In Memoriam
Ringo
Ringo joined Farmaste at only one week old after being posted for free on Craig’s List. Very ill and in need of multiple bottle feedings per day, he spent his first few months inside Farmaste’s founder’s house being raised by her daughter Morgan. He was a tiny little bouncy ball of black fuzz, but his personality was as big as they come. He would sprint around the house bouncing off every surface until he cuddled in with Morgan for a nap on the couch.
When he was about six months old, he moved to the farm and met his best friend Starr. They got along well enough, but Ringo continued to prefer the company of humans. He was always the first to greet us at the barn and loved to play with his human friends. However, Ringo really blossomed in the past six months with the addition of Levi, Lola, and Luna. He quickly established himself as the leader of the flock and for the first time, became a sheep’s sheep. Ringo was so proud of his flock and reveled in the joy and responsibility of being their leader. We had never seen him happier.
It seems unfair that Ringo only had two short years with us. We take comfort in knowing that he escaped the life he was born for and lived those two years joyfully surrounded by love. But Farmaste won’t be the same without his larger-than-life personality. He will be so missed. Run free sweet boy.
Clarice
Clarice passed away at the old age of 13, only two short months after her best friend Beata passed away. We can't help but believe that Clarice missed her friend and was ready to join her.
Clarice, who arrived with Beata & Kristen, was one of Farmaste’s first residents. After spending the first 11 years of her life as a working dairy goat, her retirement at Farmaste was well deserved. If you had the opportunity to meet Clarice, you know that she enjoyed every day she spent at Farmaste. Despite being at the bottom of the goat herd hierarchy, she loved her goat friends. Visitors delighted in meeting Clarice, she was always the first to welcome visitors and she treasured human attention. We are honored to have been able to provide Clarice 2 1/2 years of freedom and the simple pleasures that most farm animals are never able to enjoy. To be able to pass peacefully at an elderly age after years surrounded by love is all we wish for our residents. We hope that she felt safe and loved every moment at Farmaste. Run free sweet girl - have fun with Beata!
Beata
Beata was one of Farmaste’s first residents. After spending the first 11 years of her life as a working dairy goat, her retirement at Farmaste was well deserved. She settled in very quickly and enjoyed every day of sanctuary life. We remember when she first arrived with Clarice and Kristen, she was so excited to spend her days exploring her new pastures. As arthritis caused by her CAE infection worsened, she stayed closer to the barn but still reveled in her daily pleasures. She loved bathing in the sun, savory snacks (everyone else in the barn prefers sweets), and a good massage. If you were lucky enough to have met Beata, you may have experienced the joy of scratching just the right spot - and watching her throw her head back and forth in pleasure.
Beata passed away peacefully at nearly 14 years old, surrounded by humans who loved her dearly and her best goat friend Clarice. While saying goodbye is always difficult, we are honored to have been able to provide Beata 2 1/2 years of freedom and the simple pleasures that most farm animals are never able to enjoy. We like to believe that today she is frolicking in a pasture somewhere - free of pain. We miss her dearly. Run free sweet girl.
Lucy
Lucy was rescued with Levi, Lola, & Luna when she was only months old. She unfortunately came to us very ill, after having been neglected over an extended period of time. She was originally rescued from spring slaughter by a college student with a big heart, but without a solid plan for their care. Lucy's rescuer knew she wasn’t eating, but didn’t seek veterinary care to determine what the problem could be. She had a high volume of parasites in her body. That, along with not eating and most likely not getting colostrum because she was born a triplet, played a large role in her severe health condition. The reality is that Lucy would have had a chance at survival if she had been provided with proper vet care even days before we rescued her, but weeks would have been better.
Sadly, Lucy never made it home to Farmaste and never got the opportunity to know her as the individual that she was. We will forever picture you bouncing through an open pasture sweet girl.
Monique
Monique came to us at only a few days old. A local farmer reached out to us because Monique had a malformed palate and was unable to feed from her mother. What she wasn't able to see was that her heart also had multiple deformities in it. Her sweet little heart wasn't going to carry her forward through life. Shortly after coming into our care, she took a turn for the worse, and we had to make the extremely difficult decision to humanely euthanize her end her suffering. We had fallen in love with her from the moment we heard about her and had dreams of her living out a very long life with us at Farmaste. We will forever remember her as the adorable, quirky girl she was. Escaping enclosures to explore her surroundings, giving you kisses with her crooked little face, and wagging her tail a million miles an hour to share how happy she was. Run free sweet girl.
Annie & Violet
Violet & Annie were calves from the same dairy farm in Wisconsin born five months apart. Both of them came to us extremely ill at about eight weeks old. Despite receiving excellent care at the University of Minnesota, both were too sick to recover, and we made the difficult decision to end their suffering within a day of their coming into our care. These calves' deaths were the results of the farmer not seeking appropriate and timely medical care for their health problems. To him, they were something. To us, they were someone. While they never got to live a life of freedom, we are honored to have been able to show them love and compassion -- even for a brief time. We remember them for the individuals that they were, and for all of the calves that never get a name.