnie took on his bottle-feeding, as she has with scores of others over the years. He looked like a tiny tiger – perhaps a Bengal-X -- so Bonnie named him Burning Bright, after the Blake poem, Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright. Bonnie shortly found that B-Bright, as he is called for short, had trouble nursing. The formula kept bubbling out his nose. As it turned out, he had a severe cleft palette. He couldn’t transition to solid food and could only be fed by the bottle, very slowly and carefully to keep the gruel that we developed to substitute for solid food from going up into his sinuses and causing infections. Even with that care, we began to see signs of upper respiratory illness that was hard to get rid of. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done for him surgically until he was grown enough for the surgery to be effective, and B-Bright’s wonderful orthopedic vet, Dr. Bookbinder, warned us that chances were that B-Bright would not make it to that point. The odds were that infections would take him. We were devastated, as it was clear that this kitten wanted to survive, and so we kept on bottle feeding him his gruel, oh so carefully. And miracles just kind of keep happening here at Spring Farm. Due to the care and perseverance of Bonnie and our staff, B-Bright beat the odds. He grew and grew and grew. And his cleft palette began to close. Until, finally, he was big enough, and the palette had closed enough that surgery could possibly close the hole all the way. Dr. Bookbinder decided that, not only could he withstand surgery, but, there was a chance that surgery could work.
B-Bright had a total of 4 surgeries over the period of one year. The cleft is almost, but not completely, closed. He can now eat food off a plate like a normal cat, but he will be forever prone to, his life threatened by, sinus infections. As you can see, he is stunningly gorgeous, with an equally wonderful personality and disposition.
Unfortunately, Burning Bright had another major impact in his life. Two years after his cleft palette was fixed, he suddenly and unexplainably went blind. Literally overnight, he lost all of his vision. We have taken him to top eye specialists and they do not know what caused it, but they have assured us there is no pain with this, he just simply cannot see. When you first see B-Bright running around the room playing, you would not know he is blind. He functions amazingly well. If you would like to sponsor Burning Bright, please contact us.
KIKI
Kiki was born in fall of 2000. Originally here as a youngster, we adopted her out to a family who had her for 8 years and suddenly was faced with a move where they could not take Kiki with them. They returned her to us and we began looking for another home for her. Unfortunately, Kiki has since developed health problems that will probably mean she will live with us for the remainder of her life. Kiki has diabetes and is on daily insulin shots. She also has a heart murmur that we monitor closely. This girl is incredibly sweet and equally as beautiful. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Kiki.
Wee Wee
Wee Wee is a most unusual cat. We believe she is a Highlander and was with someone who was breeding very rare cats before she came to us. Wee Wee is a sweetheart and would be highly adoptable except that she is plagued with a lot of long term health problems. Besides a heart murmur, she also suffers from chronic upper respiratory infections that never really clear up. She is a special girl and we are glad that she has found respite here at the farm and is no longer being used for breeding, since many of her health problems are congenital. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Wee Wee.
ZACK'S FRIENDS
PALS
Glen Highland Farm Camp Border Collie for Kids - 2011 - Group 2
August 2011-August 2012
Zack
Zack is as much a character as he looks. He is a magnificent young man with the sweetest, most gentle disposition you could imagine. He loves to cuddle and snuggle and purr. But he also loves to romp and play. Zack came to us from another rescue who could not meet his medical needs. He had a very bad ear polyp that came back even when surgically removed. We have taken him to a specialist now and we are hoping that this is now resolved. If not, he will need further surgery. Zack also tested positive for the feline leukemia virus. He was born in May of 2009 and we are hoping that he will enjoy a long happy life with us. He has been left with a bit of an endearing head tilt due to the ear polyps but it does not seem to bother him one bit. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Zack.
BEULAH MAE
Beulah Mae is a special girl who unfortunately has several health problems that make her a permanent resident in our sanctuary. Chief among those issues is the fact that she has severe asthma. We have to very carefully control her environment as well as her medications. Beulah gets to have the run of our facility at night where she is always on patrol, a job she takes very seriously. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Beulah Mae.
SASHA'S FRIENDS
PAL
Glen Highland Farm Camp Border Collie for Kids - 2011 - Group 3
August 2011 - August 2012
BUDDY
Sara
Shkane
Dec. 2011 - Dec. 2012
SASHA
Sasha is an elderly Maltese/Shitzu mix. She has back problems, heart problems, and is blind – though some of us swear that her blindness and hearing are selective. She came to us in 2002, when a local humane society could not find an appropriate home for her and did not want to put her down. She’s a feisty lady. Never nasty, she loves to cuddle and play, but she lives life her way. And she absolutely hates to be groomed. Grooming gets her so stressed that she has actually been known to turn blue. As far as Sasha is concerned, there is no such thing as a bad hair day. Whatever way her hair is is just the way it is, and so, “Go away!” Our staff has to find creative and sneaky ways to do haircuts in small doses. She’s an amazing character who functions so well with whatever senses she has left, that you would hardly know her to be handicapped. Please contact us if you are interested in sponsoring Sasha.
HANNAH'S FRIENDS
BUDDY
Janey December 2010-December 2011"
Glen Highland Farm Camp Border Collie for Kids - 2011 - Group 3 - August 2011-August 2012
HANNAH
Smiling Hannah has a long history with us at the farm. She was found as a stray running through the city streets of Utica in 2003. She was thought to be about 2 years old then. Hannah is a pitbull/beagle mix and has dealt with many behavioral issues over the years. The dog we have now is not who she was when she came to us, but it took a lot of hard work and a strict routine to achieve that. Hannah can be dog or small animal aggressive and has been a challenge. However, the love and hard work paid off. Hannah has grown enormously over the years. Age, maturity, a secure environment, and consistency with her handling all played a role in helping her to learn a new way of life. She has several staff people who just adore her and take her for walks and play with her. And most special for Hannah is that she has a dog friend in a neighboring room, Prince (see below), who she just adores. Hannah and Prince have both helped one another to feel safer and more secure in life. Hannah now has the challenge of aging along with hip dysplasia and an eye problem which has lead to some diminished vision. We are very proud of Hannah, and although the path was not an easy one with her, we have all learned a lot from each other. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Hannah.
MACK
Mack came to us from our friends at Glen Highland Farm, Border Collie rescue, after he was picked up as a stray who had been seen running in the Adirondacks for over 6 months. At some point, Mack sustained an injury that broke his spine just above his tail. Although Mack can walk and run like any normal Border Collie his age, he cannot move his tail and he is bowel and bladder incontinent, making him difficult to place in a home. Mack is undergoing rehab here at the farm, but is a permanent resident, where we can tend to his special needs. Like any BC, Mack is incredibly smart and loves to play and run. He particularly likes to play hide and seek with the staff. Mack keeps a very close eye on all the happenings at the farm and supervises whenever he can.
As part of his rehab process, Mack receives regular acupuncture, chiropractic, and energy work treatments. He will always have special needs and require special care due to his incontinence. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Mack.
CHARLIE
Charlie is a Shetland pony cross gelding who was born around 2000. He came to the farm in December 2011. He had been rescued by someone once from an auction, became a kids riding/show pony, and then unfortunately fell into a neglect situation. He foundered, and for many months went without having his feet trimmed, which caused his feet to become very badly overgrown. Charlie's riding and driving days are done and he will now stay here being rehabilitated so that he can live the remainder of his life comfortably. Charlie is a character and full of spunk. It will take us a while to rehab his feet and legs so that he can walk more normally, however Charlie is already well on his way. He now can do a little trot and even buck around his paddock. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Charlie.
BEEZIE'S FRIENDS
SPECIAL FRIEND
Glen Highland Farm Camp Border Collie for Kids - 2011 - Group 1 - August 2011 - August 2012
BREEZIE
Breezie is a Thoroughbred, born here on the farm in 1991. In 1998, due to the negligence of those handling Breezie, she reared up, flipped over backwards, and smashed onto the concrete aisle of the barn. She hit part of the hardware from a barn door and sheared off 3 vertebral tops, pushing one up through her withers. This injury would have left her unrideable, although Breezie already was unrideable due to behavioral issues. But worse than that, the accident left an open hole in her withers that constantly drains and occasionally gets infected. For 12 years, first Margot, and later our staff, has bathed that wound every day. And the accident left her more difficult to handle than ever. At heart she is a soft and gentle mare, but her fears often make her very dangerous to deal with. It takes a lot of patience to keep her focused and balanced when working around her. But she is happy in her life. Please contact us if you are interested in sponsoring Breezie.
TJ'S FRIENDS
SPECIAL FRIEND
John Andersen - Feb 2011 - Feb 2012
TJ
TJ came to the farm in 1995. He is a Quarter Horse gelding, now about 20 years old. He had degenerative eye disease when he arrived, and it has worsened over the years to total blindness. But because TJ had once had vision and lost it gradually, he adapted very well to being sightless. Also, because of his very steady and low-key personality, we are able to do almost everything with him that we would do with a sighted horse. He is able to be led to a pasture where, as long as he has a sighted horse friend with him, he calmly grazes and enjoys rolling in the grass and soaking up the sun. Because of his eye condition, TJ is on many supplements and medications. Please contact us if you are interested in sponsoring TJ.
ECHO'S FRIENDS
BUDDY
Glen Highland Farm Camp Border Collie for Kids - 2011 - Group 2 - August 2011-August 2012
ECHO
Echo was born here on the farm in 1994 when we purchased her pregnant mother away from a neglect situation. (See the story of Corrie above for details.) Echo was born with vision and neurological problems. She gets around fine, but she has a distinctive wobble to her gait. She is not totally blind, but her vision is compromised. Echo still lives with her mother, brother Corrie, and 2 other relatives in our pony herd. She gets regular chiropractic treatments to help her with her neurological problem. With age she is now developing arthritis in her joints and will have some more special care. She’s a sweet-tempered little gal who just enjoys hanging out with her family in the sun. Please contact us if you wish to sponsor Echo.
BELLE
Belle is a gorgeous Morgan mare, around 20 years old. She has been with us since she was 3 years old. Belle has had a multitude of behavioral issues which left her untrainable and unrideable, even by the most gentlest and holistic means. Her future was to be euthanized if she didn't come here to the farm where we could give her a sanctuary just to live out her life as she liked. She has a mind of her own, yet can be tender and sweet. Her basic principle is that she lives on her terms only. We sometimes can groom her over a fence but she let's us handle her very little. She lives in a herd of four horses, including another mare much like her. She is the boss mare of the herd and is quite happy in her life. She just loves to be allowed to live the life of a horse, without human physical contact. She does however have lots of human interactions. Belle is one of the beloved teachers on the farm and has touched many, many hearts and lives. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Belle.
GYPSY
Lamoka Gypsy is a Thoroughbred mare now in her late twenties. Gypsy has been at SFC since 1988. She was retired here off the track. Gypsy only won one race in her career because she would always slow down as the other horses got closer to her. We figured out later that she was stopping to kick them as she didn’t like other horses coming up behind her. In 1990, Gypsy was adopted out for a couple of years and ended up in a horrible abuse situation where she was starved when the adopter broke our contract and sent Gypsy off to someone else without our knowledge. She almost died but a veterinarian fostered her for a year and really brought her back to health. She then came home to SFC where she is retired permanently and promised to never be without food again. We also stopped adopting horses out after the experience that Gypsy went through. Gypsy is a very quite unassuming gal who is just very good natured. She is best buddies with Smiley (see above) who is blind and she takes good care of him out in the pasture. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Gypsy.
FELIX'S FRIENDS
SPECIAL FRIEND
Carole and Paul - February 2011 - February 2012
FELIX
Felix is a very loving donkey, who came to us at just a few months old in 2003, along with his friend Leo (see below). Both donkeys were taken from an animal neglect case and were in life threatening condition. Both were badly starved and literally on their last legs. Their recovery was long and hard. They were rescued in November in the freezing cold and the veterinarians who attended them said that if they hadn't been rescued that day, they probably would not have survived that night. They spent the winter in our heated garage because they literally had no body fat to keep warm. By spring, we had two healthy donkeys who were ready to start over and enjoy life. However, they also were extremely bonded to us and made it clear they never wanted to leave the farm. We honored that decision. For a full year, Felix suffered from nightmares where he would suddenly begin screaming in the middle of the night and we'd come down and find him in a complete panic just running in circles in his stall. When we came in he would run to us and just stand trembling as we hugged him. We never knew what was haunting him but we had never seen anything like this with any of our equines before. Luckily, after he was sure he was safe and never going back to where he came from, the nightmares subsided. He now lives in a herd of two horses and his donkey pal Leo. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Felix.
LEO
Leo is a donkey filled with lots of spunk and charm. He is quite a snuggler at heart, but also very stubborn. Leo came to us in 2003 with his donkey friend Felix (see above.) Both donkeys were taken from an animal neglect case and were in life threatening condition. Both were badly starved and literally on their last legs. Their recovery was long and hard. They were rescued in November in the freezing cold and the veterinarians who attended them said that if they hadn't been rescued that day, they probably would not have survived that night. They spent the winter in our heated garage because they literally had no body fat to keep warm. By spring, we had two healthy donkeys who were ready to start over and enjoy life. However, they also were extremely bonded to us and made it clear they never wanted to leave the farm. We honored that decision.
Although Leo is healthy now, we think he is somewhat compromised by the severe lack of nutrition at such a young age. We know he was without his mother since at least 2 months old. And he was being bottle fed very inconsistently. When he came to the farm at 4 months old, he was just a rack of bones and had to be carried off the horse trailer. He weighed so little that one person could carry him in their arms. It is a miracle he survived and a testament to his spunk. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Leo.
ADDIE
Addie was injured as a very young foal and was left with neurological damage. Her condition seems to slowly worsen as she gets older. There is some speculation that she may actually have a neurological disease. In either case, Addie was never able to be ridden. However, she was rescued by a wonderful family who took her in to be sure that she was given a good home. Now in her mid 20's, Addie's needs have shifted and we accepted her at our facility. Sometimes when Addie lies down, she has trouble getting up and needs our assistance. This is something that has progressively gotten worse for her. But she still leads an otherwise normal life and has fun with her horse buddies. Addie is great friends and aid to our blind horse, TJ. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Addie.
MOLLY
Molly is a gorgeous Welch cross pony in her mid-teens. Molly came to us after her show career abruptly ended when she very suddenly went blind due to a disease in her eyes. Molly had been a show jumper and was so good that no one even knew her vision was going until it was nearly gone and she couldn't see the poles anymore. Adjusting to a life of retirement was a rough process for Molly at first, but then she realized she was staying with us forever and she learned to find a new life without someone riding her and enjoying her time with her new horse friends. Molly is wonderfully trusting and because of that she is still able to be lead out to a pasture everyday where she can enjoy sunshine and grass. Molly has discovered a new life and a newfound happiness. We will continue to care for her special needs and provide a safe place for her to live out her life. Please contact us if you'd like to sponsor Molly.
