Recently, in a rural county not too far from our own, a woman, nearly eighty, fractured a hip and was admitted to the hospital for a repair of that hip. A major fracture at eighty is often repaired by an adept orthopedist, but many persons approaching such an age, die from the hazards of immobility, stroke, reactions to anesthesia, etc. She instructed her children to care for her animals on her forty acre farm, in her absence. Unfortunately, it was a bit more challenging than they had signed on for.
This week, animal control officers in hazmat suits removed 560 animals from her farm to a central location within the county in order to properly care for them. There is also a call out to citizens for a variety of animal supplies for them. Some of the animals at the farm were being housed in overcrowded conditions and had died in advance of the animal control officers arrival to the site. Things of this description happen enough all over the country and probably in the world, often enough that we should discuss it.
Although there are people who are simply "pound junkies", and who repeated acquire more animals than they have the time or funds to care for, this is not always the case. Many times, people raise animals, and then other animals in their area find them, and wish to stay. Sometimes, hunters drop off old dogs at such a place. Sometimes others dump unwanted kittens there. It is often not a case of the person choosing to acquire all of the animals they might have.
There is also another issue in play. I have lived in a rural place since my thirties. I have had a number of animals since then. As I age though, I may not be able to handle the amount of animals I have had when I was younger. We must all begin to develop realistic ideas about the number and type of animals we can consistently care for ourselves. We must also have emergency plans for their care should we be temporarily or even permanently called away from those tasks.
For the sake of avoiding more cases of this type, I wanted to list some suggestions and things we should talk about with the objective of avoiding similar situations.
1. When we are young, we probably can own and care for the largest number of multi-species animals. Many people care for cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and horses. However, as we begin to age, we may not be able to keep up with immunizations, proper bathing, grooming, worming, exercise, maintaining animal structures, and activating an evacuation plan for them in emergencies. Therefore, we should consider, as the animals gradually die, as they reach old age, not replacing that particular species. Already, I no longer seek puppies, choosing instead to accept a mature dog that I, most likely, will outlive.
2. As we age, we should also be careful to select animals whose species do not require large amounts of work. Alpacas are lovely animals, but in a lot of climates, they require monthly injections in order to avoid meningeal worm which can be fatal. They also require regular nail trimming, and they must be sheared annually. This may be easily possible for us at 36, but perhaps not quite so easy for us at 65.
3. With a normal horse lifespan being 25-30 years, middle aged adults can still own them. It would probably be best to acquire adult horses, again so that they do not outlive you. Miniature horses can live as long as 35 years, and with excellent care possibly longer. Therefore a woman of 70 probably shouldn't buy a herd of miniature horses. who still need grooming, worming, immunization and farrier care.
4. Since anyone can break a leg, require an appendectomy, or fracture ribs in a car accident, we all need to have emergency plans for animal care. If you were injured and could not care for your animals for two weeks, who would care for them ? Two of my horses were sold to me when two different owners required cancer treatment and were no longer able to care for their horses. If there a notebook already in existence with each species care typed out, with amounts of food indicated ? There should be. Your approximate routine with your animals should also be indicated in such a notebook.
5. While you are addressing emergency care for your animals, you should also establish a notebook with plans for emergency evacuation of your animals from your farm. Anyone can need to evacuate their animals. Flooding can occur in many places, and we could need to evacuate animals where I am simply due to forest fires.
6. Speak with your rural vet about where your animals could go in emergencies and who could care for them. Once you find cooperative arrangements with others, in emergencies, you should be prepared to perform the same talk for others. Networking with other farmers or with wildlife rehabilitators may also have other positive aspects. I received a number of veterinary handbooks, and farm animal equipment recently from someone who sold their farm. They only knew me because I had agreed to be a temporary home for their horses should a flood or fire emergency trigger their emergency relocation.
7. Speak with your family members as to who will acquire and care for your animals after your own death. This is not a pleasant subject, but its discussion is essential. Your animals deserve something better than starvation, or a quick trip to the pound. This issue also underscores the importance of not acquiring too many animals.
8. If you have elderly parents, then have a conversation with them as to whether they have chosen anyone to care for their animals when they are gone.
It is not my intention to tell anyone when they have aged beyond owning an animal. It is my intention, however, to call your attention to the idea that once your animals live out their lifespans and pass, that species with long lives should probably not be reacquired. It is also my intention to help those who are the recipient of large numbers of strays to realize that they, in tandem with other animal rescuers and local animal authorities, need to find homes beyond your property for them.
I am not yet old, yet I am down to only eight farm dogs of different types for different purposes, three cats (including barn cats and strays), seven guinea fowl, twelve chickens, four ducks, three alpacas, four horses, and two sheep. At one time, when our children were teens, there were far more animals here on this large farm. Now there are fewer and many of them are not only elderly, but they have lived past what is a normal expected lifespan for their species. Within a couple of years, through simple attritian, there will be far fewer. The challenge then will be not to replace very many of them.
This is an unpleasant subject because it requires that we, the "owners" of our animals recognize that we also have finite lifespans, and that some of our animals may outlive us. Still, our animals deserve such plans being made for them.
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