Sometimes, something wonderful comes from something sad.
Going to school, playing with friends, becoming a little more independent, asking for hugs and kisses at home but shunning them in public – that’s what most 10 year old children do. Instead, Jenny Brown lived with pain, debilitating chemotherapy treatments, and the fear that comes with a potentially fatal illness. Then she had to face the fact she would become an amputee at the age of 10. A childhood of pain led her to help abused animals.
A calico kitten with big orange spots came into Jenny’s life and changed everything. The cat became her friend, showing affection and even licking her tears, easing her terror of dying. The cat changed the way Jenny saw the animal world, allowing her to see animals in a different light. She discovered that just like us animals have thoughts and feelings and need companionship, good food, pleasure and a place to feel safe and loved.
Flash forward to adulthood: Jenny Brown is an animal activist who runs a farm animal sanctuary dedicated to helping abused and neglected animals, some of whom are also amputees. The farm, Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls, New York, goes the extra mile for animals with special needs, giving them the “fantasy farm life.”
On her website, http://woodstocksanctuary.org/, she states, “Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is driven by the simple philosophy that kindness and respect to animals is our duty and that all the creatures that share this earth are here with us and not for us. Farm animals are feeling individuals who deserve to be treated with compassion.”
Visit the farm to hear Jenny tell her story and the stories of her farm animals. Something wonderful, something sad? Just wonderful now. Jenny and her farm animals.
