A few days ago, my partner David and I returned from a three-day getaway in Cape May, NJ. We were visiting my Dad, who spends his summers there. He’d been inviting us all summer.

Much of our time was idyllic: strolling down sandy beaches, sharing a loaf of whole-grain bread with seagulls, who hovered, mid-air, over our heads, waiting for the small pieces we threw to them, kayaking (on stand-up surfboards) among a huge school of porpoises, some of whom were close enough to touch.

Continue

Yesterday, Catskill Animal Sanctuary received an irate e-mail from someone about Atlas the goat. We were shocked, as the response to our news that Atlas, crippled from neglect, was receiving a custom wheelchair that would painlessly increase his mobility had been overwhelmingly positive.

That is, until said e-mail.

Continue

Two nights ago, 21 goats arrived at Catskill Animal Sanctuary from a hoarder in Pennsylvania. The hoarder, an educated woman, has hundreds of animals on her derelict property: pigs, horses, sheep, donkeys, alpacas, many species of birds, reptiles. Like many hoarders, she considers herself an animal rescuer; indeed, lots of folks have entrusted their beloved animals to her.

Continue

Yesterday afternoon, I was lying in the grass outside the barn, chatting with farm manager Karen Wilson and animal care director Abbie Rogers. We were talking about pasture management, and about the optimum diet for Babe, our beloved senior cow. What we weren't talking about was how exhausted we were.

Continue