Ethan's First Trip to the Farm!

This past weekend we ventured to Watkins Glen NY for Ethan's first trip to the Farm Sanctuary.  Gigi came with us since she had never been either, it was so much fun!  This is a picture of Ethan petting a cow named Snickers.  Snickers was being raised as a veal calf before being brought to the farm.  Although we were worried about the rain as we drove out to the farm as we got closer the clouds parted and let a little bit of sun out.  We ended up having great weather for our tour.   

                                                                                                                                                                                 Here is a pic of us meeting Phoebe, the pig that we sponsored this year.   Although Phoebe was very sleepy,

she wasn't shy about showing her love for belly rubs.  Ethan loved seeing how large the pigs were!  Gigi and I were surprised by how rough

 and course their hair was.  Weird!

After we met Phoebe we went on a full guided tour of the farm.  Ethan got to meet cows, sheep, ducks, chickens, turkeys, pigs, bunnies, and go

ats. The goats were his absolute favorite! They were hilarious and seemed to put on a show for everyone who entered the barn.  I particularly fell in love with a goat named Goodwin.  Goodwin has a form of dwarfism that can affect goats and other animals. Although he is much smaller than the other adult goats on the farm he does not let that stop him!  I think that I have a soft spot for Goodwin because he reminded me a bit of our greyhound Blade.  Goodwin has just started coming out of his "shell" at the farm.  He has spent the past two years feeling very anxious and not so sure of people.  He has finally started letting people approach him and even approaches strangers for attention now.  Just a few weeks ago he started making happy noises that are typical in healthy goats.  He is just a reminder to me that like Blade all types of rescued animals (even goats) need patience and love in order to feel safe again.  When we were leaving the farm we decided to sponsor Goodwin in Ethan's name.  Ethan has helped pay for Goodwin's food and care for the upcoming year!

Visiting the farm is always a special trip for me because it reminds me of why I chose to be a vegetarian. I am always amazed by how social these animals are.  This trip was even more meaningful because my mom was with us and because it was Ethan's first of many trips.  When we decided to raise Ethan as a vegetarian we knew that it would be important to introduce him to farm animals and let him see why we live the way we do.  We are looking forward to returning next year!