Will Howl for Food!

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer

I have been a volunteer for Full Moon Farm for 6 years. I originally came to Full Moon Farm because my son, Daniel, was fascinated with wolves and wolfdogs. But after that first visit I was hooked and they haven’t been able to shake me off with a stick ever since.

During my 6 years with FMF I have served on the Board of Directors, helped with bookkeeping, events and marketing, and many other things.  But my favorite thing to do at Full Moon Farm is good old fashioned chores. By chores I mean scooping poop, cleaning buckets, grooming the animals etc. Last summer I lived on the farm as the volunteer caretaker and was in heaven. So I will focus on that experience for this particular article.

A typical day in the life of a FMF volunteer caretaker starts early, with morning rounds and meds. Each morning I would hop on our handy dandy golf cart, coffee in hand, and visit each enclosure to make sure everyone was happy and healthy and ready for the day. During morning rounds medication is given out as well.  The preferred medication delivery method is via hot dog….very high tech stuff!  Many residents of Full Moon Farm are over the age of 10 (add percentage?) and require medication to maintain their quality of life. Some of our animals have lived to be as old as 17, which is a testament to the excellent care they receive at Full Moon Farm. 

But back to a day in the life….after morning rounds and meds it’s time to get down to the real fun. Items needed for above referenced “fun”:

                                1 five gallon bucket

                                1 rag

                                1 pooper scooper set

                                1 dump stick

                                A positive attitude and lots of energy

Hi-ho, hi-ho it’s off to chores I go! I typically do the middle area enclosures first (why start in the middle you ask? I have no idea). The middle section enclosures are smaller and typically house our new residents before they are transferred to a larger enclosure. I do one enclosure at a time and start with scooping, then I scrub each water and food bucket thoroughly. After buckets are clean I fill the water bucket up and then it’s on to the important stuff, socialization! I always spend a few minutes with each animal. If they are “hands on” then they get lots of skritches and grooming if needed. During this love-fest I also check for any strange lumps or anything else that may need to be looked at closer by Nancy (our fearless leader and Founder of FMF). If they are “hands off” (animals that are too fearful or have never been socialized) I still talk to them and spend time with them at their comfort level. For these animals I always rub my hands over the same area of their fencing to leave my scent so they can get used to me over time.

Before leaving I check the perimeter to make sure no holes need to be filled and the fencing is all intact. After scooping, cleaning buckets and watering is done in each section, it’s kibble time. The farm is sectioned into 3 areas (top, middle and bottom) and each area has its own feed shed. Every FMF resident receives a diet of high quality kibble (we use Taste of the Wild and Diamond Brand) supplemented with raw every so often.

After the middle section is done, I move on to the top section.  These enclosures are larger and house some of our most famous residents. This is also the area that is on display for tours.  I always start with River’s enclosure. River, aka Roo-Roo, is our ambassadog and one of the sweetest animals I know. He’s also a ham and loves attention.  He even has his own Facebook page!  River used to have a pen mate, Mika, but Mika filed for divorce and has since taken up with the devastatingly handsome (if not somewhat goofy) Aries.  So these days River is back to cavorting with his faithful pal She-Ra.  She-Ra is Nancy Brown’s personal pet and since Nancy spends every day at the farm, She-Ra gets to hang out with River. These two are full of Shenanigans and I have lovingly named them the Roo-Roo and Ra-Ra show. PS, She-Ra is not a wolfdog.

Now I’m about ¼ of the way through the top section and it’s my favorite part of the day. In the left corner of the top section is a very special soul we call Shylo.  While I absolutely love and adore every resident of Full Moon Farm; anyone who knows me, knows I am head-over-heels in love with Shylo. Shylo came to Full Moon Farm not long after I started volunteering there. He was an abuse case, full of worms, malnourished and terrified of everyone. My heart was his from the moment I laid eyes on him. It took me several months and a lot of time and patience but I eventually won his trust and we have been besties ever since. Shylo is very fearful of men and there are only a few ladies he has allowed into his circle of trust. I am so honored to be one of them. I personally think he is the most handsome resident at FMF but I am a bit biased. 

After playing peek-a-boo and zoomies with Shylo, I finish the top section and head down to do the bottom guys and the other favorite part of my day….Achilles.  Achilles is a very special boy.  When he first came to FMF he was a tad on the grumpy side but after being neutered and getting a nice big enclosure and lots of love he has turned into a big bundle of love and fur.  He still has a few people that he doesn’t care for but for the most part he’s a sweetheart and one of my favorites.

After the bottom guys are done it’s the end of the day, everyone is scooped, watered, fed and loved.  I am covered in sweat, dirt, fur and other “unsavory things” and couldn’t be happier. Now it’s time for my reward. Every night the residents of FMF serenade me with their beautiful song and maybe I’m crazy but I think it’s their way of saying “thank you Auntie Donna.” 

Donna Wiedrich

Links:

• NC Now on UNC TV