Don't give up! Have hope! In
many ways this is one of the most important
messages we send to children here at Gallastar.
There is a place for everyone where they will be
respected and loved for who they are - a place
where they will be forever safe. Such places do
exist!
Actions here speak loudly. The
children see that we will do whatever is necessary
to give the animals what they need and deserve.
Whatever it takes, we will somehow find a way to
help. They can see it in the liquid brown eyes of
the 28 year old pony, Heaven, recovering nicely
from a recent founder and the onset of Cushings
disease. They can witness in in the rescue of four
pigs from a foreclosed farm that literally had no
other hope. For many children, this message that
there are people who will never give up on you can
be the life altering.
As these children
learn to take control of their special horse, they
learn to take control of their lives. They learn
that patience and kindness are more powerful than
a harsh hand and expediency - a message that can
serve them for a lifetime. Although the therapy
sessions are specifically tailored for each
group's unique needs, our focus is on compassion,
boundary, respect, and control. The relationship
with the horse is the perfect model to demonstrate
these principles. What we do here is so much more
than talk in an office; we see to it that the
metaphors are explicit and reviewed after each
therapy session. By the end of the session or the
week long camp, we make certain that the message
has gotten through to each child. We leave nothing
to chance.
Please consider helping us in
the work that we do. If you would like to assist
on this mission of combining the rescue of abused
and neglected animals to teach compassion in
action, heal the hearts of children in need, and
assist children with disabilities reach their
fullest potential, Gallastar is having two
fundraisers: a book sale and an eBay auction of
Beanie Buddies. Funds raised from the book sale
will go to scholarships for our new program
destined for children on the Autism Spectrum. All
proceeds from the Beanie Buddies will go to assist
four rescued animals featured elsewhere in this
newsletter.
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Buy a Wonderful Book and
Help a Child at the Same Time!
We are now taking orders for
the book, Horse Tales for the Soul, Volume
7. Gallastar will receive a percentage of each
sale. This book is full of heartwarming stories
that celebrate the unique bond between horses and
their people. All of the proceeds will go to the
Gallastar scholarship fund for children on the
Autism Spectrum. The work that we did with these
children will be featured in the next newsletter.
Gallastar will host a book signing and
talk with some of the authors at Agnor Hurt
Elementary School in Charlottesville on October
28th. Gallastar will make a presentation on the
work that we do here and refreshments will be
served.
Books can be ordered through the
the paypal option on Gallastar website at
www.gallastar.org or a check sent to Gallastar c/o
Lorelei Pulliam, 722 Greenfield Mountain Farm,
Afton, Va 22920. The cost is $25.00, which
includes shipping.
Horse Tales for the Soul
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So Where Do the Teddy
Bears Come In?
In order to fund the spays
and medical bills of pigs from a foreclosed farm
(see article below), we are putting a private
collection of over one hundred, mint condition,
with tags, Beanie Buddies for sale on eBay. Beanie
Buddies are much larger than the Babies. Please
spread the word to anyone who collects these
cuties. They will be sold as one lot and can be
sold individually for those with more time on
their hands than we have or be used as gifts for
years and years to come. Our success with this
fund raising and animal
sponsorships will literally determine the
future for these animals. Click the link below to
learn more about the Beanie Buddies or to place a
bid. Every penny raised will go to help our four
newest animals.
Beanie Buddies on
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Charlottesville Vegetarian
Festival a Huge Success
As usual, our piggie was the
hit of the festival and even ended up on the
evening news in Charlottesville. Basic
Necessities, a renowned restaurant in Nellysford,
donated a nice gift certificate to go in our
raffled gift basket that also included a Webkins
pig.
Amongst all of the other booths and
pet animal adoption groups, Holly stood as tall as
any little pig could in testament to why we were
all really there. At the end of the day when the
rest of us were just about ready to go, a woman in
a wheelchair was brought up to Holly and she
gently put her feet up on the enclosure to share
something known only to the two of them. It was
the only time that she did this during the entire
day. Her gentleness and beautiful soul left a
lasting impression on each visitor. For many there
is now a sweet face and liquid brown eyes to
relate to when they hear of gestation crates and
all of the other horrors of factory farming.
Everyone wanted to sign the petition to
stop the selling of pigs at the local pet store
and her appearance as a pet store survivor will
certainly go a long way to further that cause.
A wave of hope sweeps over us as we
reflect on the festival. So many people seemed to
care and wanted to help. One dark eyed child
touched us the most. We watched him take out what
was obviously all of his own money and donate it
to Holly and her pig friends. He was silent and
stood back from the crowd, but something had
touched his heart. Yes, our hope lies in the
children. Hope for a world in which compassion and
kindness are the expectation.
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Update on the Three Little
Pigs and One Big One!
Four pigs from a foreclosed
farm were picked up Fredricksburg late in the
evening on Friday, October 8th and arrived at
Gallastar around midnight. After driving to North
Carolina to attend a funeral on Saturday, Ron
turned around and was once again up before
daybreak for the trek to Knoxville with these pigs
and a couple of others.
As fat as they
were, two of the bigger pigs named Emma and Janie
underwent spays without incident. Janie had a
uterine tumor and we are awaiting word from the
biopsy. The youngest and healthiest had
complications and could not be spayed. The boar
turned out not to be so big after all but had
testicular cancer and underwent surgery on Friday.
He too will be coming back to Gallastar to begin a
new life. Whatever the ultimate outcome for him,
he will not spend his last days in pain and misery
alone in a tiny pen without adequate shelter,
water, and food. Sometimes that is all that we can
give and it breaks our hearts. He is getting the
very best care available in this area of the
country - thanks to Van Amstel and his staff at
the University of Tennessee.
A simple
neuter would have prevented so much suffering.
Spaying and neutering of all cats, dogs, pigs, and
rabbits is paramount to their health and the
cornerstone of putting the brakes on
overpopulation. UT is currently doing a study in
tumors of the reproductive tract of pigs and we
suspect it will uphold the current thinking that
they are the rule rather than the exception for
unspayed female pigs. As a No Kill facility, we
cannot ethically fail to prevent/treat a disease
as preventable/treatable as uterine tumors. On the
economic side, they are far cheaper to prevent
through a spay than to do tumor surgery on later
or even to have diagnosed and the animal
euthanized. As champions of all animals, we are
dedicated to getting the message of spay/neuter -
potbellied pigs too!!
For more information
about our porcine friends at Gallastar and how you
can help, see www.vaalliance4potbelliedpigs.org.
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Gallastar Upcoming
Events
October 27th: Hospice
of the Piedmont will be having its annual
Bereavement Camp for children and families. This
annual event is something that everyone at
Gallastar is honored to be a part of. Children
share in the sunshine and beautiful fall weather
in a time of healing and celebration of their lost
loved ones. Sad faces begin to glow in the
beautiful fall weather as they sit tall on horses
rustling through the fallen leaves. The stories of
the animals here touch their hearts as they learn
how they too have overcome immense sadness and
loss to once again live in peace and security. The
closing ceremony down in our arena in which each
child tells what the day has meant to them means
more to us than we can begin to say. The little
voices recount a special animal that touched their
heart or cheered them up. No one can witness it
with dry eyes.
October 28th: Book
signing where you can meet the authors of Horse
Tales for the Soul at Agnor Hurt Elementary
School, 3201 Berkmar Drive, Charlottesville,
Virginia.
November 17th: Reunion of
the young ladies from the Sexual Assault Resource
Center will join us for a Thanksgiving celebration
of love and healing with their beloved horses here
at Gallastar. These girls relate so deeply to the
horses that now give back so much to the kids that
need them. It is magical to watch the girls become
confident and experience healing over the course
of the week long camp. We are all so excited to
see them again - especially their horses.
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Thanks!
This newsletter is made
possible through a donation by horsewoman and
artist Betty DeMar Mueller and her dog Chaps in
memory of a beloved horse, Natchez. Thank
you!
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