My name is Isabell and I was born and raised on a farm near Vermilion, Alberta, (90 years ago). I know live on a farm near Vermillion not too far from my childhood farm. I am very social and community oriented, and enjoy visits with family and friends over a meal or tea. I grow a garden and do all my own canning and freezing of fruit and garden produce, all grown on the farm. I also love to bake and cook.

As a farm kid, we always had a few dogs, cats, horses, milk cows, cattle, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigs, etc.  I loved all the animals, valued them all dearly, and remember them very fondly. I had a deeper connection with pets and livestock than most other farm families at the time. I remember a neighbor lady asking for our rabbit to eat, and being appalled. Our dog used to pull us kids to school on a sleigh and later we used horses. Table scraps were fed to our dogs and cats, as there was no bagged dog and cat food back then.

More monetary value is played on pets now more than 75 plus years ago. Currently I have six cats and one dog in my home that are all rescued one way or another. The pasture is rented out, so cattle are only here in the summer. My daughter lives right beside me with 2 horses, a cat and a dog. There are deer in my yard and on occasion fox and coyotes that are after the leftover apples. I feed the wild birds all winter. I have a few very old well-loved chickens. They are kept around despite the fact that they hardly ever lay. They sure clean up worms and bugs in the garden and yard!

I was taught to be kind to animals and feed them well. It takes relatively little effort to keep them happy and healthy. Give them a pat, food, fresh water and shelter, and this will give them a joyful long happy life. For outdoor livestock, cattle, horses, etc. they need a straw bed, this is half of the animal’s life.

How a person treats animals is a true testament to their character. Take the time to be kind and caring. Animals have a soul. Since it doesn’t take much effort at all, that is all an animal asks of you. Get your cats and dogs spayed or neutered to avoid overpopulation. It will make the world a better place.