Our family has been involved with a farm animal sanctuary in Poolesville, MD for eight years, and we love to go out there to visit the animals! We have had our first successful kids care club trip out to help with the animal care (see below for details and photos). We will definitely schedule more of these trips. Watch the calendar for upcoming dates; a possible January date, and then one or two in the Spring.

Seven kids and four adults visited the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary on Sunday, October 23rd. We left Cheverly at 8am and returned at 2:30pm.

Full story is below; click here for photos.

We had a fabulous sunny day, an oasis of sun in the current sea of rain. The kids worked hard and got dirty (but not as muddy or smelly as we expected :-). They started at the goat and sheep barn, where they raked up droppings, and put the droppings and the soiled hay into wheelbarrows. Some kids cleaned out and refilled water buckets. Some got to spread new hay into the stalls. Everyone got to pet the goats and sheep who were extremely friendly. Chelsea especially was everyone's buddy, following the kids around like a dog. The others would congregate a few yards off from where the kids were working, watching intently and occassoinally nodding their heads as if to say "Thanks!"

On the way from the goat and sheep barn we crossed the field where the cows hang out. We met Charlotte who is a very large 7 year old cow, who Ann Marie fed milk to when she was a calf. We can't believe how much she has grown!

Next stop was the horse barn, where several horse-crazy girls got to brush the horses, donkeys, and a white pony named Ebony. While the girls were brushing the horses, everyone else was scooping up cow pies! Then we switched off so that everyone could get the joy of scooping a few cow pies into a muck bucket and then dumping that into the manure spreader.

Next stop was the pig barn. The pigs are extremely friendly and very smart and even clean, contrary to some popular wisdom. These are very large pigs, but there is no danger; they are happy and friendly pigs. The senior citizen of Poplar Spring's pig community is Ivy, who was seen prancing around with the cows; she is a privileged pig who can tread where she likes. We also met Alexandra, who was also outside the stalls, lying there like a big old dog looking for a back rub and a tickle behind her (very large) ears. We learned that they spend time every day making their beds up out of hay, especially Ivy, who had already collected a pile of hay that would rival the princess and the pea. Whole Foods supermarket donates leftover produce that they can't sell; some of it looked good enough for lunch but we decided not to take it from the pigs. We got to throw vegetables into the pig pen, it was a highlight of the day, tomato tosses, lettuce lobs, and pepper pop-flies all landing in the mud with the pigs who were all very grateful.

Then we walked over to the chicken coops. En route we saw two peacocks who then followed us to the chicken coop to see what treats we had brought. Terry had saved the grapes from the Whole Foods boxes; who knew that chickens like grapes? They have 75 chickens in all shapes and sizes, from a little tiny rooster named Spike to a large handsome one named Napolean (in reality, Spike seemed to have more of a Napolean attitude.) Several of the chickens are hand friendly and we took turns holding them. Ann Marie was very excited to finally meet Sylvia, the chicken she sponsors with part of her allowance money.

Last animal stop was the bunnies! Percy was the only one tame enough to pet, the rest were skittish with the large bunch of kids. Next stop was a sink where we washed up with soap and water, asked our last few questions, said our thank yous to Terry (who passed that right back to us), and headed off for some yummy (plain cheese) pizza.

The kids were all so good; they worked hard, did not complain (much) about smells they aren't used to, did not complain (at all) about getting dirty. They were quiet and kind and respectful of the animals.

Along the way, Terry and Dave (the husband and wife founders of the sanctuary) and Alan (a regular volunteer) answered all of our questions and told us some of the very sad stories with happy endings that are the heart and soul of the sanctuary. Most of these animals went from torturous conditions or certain death to this sanctuary where they are very well cared for and treated with love and respect. There is a goat who cannot straighten her front legs because she was kept for nine months in conditions where she could not stand up. There is a one-legged chicken who was tied by her leg so tightly that it fell off. A bunny who was locked in a dark room with no food and water. And these are the stories that are a bit more tame and more fit for consumption by children; there are more and more stories like this.

If you are interested to learn more about the sanctuary, you can visit their web site. If you are interested in supporting the sanctuary, there are animal sponsorship programs, and several fundraisers each year, which are listed on the web site.