News on the Farm
Fall 2024
Updates From the Farm
We’re excited to share some updates from Last Chance Farm Sanctuary! While we've been taking in the gorgeous Tennessee fall skies and enjoying all this time of year has to offer, we've also been busy caring for our beloved 4-legged friends.
Our foster dog, Dorien, has found her forever home and will soon be heading to Connecticut to join her new family. Dory’s story is a special one—she was born a stray and lived outside until someone noticed her and called us for help. When we arrived, we found her asleep on the road! Despite her rough start, Dory quickly won our hearts with her sweet, curious, and playful nature. In her short time with us, she showed off her intelligence by mastering leash walking and housetraining in just three days. She has lots of love to give, and we know she’ll bring endless joy to her new family.
Meanwhile, Patti the mare is still waiting for her forever home. She is a gentle and beautiful horse who would make a wonderful companion for the right home. We are hopeful the right family will come along soon!
Thank you for continuing to support the animals at Last Chance Farm Sanctuary!
Patti the Hero: A Surrogate Mare’s Act of Love
Meet Patti, a 21-year-old thoroughbred mare with a heart of gold! Recently, she became an unexpected hero when a newborn foal lost its mother and needed to nurse. Patti stepped in and took on the role of surrogate mom, nursing the foal and giving it the love and care it desperately needed. Thanks to her, the foal is thriving! Now, it’s Patti’s turn for some TLC and we’re hoping she can find her a permanent home to retire. What a beautiful soul she is!
Fall 2024
Saying Goodbye to Blaze
As the summer came to a close, we said goodbye to Blaze, the oldest (about 35 years) horse at Last Chance Farm Sanctuary. Blaze had been with us for many years, and in that time, he was a calm and sweet presence that everyone, especially our granddaughters, loved. In the last few years, Blaze grew thin, but he was still out in the pastures, enjoying his routine and living a peaceful life. While he was certainly showing his age in many ways, it was clear that he was content and comfortable in his final stretch. Our granddaughters had a special bond with Blaze and loved to visit him and spoil him with carrots and extra pets when they visited. He was their favorite, and they’ll remember how gentle mannered and patient he was when they first learned to ride. While we are deeply saddened by Blaze’s passing, we’re thankful that he spent his years with us, living out a calm and quiet life. He will be missed!
December 2023
Welcome, Sunny
We are happy to report that a new gelding joined our herd. Sunny, named by our granddaughter, came to the farm because his owner sold their property and left him behind. The new owner planned to take him to auction, so we stepped in and offered him a permanent home on the farm. Sunny is in his mid 20's and has never received any veterinary or dental care. His teeth were in pretty bad shape, but we got him fixed up the best we can. He experienced life in a barn and wearing a blanket for the first time, and he is getting used to ample food and the finer things (for a horse) in life. We are happy to see him adjusting so well to his new life!
September 2023
Spring and Summer Updates
After a heartbreaking winter, we are happy to report that we've had a quiet, peaceful spring and summer on the farm. In July, we found two young dogs roaming our property--a blue tick hound mix and a husky mix. After a few days we found their owner, a young man with good inentions, but poor understanding of how to care for the dogs. We worked with him to neuter, de-flea and de-worm the dogs, who we found out were named Charlie and Loki. Once they were healthy and happy, we returned them to their owner. We've continued to follow up with the owner through text to make sure they are still receiving good care.
In August, we found a young blue tick hound female a few miles away with a chain around her neck. She is a sweet girl who just wanted cuddles. After a few days of worming, flea prevention, and good care, were able to locate her owner and place her back with her family. Since she is used for hunting, we have concerns about the conditions she is kept in, but we will check on her periodically.
March 2023
A Near Tragedy...
Just when we thought we had experienced enough crisis on our farm, our sweet mare, Alf, gave us a scare that we wont soon forget. Fortunately, this story had a happy ending, which we desperately needed after losing Bogie and George.
Alf slid into a narrow, deep part of our creek while trying to get bites of sweet grass. It happened at night (of course) so we don’t know how long she was there. She was bent almost upside down and was hypothermic. There were signs that she struggled a lot and we had to get the tractor to haul her out. Too weak to stand, we stayed with her all day giving support, rolling her over, water, food, etc. Thank God it was a warm sunny day. By 3 o'clock, she still couldn’t stand, so with the help of our vet, we pulled her straight up to stand. She was able to stay on her feet and walk around. We are so happy to report that she made a full recovery!
February 2023
Saying Goodbye
February was marked with sadness and loss here at Last Chance Farm with the passing of our hospice foster, Cain, and the quick and unexpected passing of our draft horse, Bogart (Bogie), and our beloved horse, George. George was the last of the rescue horses to make the move from Connecticut, and he was something special. George kept us laughing for 17 years and had become such a special riding companion over the last several years. We also lost Jan's mother, who is now resting in peace with Jan's father.
September 2022
Meet Cain
At the end of the month we welcomed our newest foster, Cain, who came to LCF under unique circumstances. Cain is a 7-year-old Great Dane who suffers from cancer and a prolapsed rectum. He is also painfully thin for his size. This poor soul was surrendered to a Mississippi shelter, but a friend of ours from Jackson County shelter drove him up to us so that he could live out the rest of his life in comfort and peace. We are not sure how much time Cain has left on this earth, but we are happy to provide him with the care and love that he deserves during his time here. He is such a sweet and trusting soul.
August 2022
Bacall (Calli)
It has been an admittedly difficult summer with the loss of our girl Princess and the sudden loss of our draft horse Calli. Calli came down with EPM, equine protozal mycloencephalitis, at the end of July and within three days she was gone. This was a heartbreaking loss to Last Chance Farm.
While we mourn her loss, we are grateful every day for the opportunity to provide our dogs and horses with a safe place to live out their lives in peace.
June 2022
Sanctuary Updates 2022
Each year on the farm we experience a mix of emotions- there is the joy of welcoming new animals to the farm and knowing that we've saved those animals from an otherwise terrible situation, and the inevitable sadness when we lose a four-legged member of our LCF family. While like most years this year was filled with both, we also delighted in helping stray and abandoned dogs get the vet care they need, seeing a rare winter snow, plenty of trail riding with friends, training our young Pfortnight, and seeing our son get married! It was another year to be thankful that we are able to do what we love and provide sanctuary to so many needy dogs and horses.
We realized this year that while the farm is a perfect place for many of our dogs and horses to live out their lives, it is not always the best fit for every dog and horse. This was the case with Gracie. She was a young girl who had issues with her hips and knees and needed surgery early in her life. Running up and down the hills of the farm proved to be a less than ideal situation for her. We were able to find the perfect forever family for Gracie where she could live comfortably and without strain on her young body. She will be missed, but we are so happy she found a wonderful forever family.
This year we welcomed Turk, a sweet Kagal who we adopted from foster care. He was rescued by animal control and appears to have had his ears cut-off prior to that (potentially for dog fighting, although you can tell he's never faught a day in his life). Despite his rough beginning, he is a well-mannered love who has been a wonderful addition to our LCF family.
It was with great sadness that we share the passing of one of our mares, Princess, this spring. While they are all hard to lose, Princess was one of the sweetest mares, and we took this loss hard. Princess suffered a leg injury in April, and we tried everything we could to help in her recovery. Ultimately, she lost her battle and we had to say goodbye. We miss her dearly, but are happy for the six great years we had with her.
Days after losing Princess, we were happy to take in another horse in need! Meet Diesel, a 15 year-old draft horse. This big guy came to use after his owners could no longer keep him, and he would have otherwise been handed off to a rather unpleasant living situation. He is a big, gentle guy who is fitting in with our crew nicely!
June 2021
Sanctuary Updates
In May we welcomed Pfortnight, a beautiful 1 1/2-year-old. Pfort injured his leg and could no longer be trained for the high-level dressage he was bred for. His owners reached out to us to provide a loving and caring home for him…for the next 30 years or so. We were thrilled. He will be trained up to the amount of stress his leg can take and then he will enjoy his life here with us and his new buddies.
In March we worked with friends of ours to rescue a four-year-old horse whom we've named Glynda. Glynda was abandoned and left to starve. She was in really rough shape, losing fur and suffering from nose bleeds. After about a month of TLC and antibiotics, Glynda started to turn a corner. She is settling into her new life on the farm and is looking so much healthier.
We had a relatively quiet winter on the farm, followed by a busy spring. Our Great Pyrenees foster, Ghost, was quickly adopted shortly after arriving at Last Chance Farm. He had been abandoned and left to wander until he was found (almost drowning!) in a neighbors pool. He is sweet and gentle and we are so happy he found a family to love.
November 2020
Fall Updates
Despite the fact that the pandemic has changed so much of our daily lives, one thing has not changed, and that is the need to foster dogs and find forever families for dogs in need! This fall, we became the foster family for three dogs--Larry, Moe, and....Jet (where's Curley?!). These dogs were left behind at a nearby trailer when their family moved and left them behind without any food or water. The police said that they were "not skinny enough" for them to intervene, so we walked them back to the sanctuary. From there, we had them bathed, fed, and looked over by the vet. They received their shots and were ready to find their forever homes. Larry and Moe were very outgoing and were quickly adopted. For some reason, Jet has not yet been adopted. He is such a sweet, calm, polite, and loving dog. He would do well in a home with older, calm children. Jet is still young, so once he comes out of his shell he will have some energy and will be ready to play. He is also ready for a lap to cuddle in!
Tex was another one of our fall fosters. He was turned over to us by a local man who enlisted in the military and was no longer able to keep him due to his service. Tex found a lovely new home with a retired couple in North Carolina who will love him for years to come!
April 2020
Spring Updates
We've been very busy here at Last Chance Farm Sanctuary with the addition of Hank, Harvey, Gracie, and Alf! We wanted to use this COVID-19 "down-time" to introduce our newest rescues, and share some updates and pictures of our favorite four-legged friends. We hope that everyone is safe and well!
Meet Alf
While Alf is not our rescue, she is the newest adopted member of the Last Chance Farm Sanctuary horse family. A friend of ours rescued her from a kill auction a year or so ago. Our friend posted on Facebook that Alf was just hanging out in her pasture with little company or work to keep her mind and body active and she really wanted her to go to a good home. Alf looked like such a sweet horse and we thought we could take her in and ride her around the farm to keep her entertained, which would be a bonus for everyone! Turns out she is a registered TN Walker who was bred in Texas. She is such a sweet girl and one of the best trail horses we have ever been on. Welcome to the family Alf, you won’t have a better place to hang out than this!
Meet Gracie
Gracie came to us through our veterinarian in March. We got a call that she was brought there by the owner's mother. Apparently, the mother said she did not feel like dealing with her anymore and she requested to have her put down. Poor Gracie is only a few years old! Our vet refused (naturally), so the woman left, leaving Gracie behind! Our vet knew just who to call and we ended up going to pick her up that night. She slept in our closet for a few days before she realized it was safe to come out and play. She is a doll– but she does have some hip issues that we are starting to diagnose. Hopefully we can make this sweet girl feel even better!
Meet Harvey
Back in October, we received a call from a rescue in North Carolina that had placed Harvey in a home and it wasn’t working out. They had no room to take him back and asked if we could. We had just lost sweet Fred, so the timing seemed right. So, here he is!
The poor guy was FILTHY, skinny, and had bad heartworm. Plenty of food and puppy treats–and a good bath–helped to fix two of his three issues, but his heartworm was not as easy to fix. It took two months of treatment and poor Harvey did not do well during that time. It was worth it, however, because he is now feeling great! He’s our big goofy guy (who trips over his own feet) and we are so happy to be his forever home!
Meet Hank
Our Farrier found Hank alone and starving in a barn. When he called us to ask if we could take him in, we had to say yes. The poor guy was malnourished and had a myriad of problems. We are happy to report that he is fattening up, healthy, and doing well. He is a great guy with a gentle personality, and he even likes to be ridden (gently) every so often on the farm. He is a great addition!
Hank when he was rescued last fall (2019).
Hank, April 2020, looking happy and healthy! Check out those sweet eyes!
April 2020
I-81 Transports
In addition to rescuing, adopting, and fostering dogs and horses, we find our work with I-81 transports to be incredibly important. I-81 Transports is an all-volunteer group committed to safely transporting southern rescue animals to foster groups and forever homes up north. We spend several weekends a month making sure that these deserving animals get to their new homes safely. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, please visit our contact us page!
October 2019
Goodbye, Fred
We lost one of our long time doggie residents on October 8th. We adopted Fred while still living in Connecticut in 2011. My sister-in-law saw him in Ohio and begged us to rescue him. He was in rough shape, but he adjusted quickly to his new life, and he soon became a LCF favorite. He was a sweet dog with a loud bark and a constant appetite. Fat and happy was his motto, and we loved him dearly. It has been a tough year with the loss of several of our old dogs, but we know they were waiting happily to greet Fred across the rainbow bridge. Goodbye, Fred...may you bark yourself silly on the other side!
September 2019
Jackson
Once again, another sweet pup was dumped in our valley. A kind neighbor found this little 10-week-old hiding under a mower and brought him to the farm. The poor guy was in rough shape- fleas, ticks, lice, worms, infections, and he was anemic. Thankfully he tested negative for parvo, and while we did not know if he would survive the night, this adorable little guy is a fighter and is doing well! He already has a family lined up to adopt him once he receives a clean bill of health. We are happy for another successful rescue, and that Jackson will have his chance at love and a family!
August 2019
Summer Updates
The old lady of the house, Lady, crossed the rainbow bridge on June 18th. She came to us from Mississippi- old, starving, and scared. She had an awesome year and a half here on the farm, and she didn't suffer one bit. We were blessed to have her.
Our sweet foster puppy Foxy found her forever home in Massachusetts with her new brother Darwin. We are so happy for her and her new family!
We welcomed our newest rescue to LCF in July! His name is Chester, and he is a German Shepherd mix. Chester was found wandering the streets in Memphis, Tennessee. He was pretty beat up- broken teeth, a broken toe, and heartworm. The poor guy doesn't even have front teeth! We can't say for certain, but it appears as though his tried to chew himself out of some sort of cage or trap. Imminent Danger German Shepherd Rescue pulled Chester from the shelter-where he was not likely to be adopted-and we ended up finding him through them on Petfinder. He is such a good and handsome boy, and is getting along great with the other dogs. We are so happy to have him!
August 2019
A (wo)Man’s Best Friend
In August of last year, we lost our dear Bumpus. We are blessed to do what we do—fostering and adopting dogs (and horses) who really need rescuing. We’ve had so many dogs come and go and each one is special. But Bumps, he was extra special. As the saying goes, dogs are man’s best friend. With Bumpus, truer words were never spoken…he really was my best friend. As I reflect on this year without Bumpus, I wanted to share some stories that I hold dear as I think about our time with Bumpus.
When we first got him, Bumpus was scared of coming inside, but we had Ophelia, Madison, and Lily, and he finally followed them in. He ate the chair. He peed on the chair. He struggled at first (which we look back and laugh about now!) I’d have to sit in the office with him just to get him to eat. Even as he became acclimated with life in our home, he was always so nervous and had to be coaxed in to eating (which always took forever). He hated when I left for the day, and when we were living in Connecticut, he used to jump the fence when I was at work. But somehow, he knew when I’d come home, and always managed to get back in the yard to greet me. The only way I knew what he had been up to was from the neighbors telling me they saw him leap the fence. A couple of times I caught him trotting down the road when I came home early, his tail happily wagging in a circle. He was my velcro doggie, following me everywhere.
In the beginning, he was the only dog our grouchy queen bee Lily would let on the bed when she was there. Bumpus was patient and always tolerated all the foster dogs we brought in (all except for Riley, who caused a little ruckus in the beginning). As he got older, his patience faded some, as it does with many people as well! He still always dealt with the new dogs and never caused a problem.
Bumpus loved his biscuits and would come to grab my arm to drag me to the biscuit cabinet. I still have small marks on my arm from his big mouth latching on and insisting that I come with him to get a treat. I’m grateful for these marks, as they remind me of my very best friend.
In Tennessee, Bumpus would come down to the barn with everybody and sit just outside, as he didn’t like to come in. When we were all done in the barn and the fields, he would look over his shoulder to Ike and they’d go off hunting in the woods—his favorite thing. He loved being in the woods, chasing scents, and running free. Even on his last day on Earth, he wanted so badly to go off into the woods, but he was too sick and we just couldn’t let him, which breaks my heart to think about.
This sweet, giant, nervous, velcro-doggie of ours wasn’t purchased from a trendy breeder or pet store. He was a poor wild puppy, who survived a flood, tornado, and being shot at. He came to us from a tragic beginning, desperately in need of compassion, love, and rescue. In rescuing Bumpus we gained a dear companion who will forever be in our hearts. We were able to make his life a happy one, and in return, he gave us loyal companionship and memories that will last a lifetime.
"You can't buy love, but you can rescue it."
April 2019
Sugar
Our little blue-eyed old mare Sugar crossed the rainbow bridge today. She had navicular for years, then a blown tendon, had a skin disease from laying down so much, and her quality of life was no longer what it needed to be. She was a sweet old girl who will be missed. She sure did enjoy her last few carrots though!
February 2019
Updates
Along with an influx of rain (so. much. rain), LCF has had an influx of puppies and stray dogs over the last several weeks. A neighbor in the valley found a sweet mamma and her pups, who we were able to take in and find a foster home for. The little family stayed warm and dry with us while we had our vet spay the mom and make sure everyone else was healthy. As you can see, this little mamma had some BIG pups! We found a foster home for all four in Illinois, and with the help of I-81 transports, we were able to get them there safely.
As February continued we were made aware of a group of wild dogs (probably at least 3 females and 6 males) living down in the valley. A neighbor helps to keep the dogs fed, and he was able to get a hold of the three females so that we could have them spayed. The females stayed warm, dry, and fed in the barn while they recovered and were then released to our neighbor. Unfortunately, they are wild dogs and not domesticated enough to be homed, but at least through spaying-and hopefully neutering the males- we can cut down on the number of homeless puppies being born in our area.
January 2019
Molly
Last Chance Farm was home (for a short while) to two playful pups, both of whom helped to bring out the puppy in our old dogs. In addition to Foxy, we gained Molly, a Great Dane. Molly is just as cute as can be, with a great personality, which made her an easy dog to rehome. Shortly after welcoming Molly, we were able to find forever homes for both her and Foxy. LCF was so happy to kick off 2019 with some happy homecomings for these two sweet pups.
11/13/2018
Foxy Lady
Sweet Foxy was dumped on the street near our farm in East TN. Despite being abandoned, she is a happy, playful, intelligent, and cuddly puppy who is looking for her forever home. Soon after rescuing Foxy, we were able to leash and house train her. Foxy gets along great with our four large dogs, even encouraging the older ones to play! We love having Foxy on the farm, but we know that she will make a family who can give her the love and attention she deserves very happy!
08/19/2018
Foster Pearl
This sweet Dane puppy was found and brought to us by two locals who had been feeding her when they found her running loose and starving. Other than being very skinny, she is in good health, received her shots, and just needed to be spayed. We had her for several days before we found her her fur-ever home with a great outdoorsy family in North Carolina, who have two little boys who will just adore her. She has a great personality and is a quick learner, learning to sit and pee outside on her very first day with us. This girl deserves a long, wonderful life, and we are thrilled she has a family to love!
08/16/2018
Bumpus
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that a Last Chance Farm favorite and our dear companion, Bumpus, passed over the rainbow bridge today. 11 years was not enough, but we are so grateful for the rescue in Arkansas that saved him from his tragic beginning all those years ago. We were lucky enough to share his life with him and we will miss him dearly. He was truly one of a kind!
08/01/2018
SUMMER ON THE FARM
The dog days of summer are flying by and the crew has been busy chasing scents, taking naps, and scratching each other's itches (what a herd!) Lady is settling in nicely, and has become accustomed to the horse's feeding time, where she likes to steal everyone's food and join in with the chaos. Lots of heat and lots of rain has made for plenty of grass in the fields, which the horses are enjoying. Bogey's breathing problems tend to flair up in the summer, but he is still doing significantly better than when we first adopted him. We are happy to report that everyone is doing well and enjoying summer on the farm!
01/26/18
WELCOME LADY!!!
Last Chance Farm finished out the year on a quiet note, which is often a good thing! We rang in the New Year by welcoming our newest adopted dog, Lady. Lady was rescued from a shelter in Jackson County, Mississippi. She was one of 157 dogs there that day (how we wish we could do more!). After taking Lady to the vet we realized that she was in pretty rough shape. She had a severe case of heart worm, which we began treatment for right away. She has small benign tumors, that we will have to keep an eye one, teeth that are in pretty rough shape, and she was in heat. We are guessing she is around 6-7, and that she was used for breeding and then dumped. Once she is out of heat and healthy we will have her spayed and her teeth worked on. Lady is friendly and laid-back, and she loves to laze around on the couch napping. She is still learning to play with other dogs, but we are confident she will acclimate to life with her new brothers and sister just fine!
09/01/17
WELCOME CHEYENNE, COMANCHE, AND SUGAR!!!
Last Chance Farm Sanctuary is so excited to welcome the newest horses to the farm! Cheyenne, Comanche, and Sugar came to the farm through our farrier, who informed us that the man who had previously rescued them was facing medical issues, and he worried that he could no longer give the horses the care they need. They are incredibly sweet and have been well taken care of by this kind soul, and they now have their forever home at Last Chance Farm Sanctuary! You can read more about Cheyenne, Comanche, and Sugar on Our Dogs & Horses page.
08/03/17
Donkey Sighting
We found this little guy walking down the road- a little cut up but very excited to see the horses. Around Last Chance Farm everyone knows who owns what donkeys, but this poor soul seemed to have been dumped. Donkeys are a bit different than horses, and he is Last Chance Farm's first, so he will be gelded and sent to live with a neighbor who already owns donkeys. It turned out to be a happy ending for this very sweet little guy!
06/17/2017
Bumpus
Our 10-year-old Bumpus had a real scare this week. His spleen almost ruptured and he lost almost all of his platelets. Fortunately, Last Chance Farm has a fantastic vet who preformed an excellent surgery and he's now recovering at home. It was a close one! Let's hope he has a couple more good years- he's a fighter for sure!
06/03/17
Spring Updates
Spring 2017 has been a busy time for us here on the farm. While we were thrilled that our foster dog Bingo was adopted by this forever family, we were saddened by the loss of our dear dog, Ike. After many years of chasing scents and howling throughout the valleys of Last Chance Farm, our nine-year-old hound Ike crossed the rainbow bridge. The day before Ike's platelet count crashed and we discovered the mass on his liver, he had spent the day happily chasing a scent. To our relief, he never suffered a day because of the illness. We are grateful for the life he was able to have with us!
On a happier note, we have welcomed our newest rescue to the Sanctuary. Whiskey, a Black and Tan Coon Hound, was adopted in June. He is a chill hound who would rather hang out and play than do what his breed is meant to do. We are happy to have him here at Last Chance Farm Sanctuary!
