[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_youtube id="BL8EN9dUGZY" alignment="center" width="800" height="450" autoplay="false" api_params="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" css_id="" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] The Goat, the Mystery, the New Friend [fusion_dropcap boxed="no" boxed_radius="" class="" id="" color=""]L[/fusion_dropcap]evi joined The Daily Squeal family after quite mysteriously escaping a slaughterhouse. It’s no mystery that he’d want to escape, but to this day we still wonder how the heck he did it. Levi is a fainting goat, a.k.a. Myotonic. Myotonics faint when stressed. How did our boy keep from fainting long enough to make his bid for freedom? We don’t know, but all we can say is, “Go Levi. Go!!!!!" Myotonic goats are still intentionally bred with this trait today. The history of these goats is that shepherds would keep them with their flock of sheep, so that if a predator descended, the goat would take the hit and the sheep would get away. Videos of fainting goats litter the internet. I’m hoping that the folks that find them funny don’t understand why the goat is fainting. During the fainting episode the goat stays conscious but is completely paralyzed – the stuff of nightmares. When Levi first arrived at our farm, he hid behind his friends for days. While Romy, Avery, and the rest of the gang enjoyed belly-rubs and back-scratches, Levi would observe from a distance, an outsider to the love-party. Knowing Levi’s affliction, we gave him his space despite wanting to grab and kiss him and tell him everything was going to be okay. A week after Levi’s arrival, my daughter had an idea. For years she had been visiting local animal shelters and reading books to the dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Animal shelters encourage their young supporters to stop in and read to the shelter animals as they’ve found that their soft, gentle, and soothing voices help the timid and shy shelter animals come out of their shells. They help the animals to find comfort and safety in human interaction and learn to socialize through a calm and peaceful exercise. My daughter wondered whether this same idea might help bring Levi the goat out of his shell too. The next day she decided that she would do her homework in Levi’s stall. With a book in hand, she found a spot in the hay and began to read aloud. Careful at first not to look at Levi or cause him to become frightened, she soon noticed a small furry body sidling up next to hers. It was Levi. While she continued to read, he let her rub his chest, closing his eyes and tilting his head towards hers. He was calm, happy and finally at home. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] Giving children the opportunity to read to animals allows them to learn empathy and compassion for their fellow living creatures. It can help the animal learn social skills and find comfort around humans, and can help children to gain confidence in reading, improve their literacy skills and find comfort in performing a skill without judgment. Here are a few of our favorite books to get them started: [/fusion_text][fusion_checklist icon="fa-book fas" iconcolor="#a2a952" circle="" circlecolor="" size="" divider="" divider_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""][fusion_li_item icon=""] Me… Jane, by Patrick McDonnell (Ages 4-8): Details the making of a young naturalist who becomes a famed primatologist, animal advocate and UN Messenger of Peace. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Wonder Horse: The True Story of the World’s Smartest Horse, by Emily Arnold McCully (Ages 4-8): Former slave, Dr. William Key, becomes best friends with a horse and the pair become a traveling spectacle, teaching kids about kindness to animals. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, by Ruby Roth (Ages 4-10): An endearing animal cast of pigs, turkeys, cows, quail, turtles, and dolphins are shown in both their natural state and in the terrible conditions of the factory farm. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Minny’s Dream, by Clare Druce (Ages 8-14): A young girl unexpectedly finds herself neighboring a battery hen operation and befriending a chicken named Minny. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] The Forgotten Rabbit, by Nancy Furstinger (Ages 5-8): Bella the rabbit makes a giant leap from neglected Easter bunny to cherished animal companion. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Granny Gomez and Jigsaw, by Deborah Underwood (Ages 4-8): A funny and sweet tale about pigs as companions who deserve a good home and family too. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Claude and Medea – The Hellburn Dogs, by Zoe Weil (Ages 9-12): A riveting story that will make kids eager for more, while offering them true heroes for today’s world. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] A Dog’s Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron (Ages 10 and beyond): Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog’s Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog’s many lives, but also a dog’s-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man’s best friend. [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better, by Tracey Stewart (Ages 13 and beyond): A memoir and how-to about enriching the world of the creatures in your life, whether they be dogs, cats, or the crows in your backyard. . . . The book details basic animal behavior as well as practical humane solutions to common animal-human conflicts (cats scratching furniture, moles destroying your lawn). [/fusion_li_item][fusion_li_item icon=""] Most Good, Least Harm, by Zoe Weil (ages 13 and beyond): With a world steeped in materialism, environmental destruction, and injustice, what can one individual possibly do to change it? While the present obstacles we face may seem overwhelming, author and humane educator Zoe Weil shows us that change doesn’t have to start with an army. It starts with you. [/fusion_li_item][/fusion_checklist][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_youtube id="iWCPfGOqDtQ" alignment="center" width="800" height="450" autoplay="false" api_params="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" css_id="" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] For Slaughterhouse Escapee, Barry Lamb, It’s Summertime & The Living is Easy [fusion_dropcap boxed="no" boxed_radius="" class="" id="" color=""]I[/fusion_dropcap]t used to be that if the phone rang in the middle of the night I would fear the worst. All that changed when I became friends with predawn caller, Susie Coston aka the National Director of Farm Sanctuary. Now when the phone rings in the wee hours I get giddy in knowing I’m about to be asked if I’m up for an animal rescue. Yee haw, yes I am!!! The calls started to happen frequently enough that on mornings when my son didn’t want to go to school he’d sigh, “I hope an animal escapes from a slaughterhouse today”… knowing full well that his sucker of a mom would agree to let him miss school for what she valued as an all too rare life experience. This May we got one of these calls and headed immediately to The Animal Care Centers of NYC to pick up Barry Lamb. Barry had ended up in someone’s backyard in Queens, NY. Did he escape from a slaughterhouse and go looking for greener pastures or had someone who purchased him from a live market to make a meal of him have a change of heart? Who knows? Who cares? Barry is free and loving every minute of it! Barry’s past health history was unknown to us, which meant that unfortunately he’d have to spend some time isolated from other sheep until bloodwork and fecals could be assessed. Sheep are herd animals and find great comfort and serenity in the company of their own so isolation is particularly hard on them. Under our watch though every possible comfort would be provided to Barry to help him feel safe and at home. Susie Coston suggested we make him a temporary “herd". We filled his stall with stuffed animals and placed a mirror beside him so that he could find comfort in his own reflection. It really did relax him! It was adorable! We even gave him some company in the form of a sheep statue in his pasture (I have no shame in admitting I had one on hand already). Barry appreciated his new herd of humans as well. I’m not one for naps but for Barry (wink) I’d join him in his stall with my sleeping bag and enjoy afternoon siestas together. Barry’s past was being replaced with a whole new beginning, but a reminder of where he'd been still remained. Barry had a spray-painted orange stripe down his back, a mark that indicated he was soon to be slaughtered. Lambs like Barry are slaughtered between the ages of 6-8 months. Their natural life span is 12-14 years. The stripe served as a grim reminder of the fate that once awaited Barry. It was time to do something about that. We wasted no time in giving him a nice slow summer shear to free him of this mark. Sheep used to shed their wooly coat in the warmer months naturally on their own but now those intended for wool production rather than meat have been bred to hold onto their coats. Shearing can be a violent and bloody experience when industry values speed over humane treatment but for Barry his shearing was so gentle that at times he dozed off in my arms while my husband, Jon, massaged his little baby head. I have never met a sheep that wasn’t exceptionally sweet but Barry just might be the sweetest. And soon he’ll be ready to join the rest of The Daily Squeal herd! Check Out Barry's Shearing! [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] For those of you who’d like to see some more of Tracey and Jon’s love-fest with Barry during his shearing, click below: [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_youtube id="4T1rUyeGDaU" alignment="center" width="800" height="450" autoplay="false" api_params="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" css_id="" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

hfarmfoundation, Author at Hockhockson Farm Foundation

May I Join You For Thanksgiving? ❤️ Bowie

May I Join You For Thanksgiving? ❤️ Bowie

Top Five Tips for a Compassionate Thanksgiving 1. MODEL THE BEHAVIOR YOU’D LIKE TO SEE. I don’t enjoy being criticized for my dietary choices and so I certainly don’t ...

Rescuing Westley: You Have to Get Your Dates in When You Can

Rescuing Westley: You Have to Get Your Dates in When You Can

My husband Jon will joke that he is not going to get in the way of the wave that is me. He pretends that I am the one influencing the tides. Truth be told, he is in denial of his role in the madness.

Happy Halloween Animals

Happy Halloween Animals

Keeping Animals Safe on Halloween We’re all for a little scare this time of year, except when it comes to our animal friends. Here are some quick tips to keep everyone safe as you celebrate this frightful holiday.

Maggie’s Corner: Anna & Maybelle Inspire Halloween Fun

Maggie’s Corner: Anna & Maybelle Inspire Halloween Fun

Anna and Maybelle Inspire Holiday Fun Last week I made a presentation to my class to show them how awesome pigs are. I used photos of our pigs Anna and Maybelle. After the presentation I gave the class a coloring sheet of Anna and asked everyone to draw the costume they think she would wear for Halloween. Everyone in my class loved it! They couldn’t believe how smart and cool pigs were. They also had some funny costume ideas.

How to Drink Wine, Make Friends, and Catch Cats: Raising Feral Cat Awareness

How to Drink Wine, Make Friends, and Catch Cats: Raising Feral Cat Awareness

Luckily for all, when we purchased Hockhockson Farm we got more than we paid for. Their names are Dr. White Pants, Missy Gray, Greg, Tetley, Ernie, Queen Frostine, Steely ...

Maggie’s Corner: Mini Horse Heroes Delivering Smiles to Ground Zero

Maggie’s Corner: Mini Horse Heroes Delivering Smiles to Ground Zero

On, September 11th I went with Laurie Tietjen, my dad and mini horses Hamlet and Honor to visit the police and fire departments of New York and New Jersey. Our ...

Reading to Levi

Reading to Levi

Reading to Levi Levi joined The Daily Squeal family after quite mysteriously escaping a slaughterhouse. It’s no mystery that he’d want to escape, but to this day we still wonder how the heck he did it. Levi is a fainting goat, a.k.a. Myotonic. Myotonics faint when stressed. How did our boy keep from fainting long enough to make his bid for freedom? We don’t know, but all we can say is, “Go Levi. Go!!!!!"