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Sarah Simpson column: There’s nothing better than a pen pal — unless your pen pal is a chicken

A Home For Hooves program a hit with the children
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Miss Fluffy Legs is my daughter’s pen pal thanks to a super cool program from A Home For Hooves Farm Sanctuary. (A Home For Hooves photo)

A Home For Hooves Sanctuary has been on my radar for years. Ever since I wrote a story about Michelle Singleton visiting RASTA Sanctuary and becoming inspired, compelled really, to do more.

Singleton was already a vegetarian when she visited RASTA. A new mother at the time, it was the talk about dairy… about the reality of how the dairy industry runs, pulling babies away from their mothers and taking their milk, that hit close to home for the momma.

Singleton began to volunteer at RASTA and not four months later, a 900-pound pig named Debbie came along that turned Singleton’s life upside down. Or maybe it was right side up?

RASTA was already maxed out and couldn’t take the pig in. So, in September of 2017, thanks to a 900-pound houseguest, A Home for Hooves Farm Sanctuary on Singleton’s acreage was born.

In late 2021, RASTA had to close down and Singleton took on the remainder of that sanctuary’s animals, too.

Fast forward a couple more years and Singleton’s sanctuary, the only Farm Sanctuary in Canada to be accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, now boasts nearly 180 residents including many who had nowhere else to go.

Needless to say, they’re super busy.

At A Home for Hooves, there are: pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, mini-horses, mini-donkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, peafowl, partridges, dogs, guinea pigs, and cats. The healthy ones tend to be fostered out and/or adopted into other loving homes. The animals that remain with Singleton need (and most definitely receive) special care and will live out the remainder of their lives being spoiled rotten at the sanctuary.

One of A Home For Hooves’s special residents is Miss Fluffy Legs.

She’s a chicken. Normally we shouldn’t talk about others’ bodies, but I feel like it’s OK in this case. You guessed it, Ms. Fluffy Legs has fluffy legs.

She’s also my daughter’s pen pal.

It seems Singleton’s goals of caring for animals in need weren’t her only plans. The sanctuary’s aim is “to educate the public through sharing knowledge and stories about the lives of farmed animals that inspire a compassionate lifestyle.”

To that end, Singleton and her dedicated volunteers have created the coolest pen pal program in which young children can pick from a selection of animals to correspond with for a set period of time.

Children ages three to 12 could pick to write back and forth with: Rocky the mini-horse, Camille the goat, Eddie the cow, Pirate the pig, Sam the sheep, or of course, Miss Fluffy Legs.

So far my daughter has received two snail-mail letters from Miss Fluffy Legs, one of which included a glossy photo of her new fine-feathered friend.

What’s crazy is that Singleton had no idea how popular the program would be. She only posted it on social media twice and parents jumped all over it. This intake had nearly 200 kids register for the free program.

The next intake will be in September though, and “we will likely limit it to 100 the next time,” Singleton said. “It’s been a lot of work but it’s been a lot of fun reading the kids’ responses.”

Singleton said she remembers having a pen pal from another country as a youngster and just how much she loved it. (I had pen pals too and it was the very best! Maybe that’s why I still get excited for snail mail?)

“Given how much children loves animals we thought it would be a great opportunity for them to connect with farm animals and learn about their intelligence, behaviour, what they enjoy doing during the day, and the relationships they form.”

My child loved learning her chicken friend lived in a coop called “Cluckingham Palace” and that she not only lays an egg a day but likes to eat eggs, too.

A Home for Hooves is currently running a capital campaign with the goal of the charity acquiring 50-plus acres of land upon which to build an expanded facility.

“Over the past year we have significantly outgrown our currently leased 4.47 acre property,” said the campaign update. “It is vital that the sanctuary moves to a much larger location, ideally greater than 50 acres, in order to improve the lives of our current residents and to provide a safe haven for more farm animals in need. With nearly 180 farm animals in our care, and six different foster homes, it’s imperative that we move to a much more functional location that can house all the animals we are responsible for.”

Those wishing to support the sanctuary in any way, from volunteering, sponsoring an animal, giving a general donation, or by contributing to the capital campaign can contact Singleton at: michelle.singleton@homeforhooves.org or (604) 512-8362.

Tell her Miss Fluffy Legs sent you.