An elderly, blind pony will be making the move to Maple Ridge along with 105 other residents of SAINTS, or the Senior Animals In Need Society.
The sanctuary, previously located in Mission, will be relocating Annabelle, a 24-year-old roan pony, and other elderly and special needs animals including turtles, dogs, and cows, to their new 5.25 acre home in the Whonnock area of Maple Ridge for July.
A new larger facility was needed for the sanctuary because they outgrew their three acre property.
With the foundation crumbling at the main house on the Mission property, the agency had to curtail their intake of larger dogs, they had too many cats sharing space, and water on the property was drying up due to increasingly hot summers. And, explained SAINTS campaign chair Sheila Kullar, dogs would have to rotate use of the only outdoor field with 30 barn animals.
"All of this is restricting our ability to give above-average enrichment let alone accept more animals who desperately need SAINTS," said Kullar.
"Bandage solutions to fix infrastructure issues at our aging sanctuary were no longer viable," added the Give Love Give Shelter Campaign chair.
Founded in 2004, the society has cared for more than 1,000 senior, palliative, and special needs animals, over the years, and the sanctuary and foster care network consistently care for more than 100 animals, across a diverse range of species – turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, cows, and horses.
Annabelle lost her sight to uveitis in 2022, and underwent surgery to have both eyes removed. Now, the pony wears a protective mask over her eye sockets to shield them from the sun. Annabelle has mastered navigating five different outdoor areas on the Mission property, she learned to manoeuvre around obstacles including trees, bushes, and fences, shortly after arriving at the sanctuary three years ago. Now Annabelle will have to figure out her new landscape.
"Though the move to our new home will be a challenge for a blind horse like Annabelle, her courage, adaptability, and unshakable spirit give us every confidence she’ll rise to the occasion just as she always has," said barn supervisor Ali Schumann.
Moving all of the animals will have its challenges and require careful planning, but Kullar is hoping to make the adjustment as smooth as possible.
"Yes, it will be a challenge, but moving them will be guided by familiarity, consistency, and sensory support. That way, we’ll do our best to ensure their comfort and confidence," Kullar stated.
They are still fundraising for the move and are always looking for volunteers.
To learn more go to: www.saintsrescue.ca.
