Bankruptcy Auction at Double JJ Ranch
I know many of you of received this message from our e-news mailing, so please forgive a bit of duplication, but this is very important…
Many of you have alerted SASHA Farm about a bankruptcy auction that will take place in Rothbury, Michigan next week. Double JJ Ranch, a “Wild West” themed resort, is being offered at auction, along with its nearly 200 animals, from roosters to cattle. Like you, we read the descriptions of the animals and were heartbroken that many of them who have been raised together, worked and played together, will now be separated and sold off like merchandise to the highest bidder. In these tough economic times, with feed prices skyrocketing, there is a very real chance that many of these animals–the plain, the old, the shy–will be overlooked by bidders who might provide a decent home and will instead be sold off by the pound to a meat buyer. Just as so many of our friends and neighbors, these animals will become victims of this economic crisis.
We don’t want to see that happen. While normally, we do not buy animals, we’ve heard your concerns and we share them. SASHA Farm will attend the auction next week with for the purpose of rescuing as many of these animals as we are able to with the funds that you pledge.We need your help to help us bring as many animals as we can to live out their lives, together in their existing family groups, here at SASHA Farm.
According to their brief descriptions, a little pygmy goat named Thunder is “shy, always by Tony’s side.” Tony is a llama, the only one in the auction, “skittish around people and difficult to catch.” How many people will be on hand to offer a good home to a shy little goat and his “difficult” llama friend? Will they be separated forever? It is very likely, if we don’t step up to help them. Lilly is a dark brown Longhorn calf whose mother died in childbirth. She’s lived with the petting farm animals since then, the goats and llama, and she “headbutts in a playful manner.” Shouldn’t she continue to live with her friends, the ones she’s known all her short life, especially after losing her mother so recently? We’d like to see that happen. Can you help us? Will you help them?
You can help in two ways: Donate now! Donating now helps us to better know many animals we are going to be able to save. Or, if you want to help but can’t before the 28th, pledge your support by the 28th, and we will bid with your pledge in mind.
Remember that your donations not only help with the initial bid price of the animal, but also the unexpected increase in operating expenses we will incur as a result of housing more animals. Shelters and fences may be needed, feed costs will increase above what we have budgeted for the year, vet costs will certainly exceed the current budget, and so forth. We cannot bring in more animal residents without the funds to care for them.You can view the auction catalog here, and pictures can be found here, at the bottom of the page. When you make your donation, feel free to mention a particular animal that tugged at your heartstrings. Due to the nature of the auction, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to bring a particular animal to SASHA Farm, but we can certainly try. We believe that the petting farm animals and the cattle will be most at risk, and as a farmed animal sanctuary, we will focus our efforts there. There are quite a few dogs listed, sled dog teams, and while we cannot house these dogs here due to space and compatibility issues, we are very willing to work with dog rescues to help these dogs. If you are a dog rescue or can offer help to the dogs and need representation at the auction, please contact us before the auction.Thank you for your help and compassion. We’ll keep you updated as this situation unfolds.
Update: Thanks so much to those of you who have already donated and pledged so generously. We have heard from others who will be attending the auction to help save a certain animal or two, and we welcome others to let us know that as well. Together, we can make a huge difference in the lives of these animals!
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