Animal farms a sanctuary from hectic life
A day out in the country — and a good deed too
For most city dwellers, the pigeon, raccoon or squirrel is the closest they’ll get to the natural world. Barnyard animals? Riverdale Zoo or nursery books.
But there’s a fix for that. Consider a day trip to an animal sanctuary. Southern Ontario is a bit of a mecca. These aren’t your voyeuristic petting zoos. At most of them, you’ll get down and dirty; feel virtuous even. And there are zen benefits.
Torontonians like Jenn Sorrell are heeding the call. She’s a production manager in marketing at Evergreen, the charity dedicated to bringing green to urban spaces, and an animal fanatic. “I grew up in the country surrounded by all sorts of animals: groundhogs, deer, snakes, moles, toads,” says Sorrell, who grew up outside Ingersoll.
So it may come as a surprise to learn that, at 32, Jenn and her husband Jeremy Sorrell, 34, only saw a pig for the first time last month. “You don’t really think they’re real animals — you just see them in storybooks. So when you see them in real life, it’s kind of strange,” says Jeremy. “The only animals you see in the city are people’s dogs.”
The couple first came face to face with a pig on a working visit to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary in March. Located just outside the theatre town of Stratford, the sanctuary is home to rescued farm animals, including cattle, chickens, goats, turkeys and, of course, pigs.
Cedar Row is one of several animal sanctuaries located in beautiful rural areas not far from Toronto that offer open days and volunteer opportunities. The sanctuaries take in rescues, so there are good-deed vibes for visitors. Wishing Well Sanctuary in Bradford offers monthly tours, Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary in South Simcoe hosts volunteers twice a year, and the Donkey Sanctuary near Guelph, a lovely university centre, welcomes visitors twice a week.
Donkeys? Yes, established in 1992, the 100-acre sanctuary is home to nearly 100 rescued donkeys, mules and hinnies (a hinny is the offspring of a female donkey and a male horse). Originally purchased for petting zoos, amusement parks or as companion animals, the equines may be abused or neglected; with a lifespan of up to 60 years, they can outlive their owners.
Elementary school teacher David McAleese visits the Donkey Sanctuary at least twice a year. McAleese says visiting the country setting is the perfect way to escape from a hectic city pace.
“It’s so peaceful compared to the busy lives that everybody has around them,” he says. “It’s almost like a throwback to a different time. It’s a little gem that people don’t know about.”
Katharin Harkins, who left her corporate job in Toronto to join the Donkey Sanctuary as executive director, had a similar reaction when she first visited. “I came down this long laneway into this absolutely beautiful pastoral setting and met these donkeys, whose personalities are just exquisite. They’re smart and gentle and funny and very interactive,” she says.
Every Wednesday and Sunday from May until October, Harkins and volunteers welcome visitors. There, they can groom donkeys, visit the learning centre, enjoy a picnic lunch beside the pond and walk with family pets through the trails surrounding the barnyard. “I love Toronto and I love urban life, but to get this sort of exposure to these wonderful creatures and to nature — it’s beautiful,” she says. For those who want to have a more interactive animal experience, working visits, such as those at the Stratford area’s Cedar Row, include mucking out the barns, washing dishes, grooming animals and raking straw.
The three- to four-hour work volunteer sessions are usually followed by a vegan potluck.
“The working visits give people an opportunity to help out with the animals,” explains Cedar Row co-owner Siobhan Poole. “When people come here they see a different side of animals.”
And for Jeremy Sorrell, who works for a corporate travel agency, a day of mucking out barns at Cedar Row was a great change of pace.
“Work for me is sitting at a desk all day. So a day of actual work, where you’re putting your back into it, can be kind of fun,” says Jeremy Sorrell, adding with a laugh, “I wouldn’t necessarily want to do it every day.”