Hank the Tank

Keith is officially calling our humble homestead "The Misfit Farm".  

He pretty much nailed it.  Everyday out here is so completely filled with ridiculousness, that at times I feel like I am the character of some completely off the wall children's book.  Bert and Ernie have now made a new home in our freezer, after dozens of fights where it was me and a little silver pot against a couple pairs of talons.  Talons that could easily re-pierce my ears.  Thelma our renegade hen now has complete free reign of the yard and she usually bee-lines to the front of Melissa's SUV where she picks the front clean of smashed bugs.  Our ducks clean our hens and our hens love cake.  We now get a small handful of eggs everyday and they are gloriously rich and I feel good knowing I am feeding my family eggs produced by happy and healthy hens.

Our two kittens are named Hermoine and Luna.  Yes the names are from Harry Potter and yes I am the one who named them.  I am a Harry Potter addict.  A little good clean obsessiveness is good for the soul.  They are adorable and ridiculous and they have the worst meows I have ever heard in my entire life.  I have been wondering over the last few weeks if that could in any way be considered a birth defect.  I am not thinking so though.

We now have three female piglets.  Wilbur, Dottie and Peanut became a part of our family on Sunday.  Peanut has weird skin growths by her neck.  Sadly, I am wondering if I should bring her to the Vet, lol.  I need to find a Vet who makes farm calls.  They have already escaped the barn once and we have to tweak their pen a little everyday.  I am not sure if I have ever seen smarter animals in my life.  Unreal.

The same day the piglets arrived, we received another family member as well.

Hank.

Hank the Tank.

Hank is a St. Bernard who was recently rescued.  He sat in the local pound for a while until a "rescuer" picked him up and brought him to a foster family.  He was not eligible to be transferred to Minneapolis because the previous owners claimed he had food aggression.  Therefore, he would have been "put down".  Well as soon as the foster family showed me pictures and told me his story, I know he needed us.   When Keith and I went to pick him up, (while the three piglets where in the back of the truck) we knew instantly he was our family.  First we buzzed over to Holiday to buy him some Bratwursts off of the warmer for the ride home, and then we settled in for the long drive.  The entire time I fought tears.  Hank was such a good sport and he was so sweet, but every time I rubbed him all I could feel were all his bones.  Every rib and his entire spine grinds against your hand and I can only imagine how painful it must be to be loved on for him.

Once we got home, we went to work getting him fed immediately.  We had bought dry as well as wet food.  We bought a couple different kinds of bones to chew on, Milkbones, a squeaker toy and a new towel.  He made short work of the wet food and tried a little of the dry, but quickly shied away.  As for the food aggression, I have yet to see any.  He will only eat if I am standing right by him and he takes everything from my hand very delicately.  I have tried all of the bones and treats and have noticed he shows little interest.  Well then I noticed his teeth and gums.... so swollen and irritated.  After contacting his foster family, I found out that when he would eat at her place, she had noticed a little blood when he ate.  Poor thing, what a miserable thing.  Tomorrow Melissa is going to attempt to brush his teethers a bit.  

Another thing I have noticed is his hips.  He has a limpish gait.  I don't know if his previous owners allowed him to do stairs as a pup, if it's from malnutrition,  arthritis or abuse.  We have an appointment set up for him on Friday to go in for a check-up.  Thank goodness for understanding Vets. 

So far Hank is fell right into the role of Farm Dog.  He is hilarious and I am pretty sure this was his destiny.  He helped us chase down the piglets when they escaped and did not once bite one.  He tries to herd Thelma our renegade hen back into the chicken area when he thinks she has had enough freedom.  Once again never biting her.  The kittens are super mad.  There really is nothing more to even say there, lol.  He is basically walking around the farm like his name is on the deed and he has a major look of happiness in those droopy little eyes.

Gage is in dog-heaven right now.  He and Hank lay out in the shade reading stacks of books and watching movies on the Kindle.  Hank plays Tug of War with him and walks with him so nicely.  The best is when he cleans Gage from the top of his head all the way to his toes.  Gage knows to stay away from the food dish just in case and I keep my fingers crossed that we are being TOO cautious.  

I will say this... I am so angry.  I am angry that people can do this.  I am so sick of hearing about people abusing children, animals and the elderly.  Hank is a full-bred St. Bernard.  This means someone more than likely bought him and then decided he was too big.  Isn't that the way it usually goes.  Also, they said the reason they weren't feeding Hank was because he was showing food aggression and they were scared.  What-Ev.  I have never seen an animal more gentle in the food department.  Between his emaciation, his mouth and his hips I desperately hope we can get him to good health soon.  With that being said, I also hope if doesn't cost a million dollars because let's face it... we are NOT millionaires.  I am worried about his hips in a big way, but what are you going to do?  Let him be in pain?  I figure we will see what happens when we bring him in and if she says he needs something like a surgery, I will have to look into a fundraiser.  He has been through enough pain in his life, it is our duty to try and show him a good life.

I have been told a million times that I am a strong woman.  I have been asked how I do it and told dozens of times that I do what others cannot.  I reply on most occasions that I do what needs to be done.  Did I have to take Hank knowing he is yet another Special Needs soul in my home?  No, but he needed someone and I will never leave anyone behind.  I will never allow anyone to live a life unloved or hungry or in pain.  I do not have a career or a life plan.  I do not have a college education and if there is ever a day I get to work out of the home, I would sell my soul to be a Librarian.  I do think that I was put on this Earth for a reason.  I am a Nurturer and I am proud of that.  

Love Rachel,

Co-Owner of The Northern Woods Farm of Misfits  ;)