On June 19, 2014 twelve new roosters arrived at SASHA Farm and things would never be the same. We are learning about the horrific things people do to roosters just for their entertainment. In May we received an email from the Cleveland Animal Protective League about some very special roosters that needed to be placed in new homes. We were committed to helping. Fifteen total birds were seized from a disbanded cockfighting ring. Most of the birds bear the sad appearance of shaved bellies and legs, clipped spurs, combs cut-off and missing eyes and/or blindness. These cruel alterations and injuries followed these reported circumstances:

”CPD detectives contacted the Cleveland APL humane investigators requesting assistance on a search warrant. Fifteen chickens were in a musty, filthy room in the basement with raw sewage on the floor. The stench was nearly overwhelming. Some of the birds were underweight, injured and ill. Three of the birds were loose in the room walking freely amongst the waste. Some of the other roosters were housed in individual enclosures that were full of feces and urine. No water was available for any of the birds in the enclosures and only one small bowl of filthy brown water was available for the free roamers. The only food available was corn and not all birds had access to that. Some of the birds had apparent wounds and eye infections. There was a makeshift pen with blood smeared on the walls and we found spurs, syringes, medications, timer and performance enhancement drugs consistent with a cockfighting operation. The owner admitted to training the birds for fighting and shipping to Puerto Rico. The owner agreed to surrender all of the birds. Multiple charges pending against owner.”
–Cleveland Animal Protective League.

The roosters will be rehabilitated over time to be integrated with the general population of roosters and hens at SASHA Farm. This takes time and patience. For this reason many times former cockfighting roosters are euthanized because no one takes the time to work with them. We feel these poor roosters deserve a second chance. Most are very sweet and like to be held by people. They were used to being kept in a dark, filthy basement. Now they enjoy being outside in the grass on a sunny day and taking dust baths . Through daily care by volunteers and staff they will be socialized and begin their transition to a life free from fear and free from the expectation to kill one another. We will see these roosters change over time but we too will change with them. We’ll learn about animals who have been previously forced to endure cruelty evolve into animals who live in peace and existing for their own reasons and not to serve humans.

Read about the story here:
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/05/cockfighting_continues_in_clev.html

Three major cockfighting rings were busted in the U.S. so far this year. Cockfighting is illegal at both the state and federal level in all 50 states. Cockfighting usually takes place among gambling and other activity. It’s a cultural tradition in places like the Philippines and very popular in Puerto Rico where the roosters where destined to go. Cockfighting is masqueraded as a “sport” that takes place in a “family” atmosphere where no illegal activity takes place. We know from evidence recovered and people arrested at the scenes that this is simply not true. At these cockfighting matches people place bets on a rooster and the two roosters fight until one is killed. After the brutal match is over the rooster who lost is dumped like trash. The roosters are also fitted with gaffs on their ankles. Gaffs are knives that have a single or double edged blade. The gaffs are capable of puncturing organs and breaking bones in the rooster. As if this was not bad enough the people who participate in this sometimes shave the bellies and legs of one rooster to make the fight bloodier. Roosters’ combs are cut-off to prevent them from being torn off during the fight. These roosters then lose their ability to cool themselves in hot weather because they do not have sweat glands.

Without further explanation you can see how disgusting and heinous cockfighting is. While it is illegal in all 50 states the penalties and fines vary. Often the fines and penalties are minor. Cockfighting in some states is a felony but not all. Stronger penalties need to exist and these places that hold these gruesome matches need to be shut down. Here are some additional resources if you would like more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6En4j8eKjd0

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6529326

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cockfighting/

http://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/animals-in-entertainment/cockfighting

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/cruel-sports/cockfighting/#ixzz35odMKJQk

SPONSOR A Rooster:https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=f59388

or DONATE to build them an enclosure:https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=895a7c

A few months ago we received an email from a city in Northern Michigan about a blind cow born on a dairy farm. The woman who contacted us was the farmer’s daughter. The farmer wanted to euthanize the cow but his daughter would not let him. She pleaded with him and kept him alive for a year. She wanted to find a place for Stevie where someone would take the time to work with disability. We agreed to take Stevie because his circumstance is so unique and we know special needs animals can be hard to place.

Stevie is a year old and has learned to depend on his hearing to compensate for his blindness. He also has begun to learn the perimeter of his new barn and yard. He knows where his food is but with every step we take we have to remain consistent with all that we do for Stevie. Stevie’s accommodations will always have to be taken into consideration to maintain that he has a good quality of life. Cows can live to be in their 20’s. Stevie will need a lifetime of care. At SASHA Farm we realize the importance and the challenges of taking on special needs animals. Despite the hard work that goes into doing that we would not have it any other way. When people are blind we do not simply discard them so why should we do that to animals?

For Immediate Release

Sheep Destined for Slaughter on the Loose in Saline Neighborhood Is Rescued by Local Michigan Farm Animal Sanctuary-SASHA Farm.

Manchester, Michigan – July 4, 2014

On the early morning of June 21, 2014 SASHA Farm employees headed to a Saline neighborhood to help catch a sheep that had been tromping through everyone’s backyard for a couple weeks. After spending all morning chasing after her with the help of a few neighborhood residents she was caught and loaded into the SASHA Farm trailer.

Over a week ago SASHA Farm began receiving calls from the Humane Society and Saline residents reporting that a sheep was on the loose and attempts to catch her were unsuccessful. A family purchased the sheep to slaughter for meat and she was kept in their yard until she broke free. The sheep has tags on each ear and spray paint down her back, so she was clearly marked for slaughter. The family realized the sheep was causing problems by running loose through their neighbor’s yards. They asked us to help catch her but we only agreed if she was surrendered to us so we could see to it she was never slaughtered.

Upon catching the sheep and bringing her back to the farm we found her to be quite scared. Although SASHA Farm employees were trying to help her she didn’t know that. She was running for her life and even now being in a safe place she is still leery of people. Our director appropriately named her Runaround Sue. She is no longer number “129” as her ear tag reads. She is now a “someone” and not a “something”. Sue will live her life free from the threat of being slaughtered. She will join our 26 other sheep that come from similar circumstances. Her ear tags will come off and her spray-painted mark for slaughter will wash away. She has found freedom and love with us at SASHA Farm.