Live And Let Live Farm Begins A New Decade

by Scott Philbrick
Live and Let Live Farm

Moving into a new decade Live and Let Live Farm in Chichester, NH., had a record year in 2019 of taking in rescued dogs, cats, guinea pigs, exotic birds… any animals that are presented needing a home. Adoption numbers of smaller animals, particularly dogs and cats, have increased significantly through our partnership with PetSmart, and we continue to enjoy and be grateful for this partnership. We remain ever grateful for each and every one of our supporters who help in so many different ways.
Then there are, of course, horses. Closing out our 22nd year as a rescue operation, we were still averaging 75-80 horses at any given time. While horses remain our primary purpose, it is by no means exclusive. For example, when an elderly gentleman died, we took in his 39 beloved cockatiels. Then there was our first foray into Llamas, taking in a small herd, as well as a couple of extremely friendly (and fun!) emus.

In terms of new buildings and surrounding land, an addition was added for quarantine and medical emergency treatment in the Brittany Memorial Building, and a few more run ins added for the horses paddocks. It seems the number of buildings, while increasing each year, can never quite keep up with the need of the animals which we serve.
Additionally, we’re proud to have been nominated and ultimately named, through public voting, the Equis Save Foundation’s in Montana, Equine Rescue of the Year. This national honor comes from nearly 300 nominated rescues, and we’re pleased and honored to have been awarded the number one slot.

We are also very pleased and excited to see our relationship with Funds4Paws expanding, joining forces in late 2019 to purchase a fully medically equipped RV mobile unit for low cost spay/neuter clinics, as well as TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release of feral cats) events. We are greatly appreciative of Funspot and the Lawton family for hosting events and helping to make this joint venture come to fruition. The possibilities that the procurement of this RV and its mobile applications bring are virtually limitless, as we can go to where we are most needed, when we are most needed. We envision making this unique mobile unit available during disaster relief and extending its availability to emergency situations.
This is of paramount importance, as the local needs in NH in terms of unwanted, abandoned, stray dogs and cats, from kittens or pups found in boxes discarded on the side of a road, to pregnant cats or dogs, and abandoned motherless kittens or pups, is unpredictable and mercurial. The ability to bring the medical equipment and expertise to where the need is, as opposed to the need having to find a way to us, is simply tremendous.

Always eager to step into a new arena of challenge and/or technology, LLLF held our first online auction in 2019, the brainchild of one of our volunteers, Rebecca Howland. She took the idea, ran with it, and it was highly successful in helping to raise funds and support for the rescue. In fact, as of this writing, proceeds from the online auction are still coming in. We’re currently working toward making this an annual event.
The lowlight of 2019, one marred with tragedy and heartbreak, is perhaps best exemplified by the story of Nico. From starved and rescued in October of 2015 to filled out, healthy, and thriving horse, Nico is now sadly, due to a serious and painful eye disease coupled with a series of unpredictable infections, having to have both eyes surgically removed. The details of Nico’s ongoing trials can be followed on the LLLF Facebook page.
And speaking of our Facebook page, watch for our upcoming Valentine’s fundraiser, the Saturday before Valentine’s Day (February 8th) at Agway on Route 106 in Concord.

Many volunteers have poured so much of their hearts, time, and resources, into helping bring Nico back from that narrow precipice of death he so wearily walked upon when he first arrived; to have this type of double enucleation surgical setback for such a sweet soul is nothing short of crushing.
Despite the many tragedies and stories like Nico’s we encounter and endure in any given year, we enter 2020 as we do each new year, not with trepidation or reticence, but with rigor and tenacity, thirsty to do the work this all-too-often seemingly heartless world lays before us.

Please consider contacting Live and Let Live if you’re considering adopting a loving family companion. Financial contributions are desperately needed and greatly appreciated, as the costs to operate such a facility are staggering. Contributions are fully tax deductible, and 100% allocated to the care and healing of these animals. Contact Teresa by email, at: tehorse@aol.com, or send donations to: Live and Let Live Farm Rescue, 20 Paradise Lane, Chichester NH 03258. Donations can also be made with credit or debit cards, at: www.liveandletlivefarm.org. We welcome you for our weekly tours, held Sundays at 2:30 pm, to meet the animals of Live and Let Live Farm. If you’re looking to adopt or become part of the working hands and caring hearts of our volunteer family, the tour is where it all begins.