Animal Facilities

Daily human interaction and play is a priority with all of our animals. It also helps us observe what is going on with them from a health perspective. We work very hard to keep our facilities maintained for the safety and health of our animals. We all function best in clean, well-lit facilities with working doors, gates and drains. It’s a big operation and always a work in progress.

Dogwood Farm Sanctuary is an idyllic setting for these animals, one that we have provided over the years. We are always in the midst of projects and renovations because that’s the nature of the beasts. Wear and tear is constant and needs change with a changing population. Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do what we do without you. For more specifics, read on and see our photos.

Horses:

Barns and pasture

The horses are all out on pasture and are fed in individual stalls several times a day. Kapata doesn’t like to go into a stall and usually eats her food in the aisle. She remains in the barn during storms or bad weather because she doesn’t like to leave her friends when they are in the barn. The barn was recently renovated in 2016.

Horse “to do” list:

• Exercise ring – In Progress
• Run-in shed
• Stall drainage – Finished
• Stall mats — Finished

Naming opportunities:

• Exercise ring
• Five-stall barn
• Each of the five stalls
• Run-in shed
• Feed and tack room

Wish list:

• Equine senior
• Tractor Supply gift certificates
• Additional rubbermaid water trough
• Wood shavings
• Hay: Timothy or brome

Dogs

The dogs have multiple housing options at Dogwood Farm Sanctuary:

In the kennel building, there are 10 indoor/outdoor concrete runs that open up to three exercise yards and five large rooms with attached exercise yards. We designate 60 percent of the kennel facility for Sanctuary dogs, 40 percent is for boarding dogs. The entire kennel building is temperature controlled with in-floor heating and air conditioning. Dogs in the exercise yards have access to a temperature-controlled building as well. The three dog buildings were renovated extensively from 2016-2020.

In the main house, the kitchen dogs have a huge gravel yard that they get to through their double dog door on their back porch. The other dogs in the house have access to the enormous grass side yard. Casper, our Great Pyrenees, does not like visitors but he does like to dig giant holes. Best advice: stay out of the side yard guarded and landscaped by Casper.

Dog “to do” list:

• Fenced large grass yard to the west of the kennel: In progress
• Expand house yard and replace fencing & gates. In progress
• Add additional exercise yards (2): In progress

Naming opportunities:

• 10 dog run (inside/outside)
• Three exercise yards
• Three rooms in the exercise building
• Five large dog rooms w outdoor access
• Large dog room with huge exercise yard (4 dogs)

Wish list:

• Paper towels
• Simple Green
• Bleach
• Laundry detergent (liquid and powder)
• Sturdy dustpans
• Kongs/x-large nylabones

Cats

Our new cat facility (opened in 2016) features six individual cat rooms: one huge, three medium and two small. All rooms have outdoor access to covered and individually fenced patio areas (catios). The entire facility has in-floor heat, lots of windows and is air conditioned. The new facility is cageless and has some design flexibility to change as the feline population changes. All our cats are under one roof. Our volunteers love it!!

We are very excited and grateful to the Crawford-Taylor Foundation for donating $100,000 for our new facility. In addition, the cost of the geothermal heating and air-conditioning was donated by Marion and Van-Lear Black.

Cat “to do” list:

• Landscaping
• Fencing and finish grading

Naming opportunities:

• Each room needs a sponsor.
  • FIV room
  • Litter box problem cats
  • Senior cat room
  • Semi feral cat room
  • New cats
  • Young/most adoptable cats

Wish list:

• Sturdy, heavy duty scratching posts
• Heavy duty carpet cat furniture
• Taste of the Wild cat food
• Cat friendly shelving

The Chicken Grove, in honor of Nancy Grove

Years ago, the chickens received a meaningful gift from Nancy Grove to renovate and reorganize the chicken area to provide a warm environment throughout the winter months that provides food and shelter to our entire flock, with personalities and flock dynamics taken into account. The new facility needed to be flexible to expand and contract with the flock and provide barriers to keep out predators, dogs, horses and hawks. We accomplished that and then, in 2021, we purchased a third mobile facility for our two bachelor roosters.

Wish list:

• Chicken feed (no antibiotics)