Whispering Spruce Animal Sanctuary

03/20/2024

Can confirm!

03/12/2024

Presley helping with the horse stalls

03/08/2024

Bedtime snack for goats!!

03/06/2024

We are ahead of our normal breakfast time today because we need to get the feral cats in for their spay/ neuter….

Well Luna & Bella weren’t ready to get up!!

The sweet girls decided to get some extra zzzz’s before going out today!

03/05/2024

Tomorrow we bring more of the feral cat colony into Stratford Humane Society for spay/ neuter & shots!

We are down to the more feral cats on property… and they are none too pleased about being caught!

We have 6 we plan on bringing in but with the warmer weather some are a bit more elusive right now.

We release them back on property but at least now they won’t be able to increase the stray cat population!

Wish us luck! 🤞

03/03/2024

Want to hear a story about how the goaties got here?!

The only goat we planned on rescuing on this trip was Fernie! It was brought to our attention a young dairy goat was being culled due to her teats.

I was sent the picture & honestly couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Well, the farmer asked if we could take Freddy & Mercury (the black and white boys) because his family had become attached & he didn’t want them in the industry.

Then, on day of pickup, a friend of mine picking them up called me & said “there are two does, right?”, to which I said “no, 1 pregnant doe & 2 kids”.

She said “the farmers daughter has a black doe & is saying you were taking her too…”

The farmers daughter got on the phone & begged me to take Sandy. She said “she is basically a pet… she will follow you everywhere… can you please take her?”.

Turns out Sandy’s milk production was down & she also had a purple “C” on her bum.

How could I say no?

I told them to load her up & we got the barn ready.

It hurts my heart to think of how many sweet goats are killed yearly. I want to be able to do so much more for them 💔

❤️

03/01/2024

How it all started!
Just over a year ago we moved into our farm, 2 month later we rescued 4 goats from a dairy farm that were scheduled to be culled.

02/29/2024

Luna wanted to say hi!!! Luna has had a heck of a tough life but is safe now here 🥰

She is older & the drastic change of weather we just went through bugged her bold bones.

When she wants her stall she waits at the gate at dinner time… so we brought her & the other horses in!

We work on them being outside 24/7 but they sure know how to communicate when they want a warm cozy stall to sleep in! 🥰🥰

I’ve (Ashley) grown up around horses & actually used to be a vet tech for horses. Starting a sanctuary was my dream since I was a kid so having this space is quite literally a dream come true!

My next dream is purchasing a 100 acre property to expand. I always say I work so hard in my business so I can fund more animal rescue work on larger & larger scales ❤️

02/26/2024

Mr Piggens always keeping us on our toes with remodeling fencing 🤣 He really likes the horses & was trying to figure out how to let himself in their paddocks! Silly boy ❤️

02/14/2024

Officially registered our rescue cats as a feral cat community with the Kitchener Humane Society.
We took five of our rescue kittens in for a check up, shots and spay/neuter. Now we just have to catch the last 6 that still need to get in! Wish us luck!

01/06/2024

What a day! We brought Luna (left) home in March of last year.

She has an extensive history including two SPCA investigations where she was removed from the care of her caregivers, including at a “sanctuary” that failed her.

It was my life’s goal (and dream) to get a farm so that she could live out her life in peace.

We have gone very very slow with introductions & finallyyyyyy we were able to fully integrate the two herds!! 🙌🤩

All Luna has ever wanted was to be accepted in a herd & live a quiet life as a horse.

Every day I look outside, see her happily with her forever family, pushing around the ponies to show them she isn’t bottom rung in the hierarchy, & simply being…

A horse.

Safe.

No fear.

No expectations from humans, although she loves her humans.

And it makes everything worth it ❤️

What a good girl, Lunie ❤️

01/03/2024

Checking in on Mr. Piggens to make sure he is all tucked in for bed.
Running the farm sanctuary is a lot of work, the day starts when the sun comes up and doesnt end till its well past dark... But, we love every minute of it!

12/29/2023

Mr. Piggins decided to have a little Christmas adventure!!
On Christmas day I noticed the horses seemed distracted by something at the front of the house. Thinking someone was coming up the driveway, I went to the front door.
To my surprise I saw Mr Piggins in the front yard running around playing in our garden.
I immediately ran outside and called to him. As soon as he heard me he ran to me as fast as his little legs could carry him.
He followed me back to the his paddock where he was safely locked up.
I did a walk around of the paddock to see where he had escaped and found the fence near the goats had been pulled back.
A bit of repair to the fence and it seems to be keeping Mr. Piggins safe in his paddock.... For now.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a video of his adventure as my concern was getting him back to his paddock before he decided to wonder off down the road.

Ps. We are still raising money for Mr Piggins' piggy condo. Link in the comments!

12/27/2023

I would like to introduce Freddy & Mercury.

Freddy and Mercury were born at a dairy farm near Ottawa & moved in March 2023.

Unfortunately they were born male. Most male goats are culled within a month of birth, often used for dog food.

My lovely wife Ashley, had told me about another goat at the farm scheduled to be culled, now named Fernie. We agreed that we could bring Fernie to our sanctuary. Little did I know Ashley had also decided to take in Freddy and Mercury. I was very surprised when they arrived with Fernie. Also on the truck was Sandy. Neither Ashley or I knew Sandy was coming, but I will introduce Sandy another day.

Freddy and Mercury settled right into their new home! Unfortunately Mercury came to us with pneumonia. Seeing as it was early March and still very cold in the barn, we brought both of them inside so Mercury could be comfy and warm during his recovery.

After a course of antibiotics Mercury and his brother were able to join Fernie and Sandy back in the barn.

Freddy and Mercury are definitely a fun addition to our little sanctuary despite all the mischief they like to get into along with there adopted bothers Elvis and Presley!

12/24/2023

Not farm animal related but I wanted to share in case you know anyone with a Megaesophagus dog.

Julia is our sweet little warrior.

Within days of being adopted from a rescue, without knowing about any preexisting health conditions, she ended up in the ER (she was sent to us with aspiration pneumonia).

We had some of the top specialists in Canada tell us to euthanize when she came back with a diagnosis of a double PRAA, Laryngeal Paralysis, the worst case of Megaesophagus specialists they had ever seen, AND multiple heart abnormalities that would have to be repaired for her to live life to the fullest (viewed on Echocardiogram).

The whole first year was a fight as, after she recovered from surgery, specialists did not believe me when I said she had IBD.

I had literal JOURNALS logging every moment of her day hoping & praying someone would believe me so I would know how to treat.

Finally I was listened to & she got her official diagnosis.

It has been a wild ride but about 1.5 years in we finally found our groove, figured out her best mix of meds, found the best foods for her, & know what times of the year will trigger her IBD so we are prepared.

This will now be 3 years Jules has been in our family! ❤️

I still worry, everyday, that she will aspirate & get pneumonia (sadly a common way for ME dogs to pass is “AP” that is unresponsive to antibiotics 💔).

Her full story is featured on the Mega E Misfits podcast!

If you know someone struggling with this diagnosis please reach out to me or the Upright Canine Brigade - Megaesophagus Awareness and Support group!!!

While many vets make it seem like a death sentence it is not! ❤️❤️

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=362340433048083&id=100078163870842&mibextid=cr9u03

12/24/2023

I heard one of the boys yelling for help so I ran down to the barn.

Freddy managed to jump over to the locked side of the goat barn but was convinced he couldn’t get back over to be reunited with his friends!!

Never a dull moment on the farm with goats!!!

All our goats are “byproducts” of the dairy industry.

Sandy was being culled because her milk production had dropped after only 2 years.

Fernie was being culled due t her teats being an irregular shape.

And all 4 boys are pure byproducts and typically end up as meat goats once old enough (about 6 months or so) 💔

12/21/2023

Mr. Piggens spent most of the day sleeping in his stall today. I tried turning him out this morning but he decided it was too cold, and he would rather sleep till it warmed up! Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous hahaha.

Mr. Piggens did eventually go outside in the afternoon once it warmed up a bit, where after a a short visit with his horse friend Luna, he decided to continue his nap under his favorite tree until dinner time.

12/19/2023

Fernie and her adopted kids, Elvis and Presley.

Fernie came to us from a dairy farm. She was just over a year old and pregnant. Unfortunately, Fernie was scheduled to be culled due to an issue with her t***s.

When she first moved in she was shy and very nervous around people. Her hooves were in such bad shape she could barely walk. Our vet recommended we wait for her to have her babies before we addressed her hooves so as not to put further stress on her.

About a month after Fernie moved in she gave birth to 3 beautiful babies, unfortunately they were premature and didnt survive. Fernie was devastated by the loss 💔. Her health quickly started to deteriorate, she all but stopped eating and would barely get up at all.

We would watch her on the baby monitor cry out for her babies…

We had to do something!

We were able to find 2 babies from another dairy farm who were scheduled to be culled just for being born male.

Ashley rushed out on a Sunday morning, 12 hours after the last baby passed despite immediate vet assistance, multiple vet house calls, & extensive life saving measures.

Elvis and Presley moved in!

Fern loved them from the moment she met them and took them in as her own. Fern's health improved quickly and she all around seemed happier.

8 month later and Fern is happy and healthy. Her feet have been a work in progress, but are almost perfect now (we are so grateful for our farrier!).

Although she was one of the most timid creatures we had ever met, hiding in corners shaking. Fernie now boldly rules the farm, affectionately know as queen Fernie!

12/19/2023

12/19/2023

On rainy/snowy days like today you gotta take advantage of what little sun you get! For Mr. Piggens that means taking a nap!!

12/17/2023

Mr. Piggens wanted to share a few facts about him and his friends!

12/17/2023

I know the time of year isn’t great but we would so greatly appreciate help getting Mr Piggens his own Piggy Condo!

You may be thinking….

“It looks like he has a stall?!”

He is currently in one of the horses stalls.

We are on borrowed time to get him out of the horse stalls & into his own condo.

When we stepped in to help Mr Piggens we didn’t have time to build anything, we only had time to either say yes or no (no would have meant slaughter).

With this odd weather, the rain coming, & freezing nights the horses are going to need their stalls back.

We converted the feed area into a stall to bring Luna home so our tiny barn is maxed out.

Our priority is keeping Mr Piggens here & we need help so that we can do that!

If you are able to contribute to the fundraiser it would go a long way to helping Mr Piggens & the horses out ❤️

You can find the fundraiser here: https://gofund.me/fd31f297

12/15/2023

Our chickens loveeee a good romaine lettuce, kale, tomato, & apple salad! 🤩🤩

12/15/2023

Christmas miracle for Mr Piggens!! 🐷❤️

When we took on Mr Piggens we didn’t have time to figure it out. We had time to MOVE.

His guardian angel was leaving the country & when she left the farm she worked at his fate was sealed.

To get him here we had to sacrifice a horse stall so he is currently living in one of our rescue horses stalls while we organize a piggy condo for him!

(Luna prefers to be outside so luckily we have been graced with nice weather so she doesn’t need her stall ❤️)

Seeing everyone come together to help Mr Piggens, especially this time of year, is so heartwarming ❤️

We are still working towards our goal to cover the condo, insulation, & materials to make sure he is safe & warm this winter!

If you are able to donate we appreciate it, if you can share his story that goes a long way as well!

I can’t wait to share his piggy condo!! And thanks to everyone helping to make this work we will have space to welcome in more pig rescues once we extend his paddock into the forest 🐷❤️

Your donations don’t just support Mr Piggens but future pigs that need sanctuary as they will now have a space (and condo) to go to! ❤️

We are so grateful for the support of the community & I know Mr Piggens is too!!

If you desire to support Mr Piggens condo you can do so here: https://gofund.me/fd31f297

12/15/2023

Whispering Spruce quietly started March 2023.

I dreamed of starting an animal sanctuary from the time I was a kid, after writing a project (in grade 8!) about the need to strengthen animal protection laws!

When we purchased our property I wasted no time in getting started on this dream!!

These were our first residents 🐐

Goats being culled at a dairy farm were brought to my attention. I found Fernie’s ad (white goat) on kijiji.

She has abnormally shaped teats so was being culled, with a big purple C on her rump.

A young doe with her first pregnancy, a month out from giving birth, & her fate was in limbo.

When finalizing the details of her freedom ride the farmer said he would love for these two boys to go to a safe home. Family kids had bonded with them. I agreed.

A friend offered to pick them up, having to make an overnight trip of it due to how far they were!

She showed up & the farmers daughter started loading another doe… Sandy!!!

After I got the call, with the farmers daughter begging for us to take Sandy, we took her too…

And Whispering Spruce Animal Sanctuary was born.

Fernie is her own story within this story for another day. Hers breaks the heart.

But for now meet Fernie, Sandy, Freddie, & Mercury! These were pictures of them loaded up & ready to come home! 🤩

I am excited to share them with you. Whispering Spruce has been a quiet passion of mine but it is time to be able to help more animals…

And to help more we can’t keep helping in quiet ❤️

12/14/2023

Mr. Piggens wanted to thank everyone who has been kind enough to donate so far!

He also asked me to break down what the $6000.00 would be for.
The cost of the shed itself (similar to the one in the picture) is $4700.00 plus HST. on top of that insulation will need to be added to help keep the warmth in and the cold out! lastly a layer of plywood will need to be added so that Mr. Piggens doesn't play with the insulation (he loves to play with the insulation in the feed room).

Link to donate in the comments!!

12/14/2023

Want to know a fun fact about our resident, Sandy? (In the front)

I had my friend go to pick up Fernie, Freddie, & Mercury from a dairy farm.

My friend called & said “you got two does?!”

I said “nooooo…. What are you talking about?!”

She said “the farmers daughter is here trying to load up a second doe”…

The daughter got on the phone & made a plea for Sandy.

She explained Sandy had become somewhat of a pet on the farm, her production went down therefore she was being culled, & she was afraid what would happen to her.

She wanted her to be safe.

How do you say no to that?!

So Fernie, Sandy, & a couple day old brothers Freddie & Mercury were loaded up & on their way home…

While I tried to find a way to explain to my husband how he thought we were rescuing 1 goat but 4 would be home in 6 hours 🤪

Sandy took a while to decompress. She had a very tough exterior, I imagine from living in a nearly 1000 goat herd.

Now she is so sweet & always calls to us when she sees us walking around ❤️

12/13/2023

Great news for Mr Piggens today!! He really has an army behind him!

In our area the only vets that deal with pigs only work with commercial farms! I was nervous how I would transport a pig to OVC for vet care 😳

Well, we explained Mr Piggens situation & how we are a rescue to a local vet.

The vet got back to us & said she would be MORE than happy to take Mr Piggens on as a client! 🤩🥰

That is a weight off my shoulders knowing Mr Piggens is going to be covered for medical care on farm!

🎉🎊

12/13/2023

Meet Bella (or affectionately called "Bellie")!

Bella came to us from another rescue. By the age of two Bella had been posted for sale multiple times and was a HARD pony to place for a rescue who was focused on rehoming rather than permanent residency...

Why?

Well, one she broke out of EVERYTHING! She was a master escape artist & no farm was able to keep her in their fields!

Two, she is not safe around kids & most people are looking for a pony her size for... kids!

When Bella came into our awareness we were looking for a friend for Luna, our senior rescue, who was not integrating with the herd.

We opened our doors to Bella & it turned out to be a match made in heaven with Luna! 🥰

Bella definitely gives us a run for our money! She is the typical archetype of the "red head pony mare"!

She is sassy, full of 'tude, & isn't afraid to take down fences to get out of her paddock!

Bella is one of those ponies that would have been sent to a "cowboy" or roughly broke to make her "safe". I have no doubt the instability of homes as a baby added to her issues.

Here she gets to live out her days as a pony doing sassy pony things while also causing us some grey hairs as we try to stay one step ahead of her antics 🤣

12/13/2023

When we first got chickens I was not aware of the plight of roosters! I have been vegan since I was in grade 8 but honestly was ignorant to the situation in the PET chicken industry.

In 2024 we are excited to launch a Bachelor Pad Project, starting with bantams (small breeds)!

We plan on taking in roosters that are abandoned & also building a coop for hens that are being discarded because they no longer lay eggs.

❤️