Dear Wonderful Friends,

Well, hello from Mathew and I and all your animal friends! It's hard to believe we are coming up on the end of August! Where has the time gone? I'm not sure but I thought I would give you a little update and let you know how things have been going here at Cottontail Cottage Farm Sanctuary.

Firstly, and on a personal level, the last couple months have been rough. We incredibly sadly, lost our beautiful ten-year-old Corgi, Natalie (whom many of you know from following our story) to stomach cancer. She was my very best friend and it's still so hard to talk about. I know your hearts have felt this same loss - one way or another - and you understand what it's been like. On top of that, I had to have an unexpected surgery - I'm all good now with a clean bill of health so no worries - which put me out of commission for the last six weeks. Poor Mat has been running the farm all by himself (with the help of a valuable, part-time farmhand). But rest assured, we are still here; still loving the animals and working hard to give them (with your help and we are so, so grateful - unbelievably grateful - to all of you who pitch in to help whenever you can) their best life. Although we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit and licensed animal shelter, we are not state funded, so rely on our beloved supporters to help keep us hopping.

Some wonderful news is that we were finally able (it's been years in the making) to seed eight acres of cleared pastureland (that was originally forest when we bought this place five years ago) and now have beautiful fields for all the horses and animals to enjoy! Much of this land was cleared by hand (just like the pioneers) which is amazing think about. It's so gorgeous to look out and see the animals grazing and just makes our hearts happy. It goes to show what having a vision and hard work can accomplish.

There have been some bunny losses. Sadly, the majority of our bunnies are very old. Most of them came with us when we moved from our old property in Lamoine. It breaks our hearts to lose them, but then I try and remember how wonderful their lives have been. How they have been loved, beautifully cared for and had the rare opportunity of staying in one place for life. Not many bunnies can claim that. Today, Mathew and I walked the track behind the farmhouse that winds through the forest and just before us we saw a magnificent deer and beside her a wild rabbit. What a magical scene! There are a lot of wild rabbits in these woods. Rabbits will always and forever be the mainstay of this place.

At our last farm vet visit, we were concerned about two of our animals: Foxglove, the mustang and Took, (who most of you have laughed at due to his antics) the goat. Test were run and we received the sad news that poor Took has a disease (he was born with) that will give him about six more years of life. It causes arthritic joint pain, neurological problems and muscle wasting. It's really sad as there is no cure. He's lost a lot of weight already but with the help of our vet we have him on palliative medication and he seems to be doing better already. Foxglove, the horse, was diagnosed with Cushings disease - a hormonal disorder of the pituitary gland. This also is uncurable and requires that she be on a (very expensive) medication for the rest of her life. Sadly, her life-expectancy has also shortened. Thankfully, she is already a senior horse and if we are lucky, will end up living a normal lifespan.

That all being said, donations are greatly, greatly appreciated and help us pay for these medications as well as food and on-going veterinary care. Inflation has not been kind to anyone - including animals. Including us. Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in animal surrender requests and it's always hard to say "no." But the animals in our care - the ones we've pledged lifetime sanctuary to - must come first.

On a happy note: Mathew and I are continuing our personal (it's not through the organization) YouTube channel: 1807 Farmhouse Diaries. We've had to do a bit of a catch-up with videos due to everything that's been going on here, but if you want to see Mathew and I fixing up the 200-year-old farmhouse, homesteading and working with the animals, then be sure to subscribe to our channel. It's a lot of fun and many funny moments, but you do get to get an inside glimpse of all that goes on around here. Also, if you have already subscribed, be sure to check that you are still subscribed. Many that have subscribed now aren't. Subscribe Now >>>

Well, this is longer than I wanted it to be, but I guess there was a lot to fill you in on. We are hoping to do a fall open house here, but need to rethink how we let folks interact with the animals. Many visitors in the past bring young children and expect to pat and even get in with the animals but we are not a petting zoo. This is a serious place with important work. With so many old bunnies and animals coping with health challenges, it may be more of a look from a distance. I hope the public would understand. But the animals always come first! We do have a gorgeous 1/2-mile track we put in behind the farmhouse and through the forest that folks could enjoy. And, I don't know about you, but I would never say "no" to a glass of cider.

I hope all is well with you! And I hope your summer has been joyful. Thank you for your goodwill, friendship, words of encouragement and amazing support. We are incredibly blessed to have you. Thank you for all you do for the animals here.

And please donate if you can. Donations of all sizes are very, very appreciated! The do add up and make a big impact for the animals.

Many blessings to you all!

 Much Love,

Jenny