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Friends For Life
Written By: Donn Gash - Friends for Life Forever Farm | Issue: 2018/08 - August
When Friends for Life and the Forever Farm are the topic of conversation, our senior residents tend to be the focus.
It’s only natural.
The bigger part of our population are our senior pets. Senior care is the most distinctive aspect of our mission. We do have younger residents at the Forever Farm though. These pets partly make up the other focal point of our mission: special needs companion animals.
What does “special needs” mean? It can present itself in a number of ways. Dogs like Stevie and Jelly, who are both diabetic and require insulin injections twice a day. Sevwyon, a horse with uncorrectable dental issues that keep him from grazing, requires special dietary care. Margeaux, the blind cat who came to us as a kitten. Some of the special needs are medical/physical. Others are emotional.
A prime example of a special needs kitty is Kiki. Kiki came to the Farm in 2017 after she was found in a barn with her litter mates. She was born with a birth defect which renders her hind legs essentially useless. Kiki is one of the residents at Friends for Life that requires specialized care due to her condition and will be a permanent resident. A special wheelchair was purchased for her by a generous donor and we recently found that she also gets around well in her drag bag, which is a specialized item designed for paraplegic animals. Despite her challenges, Kiki is a sweet, happy cat that gets along with all her senior and special needs friends. She scoots her way into your heart when you meet her.
Then there’s Banana. Banana is one of our younger canine residents. She was picked up as a stray who had been struck by a car, resulting in a fractured vertebra. The injury left her slightly wobbly in the back end and incontinent. Otherwise, she’s a perfectly healthy girl. The bathroom issues make her a low probability candidate for adoption (she chews off diapers), but luckily she’s incredibly happy here at the farm.
If you’d like to help in our mission to care for pets like these, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help further our mission. You can make a general donation, or sponsor a specific pet. For more information, visit our website at www.friendsforlife.foreverfarm.org or call (828) 508-2460. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 340, Sapphire, NC 28774.
