They're so much like us...and here's more evidence. Enjoy...

Andy and his best pal Bowie

How much you can tell about a horse's personality by how much effort it takes to halter him? A lot.
Old timer Maxx practically dunks his heads right into the halter. He trusts even strangers. His attitude speaks volumes of how he has have “seen-it-all” and reads people well enough to cooperate.

And then there's Bowie, the youngster who arrived with the name Mister Bones . Bowie is getting much better about the halter. When he's hesitant, it's about fear. Bowie has filled out nicely and is a striking little guy (at all of about 14.2 hands); trust is slower in coming. In the stall, Bowie is a gem, but in the pasture, something can set him off: his nostrils flare, his eyes widen, and he evades the halter.

Clearly Bowie associates being haltered with some sort of abuse. He's more confident by the day, and his panic attacks less frequent, but the occasional fright in his eyes tears our hearts out.

Then there's Bowie's best friend Andy, the high-energy upstart--the one so severely starved a year ago that we didn't think we could save him. That was then.

These days, Andy is a spotted CLOWN filled with spunk and moxie and play. The halter? Why it's not a halter: it's a toy with which to play tug of war! Try to quickly slip it on, but Andy is faster every time. He grabs it--over and over--and yes, it seems he's grinning.

Big Ted the draft horse has another take on the whole haltering business. You'll remember him from Where the Blind Horse Sings (available on Amazon if you've not read it!). Ted is often anxious, and dislikes anything touching his ears. Yes, an 1,800-pound horse bent out of shape about over a thin piece of nylon brushing over his ears for no more than half a second. Go figure. When he lifts his head skyward and out of reach imagine being April, our staffer who may be five feet tall in her boots.

In the end, it's our job to show them all that there's nothing to fear. If in the process April needs a ladder or Bowie needs ten minutes, well, it's just part of the healing process. As for Andy? Let him play...

We are always so happy during the warmer months, when the pastures are green and lush. It costs a fortune to hay our animals during the winter, so it's a relief to let nature feed most of them the way it was intended to. Lots of hard work went into fencing more acreage this year, and another large barn was built in a new field to ensure that the critters would have healthy graze for much of the the season. In the winter season; we use over 30 bales per day; right now, a mere dozen supplement the grass for our outdoor animals.

You can imagine how disheartening it is, then, to see our pastures turning green, not with grass, but with invasive species! Alien plants—shiny dark leaves and a tiny pink flower—are choking out the grass. Volunteers are now venturing out to tear up the offenders by hand, uprooting them entirely. We should have two months of grazing left, and we are working hard to ensure that grass is available.

If you have the time, energy, and a healthy bit of masochism, why not call us and volunteer to help? Good lord can we use all able-bodied folks to weed the fields!!

About a month ago through the exhaustive efforts of our volunteer home visitors, Catskill Animal Sanctuary had found enough wonderful homes for our resident rabbits that we could once again accept new needy rabbits from our long waiting list. Three new bunnies arrived and immediately touched our hearts.

Roland is a sweet black and white Dutch bunny who arrived with his sister from a home where they were ignored. Though five years old, he and his sister had never been given names, and they clearly did not receive much human attention. Roland was skinny; his sister Holly was emaciated. Holly also had a severe upper respiratory infection--so severe that we could hear her wheezing from twenty feet away. After two weeks of antibiotics, she recovered from the infection, but was so weak from prolonged malnutrition that she passed away shortly after. Little Roland had lost the only companion he had ever known. In addition to being stressed and obviously depressed, he wasn't gaining weight.

Well, after a trip to the vet for some much needed dental work, Roland can chew effectively and painlessly, and has some new bunny neighbors to socialize with through his fenced in area. Though still a little leery of humans, Roland is bright-eyed and curious. We so hope that he finds a home or a bunny buddy soon, for he's certainly willing to trust. He tries to scamper away when I (Walt) reach to pick him up, but once I hold him, he relaxes and soaks up the love. With one brown eye and one blue, Roland looks like an other-world mystic, and I half expect start reciting rhymes like a character from a Lewis Caroll story.

Another newcomer to CAS is Fergus, an adorable white lop bunny with grey ears and pink eyes. Fergus was obviously cared for and is in perfect health. He was lucky enough to be a house rabbit, but former owners were no longer able to give him the attention he needed. He's pretty shy, but responds lovingly when he's being handled. He even starts grooming my arm when I hold him for long enough! He's been getting spoiled at lunch when of our volunteers hold him on their laps and stroke his fur.

Calling all bunny lovers!!