7 Oct 2016

For the Love of Animals

From Country Life, 9:36 pm on 7 October 2016
Jose the rescued pig

Jose the rescued pig Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles

Jose the kunekune pig always has something to say.

He grunts and snorts as if he's chatting and wants to check out any new arrivals on the farm.

And there's nothing he likes more than having his tummy rubbed.

But life hasn't always been this good for Jose. When he was adopted by Shawn Bishop and her husband Michael Dixon Jose had spent weeks in intensive care at the SPCA. He was just a piglet.

"Nobody knows the story for sure but what they believe happened ...it looks like he was tied to the back of a car and dragged so most of his skin was road-burned off...He was just raw."

Shawn and Michael run an animal sanctuary for abused, unwanted and neglected farm animals. They also look after orphaned and injured birds.  

Michael Dixon with Wednesday

Michael Dixon with Wednesday Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles

They've found homes for thousands of battery hens that would otherwise have been killed and for scores of baby goats that would have met the same end.

If they can't keep the animal themselves on their small block near Matakana they try to find kind homes for them.

"I'm the crazy animal person and he's the very, very patient, loving husband who supports my dream," laughs Shawn.

Both Shawn and Michael were working in corporate careers when they began talking to animal rescue groups and became involved with the Donkey Welfare Trust.

"And they were picking up these abused donkeys and it kind of opened our eyes to the fact there is this whole dark, shady underworld of animal abuse and no-one to do anything about it, so we deliberately bought a place in the country and set up the sanctuary to cater to those animals," Shawn says.

Shawn Bishop

Shawn Bishop Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles

The couple took early retirement to put their plans into practice.

"We both had good jobs and jobs we enjoyed but I guess there was something missing so we decided we wanted to do  something that gave back and had deeper meaning, " explains Michael.

These days Michael's companions as he works are two paradise ducks, Wednesday and Thursday. They follow him where ever he goes on the farm and protect him from reporters carrying microphones.

He also stops to pat and have a chat with Jose who is likely to be found snoring in the sun.