Caring for Animals: The Heart and Soul

Life is better with ART and ANIMALS. We have always been care-givers and always will be. Over the years we have cared for (many rescues) birds, ducks, cows, donkeys, cats, dogs, turtles, horses and REINDEER. Today, we care for one reindeer (born in 2018) named Sugar Plum and her little buddy Pinkie (born in 2024) who is a Reindeer Herd Dog (Lapponian Herder).

Sugar Plum was the first born reindeer at our farm. Her mother did not have milk (her first baby) and Sugar was already too small from the start. Born at 8 lbs. it only took a few hours for her blood sugar to drop and she became dehydrated even though she was trying to nurse. We had to intervene to save her life. At one point, Scott had to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, to bring her back. After many nights of emergency care and living in the house with us, she slowly got stronger. But her health problems continued until she reached about 8 months of age. She had to be watched 24/7 and was even transported to the University of Illinois Large Animal Hospital at one point for treatment. The months of hard work, late nights and round-the-clock care paid off. Sugar Plum survived! Once she took off, she had been a strong, healthy and sassy girl ever since. The biggest challenge now is that Sugar Plum doesn't know she is a reindeer. WE are her herd. She fights with other reindeer and is unhappy with any scenario other than "only child". She and Pinkie get along fine as long as Pinkie stays on her side of the fence. The two girls keep us very busy and bring so much joy to our lives. Animals are the inspiration for much of what we do and create. If you ever meet us in person, we can promise the subject of animals WILL come up because they are the heart and soul of our lives.