"A
man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if
he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of
his appetite. And to act so is immoral."
Leo
Tolstoy
Our Animals - To sponsor
Pigs are,
almost certainly, one of the most intelligent animals that you are likely
to ever encounter.
Acutely bright and affectionate, baby pigs steal the hearts of all normal,
emotionally functioning human beings. I've stood in a market, however, and
looked at a pen of pink, shiny, little piglets of just weeks of age, and
overheard the slaughtermen saying that the piglets were, "useless"
because they were, "too, BIG, for suckling pig but too small to slaughter".
And, that sums up the industry.
I've hand reared many animals but, it has to be said, the best fun has always
been the piglets. They're a species of animal that make you laugh out loud
on an hourly, if not much more frequently, basis. Pigs are comedians! In
terms of brains, well, your beloved pet dog isn't in the same league. The
average pig would knock the average dog into a cocked hat.
Here is a selection of rescued animals that reside at FRIEND, please sponsor one of them. Details of how to sponsor an animal are further down page in the right-hand column....
Please
feel free to contact us by 
01622 871617 or e-mail
if you have any further questions/querries about sponsorship
MATILDA
Matilda was bought off a slaughterman by member of the public. His intention
was to kill her. I'm not in favour of taking a perfectly healthy new-born
from it's mother but, being parted at a few days old only to go to a warm,
safe environment, bottles aplenty or stay with mum for a few weeks only to
be forcibly weaned and then slaughtered, well, where's the competition?
Matilda is very much the 'governor' of the sanctuary and a bit of a diva.
She's a big girl, about 50 stones, plus. She's over a metre at the shoulder
and well over 2mtrs in length.
Matilda and I have a very special relationship as she was the first, hand
reared piglet and when my heart is bleeding I often go and talk to her. She'll
come for a walk with me and stay with me until I've got it all into perspective,
and then she goes about her life. And, so do I, a little stronger and wiser
for Matilda
RACHEL
Oh, goodness, there aren't enough hours in the day to tell you how special
Rachel is!
I've been told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that Rachel isn't
quite as pretty as I see her. We'll, I'm sorry, but, no!!
My little baby, The Blish Kid as I call her, is a princess amongst pigs.
She was the tiny, skinny, runty, piglet, the smallest amongst a group of neglected
pigs. Every bone poked through her emaciated frame and I knew, immediately,
that she was coming home with me. And so she did, and did very nicely she
did, too, thank you! She became my companion and my little baby. My little
vegan pig that was brought up on home cooking and comfort.
Pigs love their grub, as you know, but spoilt pigs, just like spoilt humans,
don't like this and that. Rachel didn't like red kidney beans or salad without
dressing. However, I do like red kidney beans and salad (ok, I had to agree
on the salad dressing, issue) so I'd put them in our dinners (I was cooking
for both of us). When Rachel had finished her dinner there'd be a pile of
shiny,sucked clean of juice, beans and salad in the bottom of the bowl.
Pigs, it would appear, are too much like us for comfort.
Martin likes his
snoozes!
MARTIN
Martin came here at a few weeks old and was a major player right from the
start. You just know it straight off with some of them.
I think he bit me on the way here and then bit me within days of arriving
. But he was only tiny and you put it down to disruption, etc. Funny, how
the disruption only seems to affect some of them, mainly the spirited ones
(hmmm). I woke up one morning, in the middle of winter, with all the doors
open and Martin, snoring like an old man and passing wind, having negotiated
all the obsticlals and had got himself in the warmest, most comfy place around
- under my duvet and in my bed!!!
Martin is a very special boy who has outgrown the naughtiness and is rather
a gentleman, these days
HARVEY
Harvey is a handsome St. Bernard that arrived in February 2005. He was just
18 months old, huge and very affectionate.
He was described, by the last in a very long line of owners, as aggressive
and we really weren’t at all sure what to expect of a puppy that weighed
almost as much as a full grown man. This young dog had, literally, been pushed
from one home to the next by a stream of people that didn’t consider
the consequences of owning a giant dog.
When the van containing our new ‘puppy’ arrived it rocked from
side to side on the drive as he moved about inside. The back doors opened
and out leapt Harvey who proceeded to drag the driver along the pathway until,
finally, the human anchor slowly brought him to a halt.
It was amazing to watch such a bear of a dog that, allegedly, couldn’t
be kept with other animals visibly shrink on meeting other dogs. If Harvey
could have crawled into someone’s pocket then he would have and our
big, bad monster soon showed himself as the big, baby that he really was.
Harvey is now allowed to play and run and has proved himself to be truly a
gentle giant.
DENNIS
Dennis was a sickly little lamb when he arrived at F.R.I.E.N.D. He was, as
so often is the case, considered a no-hoper, not worth the investment in the
price of a bag of lamb replacement milk.
After much care and intensive nursing Dennis has grown into one of the largest
sheep on the sanctuary and a huge character.
There is nothing “Denny” likes more than to be cuddled and fussed,
pawing, not unlike a dog, with his front foot when the attention seems to
be waning.
Dennis seeks out human company just because he loves people. How sad that
nobody thought him worthwhile.
BUCK
Buck is a bay, New Forest type pony about 13.2hh. We aren’t sure of
his exact age but it is estimated at 20 plus. He has been with us for a number
of years and, because of his past experiences and age, looks like being a
permanent resident.
Buck came from an elderly gentleman who very much loved animals and died,
about 7 years ago, from cancer. I made a personal promise to him that I would
care for his animals on his death, which I fulfilled, and one of those animals
was Buck.
Sadly, prior to coming to us, Buck sustained serious injuries as a result
of an unprovoked knife attack. He has been left with both physical and mental
scars. Buck finds any kind of restraint very frightening and is extremely
nervous around people. Hardly surprising, given the huge
scar that remains along his belly.
Buck is allowed now to run free and has made friends with two of our geese.
The three of them are now inseparable and go everywhere together.
SYLVIA
Sylvia is a rather unusual hen. She looks just like any other little brown
chicken but that’s where the similarity seems to end.
Coming into our house would be considered, by most animals, to be a daunting
task . Normally the place is crammed with people and dogs and all manner of
waifs and strays but that’s not enough to worry our little ex-battery
hen.
Most days she can been seen strolling through the backdoor and into the kitchen
to see what’s left in the dog’s bowls - even if they’re
still eating out of them! She makes her way around the place until she finds
a knee to perch on or a cosy spot under a chair or table where she can comfortably
fall asleep.
It’s hard to credit, when you watch her lying in the sun or ruffling
herself in a dust bath, what her life must have been like for her in a cage
for a prison, locked up for a crime that she didn’t commit.
How to sponsor
To sponsor any of these animals and the work we do, simply write to us at the address below, stating the name of the animal you would like to sponsor. A years sponsorship costs £25.00.
If you see another animal on a different page you would like to sponsor, please contact us for more information.
FRIEND Farmed Animal Rescue,
Linton View,
89 Bush Road,
East Peckham, TONBRIDGE
Kent TN12 5LJ
01622 871617 E-mail
us
How to sponsor
To sponsor any of these animals and the work we do, simply write to us at the address below, stating the name of the animal you would like to sponsor. A years sponsorship costs £25.00.
If you see another animal on a different page you would like to sponsor, please contact us for more information.
FRIEND Farmed Animal Rescue,
Linton View,
89 Bush Road,
East Peckham, TONBRIDGE
Kent TN12 5LJ
01622 871617 E-mail
us
How to sponsor
To sponsor any of these animals and the work we do, simply write to us at the address below, stating the name of the animal you would like to sponsor. A years sponsorship costs £25.00.
If you see another animal on a different page you would like to sponsor, please contact us for more information.
FRIEND Farmed Animal Rescue,
Linton View,
89 Bush Road,
East Peckham, TONBRIDGE
Kent TN12 5LJ
01622 871617 E-mail
us
SANTA
Santa was born around
Christmas time, 2002, and is a rich, golden brown in colour. She is a gentle
little dexter, channel island cross and was due to be slaughtered within days
of birth. Santa is a by-product of the dairy industry.
Like most cows she is inquisitive and bright and, along with her friends,
often getting into mischief.
She loves to warm herself around a bonfire and if you are working Santa and
the rest of the herd will crowd around you whatever you might be doing. If
you are digging a hole the cows will be there inspecting the work like quality
control officers. You almost expect her to pull out a notebook and pen!
Everyone knows what a cow looks like but sponsoring Santa would give the chance
to get to know what these beautiful animals are really like.
TREFOR
Trefor is a male pygmy goat that was attacked and almost killed by a small
stallion. Innocently, he climbed a fence and wandered into a paddock with
the isolated, young colt. The little, brown and white goat was savagely set
upon by the colt who knocked him to the ground and trampled him.
Trefor was lucky to escape with his life after the attack that left him with
a fractured leg so severe as to require amputation.
Trefor has made a remarkable recovery and is now running around with the other
goats - and his spirit of adventure is as great as ever!
