A Reader Asks for Help

Today I received a comment from a reader who's visited before. She gave me permission to post on her behalf, and hopefully someone here in Santa Cruz county can help this family out.

She writes: “Hi Tana,

“I have enjoyed reading your farm blogs, and I wish you and your family a Happy New Year!

“I am also writing for your help. (I was the one who wrote some months ago about the Ludwig the goat). My family and I live in Bonny Doon, and we have just received eviction notices for our animals—we have two Saanen goats, a brother and sister; and two Suffolk sheep, a mother and daughter. The tragedy is that we had moved out here for the animals, and now we find that unless we can find boarding for them, we, too will, be faced with eviction proceedings. We love our animals—they are truly the sweetest animals ever, they are healthy (because they do not eat any grains) and they are gentle. I can post pictures. We do not want to give them up, so we are looking for temporary boarding for them, until we can find a new place for all of us. Ideally, the place will be near or around Santa Cruz, because we would be visiting as often as we can.

”I trust that, because of the farmers and people you know, that whomever you recommend will be good people.”

Then she sent photos and wrote: “Here are some pictures of our kids with the animals.  The Saanen male is a wether—his name is Vladimir, and his sister is Brenda. They will be 2 in April 2007.  Flower is our ewe, and her daughter is Biscuit, who will be 1 in April 2007. Flower has arthritis in her one front leg, but she is mobile and quite healthy otherwise--she does not need any medication.  Biscuit has not been docked.”

So there it is. Do any of you readers have a solution for her? (Aren't those beautiful children?!)

Christmas was lovely—Logan fans might want to see him in the red footie jammies playing with his Knife Guys (as he calls knights). It's nearly noon, and he refuses to take the footies off. Our Christmas was modest—but filled with heart.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Rumbles on the horizon: not good. It looks like Claravale Dairy—one of the only sources for raw organic milk in California is relocating outside of Santa Cruz county, and I am disgusted with the reasons.

The stupid county planning board set up so many freaking hoops for them to jump through, including insisting that any facilities they built have ramps for wheelchairs...um, someone in a wheelchair would not be working on a dairy farm. It's not discrimination, it's kindness to keep someone in a wheelchair out of the mud.

Anyway, I heard all this from a mutual friend at the farmers market on Saturday, and I am just irritated and appalled that stupid bureaucrats and sticklers can't see the bigger vision. Claravale Dairy is one of the things in this county to be proudest of, and I am not happy that a few idiots with power wielded it so unjustly. Damn them.

• • • • • • • • • • •

That's all for today.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “There is nothing quite so depressing as waking up to face a day when you know that you are going to have to deal with a government office or bureaucrat.” — Neal Boortz

Thanks for visiting.

Comments

[Podchef]

It's interesting that this isn't the only eviction for animals I've heard of recently.

I wonder if it has to do with the National Animal Identification System and landlords not wanting any part of it. If it is we will continue to see this sort of thing increase this year as small, rural areas are put in the giant corporate vise.

[anna maria]

Unfortunately I can offer no solutions, but I send them my best wishes, sometimes those can help. I hate to see people having to decide between their homes and their animals.
Love your site by the way, and Yes! to organic, sustainable agriculture.

[Sarah]

We have 5 acres in Happy Valley with two pygora goats and a handful of chickens and ducks and 2 boys. We could provide temporary housing for the goats and sheep. You can pass along my contact email if they are still looking and don't mind the drive to Happy Valley.