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POUND RIDGE, N.Y. Amy Nevins believes she was born to rescue farm animals.
The proprietor of Juleighs Consignment Shop in Pound Ridge owned a horse farm in Bedford for more than 30 years, and she and her family were always rescuing homeless and abused farm animals. Now she is setting out to create Loving Hearts Farm Animal Sanctuary, an enterprise that will be dedicated to rescuing farm animals.
She is seeking a 100-acre property to establish the sanctuary.
Im in search mode, she said. Its been very interesting there are a lot of properties for sale like that that have barns. The challenge is, we are starting from scratch.
The impetus for the venture began when a woman came into her store and told Nevins that she had two pigs that were going to be slaughtered if they werent rescued.
I paid her $700 not to kill them and another $300 to make an enclosure for the pigs, Nevins said.
But the woman didnt live up to her side of the deal. Nevins said the pigs were kept locked up in a stall with eight horses and had very little drinking water. She said the animals were kept in the dark. In the end, it cost Nevins $2,000 to save the pigs, which are temporarily staying at a rescue farm owned by a friend of hers until her own sanctuary is up and running. Once it is, Nevins says, shell have no problem finding more tenants.
I guarantee that in one week Ill be able to fill up the hundred acres just from the auction houses in Pennsylvania alone, she said. Farm animals are the most abused animals. They are such docile, gentle animals. Youd be shocked if you knew half of what I know.
Nevins said that Loving Hearts has already received its nonprofit designation and she has her articles of incorporation.
If people donate, its tax-deductible, she said.
Nevins said she is willing to rescue just about any farm animal, and is particularly concerned with pot-bellied pigs.
In 1980, they made this sophisticated campaign for people to get pot-belly pigs as pets, she said. But the pigs got huge and people couldnt keep them. They are all over the place now. We are inundated with them. And these pigs are smarter and cleaner than dogs.
Nevins is trying to figure out what her first fundraiser will be.
I would like to get some of the famous people who live in Pound Ridge involved, she said. I think the whole journey will be wonderful.
Nevins said she will use Juleighs as the headquarters for the sanctuary, but her daughter and her family will live on the property and run its day-to-day operations.
I need to do this, she said. I cant not do it.
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