The beloved “Friendly Barnyard” on our Winston-Salem campus has undergone some pretty tremendous growth over the past 6 months. Given our organization’s long history and association with animals, it was important for us to start by assessing how animals could support our work with kids and families.
The research on Animal Assisted Therapy (which is a goal-directed intervention, delivered by a professional with specialized expertise, where an animal becomes an integral part of the treatment process) and Animal Assisted Education–which may have therapeutic benefits, but is more geared towards providing opportunities for motivational, educational, and recreational benefits that enhance the quality of life for our kids–is overwhelmingly positive. Regardless of the context, human-animal interactions cause some really cool things to happen in our brains! Oxytocin, which is often referred to as the “love hormone” and is also connected to social bonding,as well as serotonin and prolactin, are all crucial neurochemicals that are released when humans interact with animals, which lowers your blood pressure and allows you to relax. You know that delightful feeling that comes when you look at an adorable puppy? That’s oxytocin! And, research suggests that animals also get that same oxytocin release when interacting with humans. Physiologically, the presence of animals is helpful because it reduces stress and anxiety, providing a felt sense of safety that goes beyond what we can explain in language alone.
Beyond just feeling good in our nervous systems, Animal-Assisted Therapy has been shown to lower anxiety, swap behavioral issues for prosocial ones, and be especially effective for neurodivergent individuals. On the educational side, interaction with animals has been connected to increased self-confidence, emotional stability, empathy, and relationship skills. In animal-assisted literacy programs, there has been increased fluency and motivation, paired with decreased anxiety. When a child feels responsible for the care of an animal, it helps them understand the needs of others, and can build vital skills like empathy and curiosity.
So, as we considered all the benefits and the work that would be required, we decided it was time to rebuild our herd. After all, our horse, Eddie, and donkey, Jack, needed some companions!
We knew that whatever animals we decided to bring onto campus would be valued partners in our work with kids and families, and we needed to ensure that the animals would benefit from interactions as much as the kids do. These animals would not be objects to be used, or a spectacle to behold, but would be collaborators in our healing work who deserve respect and care. To get there, we had to start with our infrastructure. Our Facilities team spent weeks ensuring that our fencing was secure, and that our barn had all the adequate enclosed areas, windbreaks, water access, and basic amenities needed to fulfill our vision. This process was an arduous one and we had plenty of moral support and consultation from devoted volunteers and animal experts. And, before you know it, along came Sarah and Rebecca.
Who are they?
First came Sarah and Rebecca–Winston-Salem’s celebrity sheep–donated to us by Joel Tauber. Joel was seeking a permanent home for his sheep at the culmination of his project, and it was divine timing! Sarah and Rebecca have been a welcome addition to campus, especially given their reputation. Many staff, visitors, and even kids will greet them for the first time, already knowing who they are! Our Anderson Academy students have also been able to visit with them regularly and ask hard-hitting questions, like, “How long is their tongue?” and “Why do their eyes look like that?”
Shortly after Sarah and Rebecca, we added Lucy, the Great Pyrenees Livestock Guardian Dog – who, despite her 130-pound frame is a total gentle giant. Lucy came to us through an extremely fortuitous and timely connection to Charlie at the Carolina Great Pyrenees Rescue. Lucy had to be surrendered by her prior owner who rapidly fell ill and could no longer care for her. Lucy already had lots of experience living with sheep, goats, horses, and chickens, and had been accustomed to being around a lot of people. Upon her arrival, Lucy was a little nervous about a new place, but quickly settled into her new surroundings and new job. You’ll often find Lucy greeting you happily by the gate, snoozing in the shade, or watching the horizon for any potential threat to her herd.
Soon after Lucy got settled in, we gained four pygmy goats (Pace, Fielding, Townsend, and Poppy), and a bonus turkey! The goats, as you can see, are precious and are often doing adorably rambunctious baby goat things.
Our new turkey–whose name is either Tom or Reggie, depending on who you ask–was a little bit of a mystery to everyone at first. This fella loves to puff up his feathers and show off, which at first made me think he might not be a great candidate to support our kids and families. However, very quickly, we noticed that Tom/Reggie really enjoyed being around the baby goats and was friendly towards humans. His haughty pomp and circumstance, with his puffed-out tail feathers and big chest, was quickly and more accurately interpreted as meaning, “look at me and how handsome I am!” And, to Tom/Reggie’s credit–who doesn’t want to hear that?
Then along came the llama. This sweetheart joined us at 6 months old from Divine Llama Vineyards, and is at least in part to our late and beloved campus llama, Tutti Fruity. After he got to campus, we opened up a naming competition to the students from Anderson Academy and the kids in our Campus-Based Foster Care programs and received some pretty spectacular submissions, like “Wolfgang Llamadeus Mozart.” The judging committee was fair and impartial and selected Rocky. Rocky is still settling in with his new surroundings and herd, but will eventually join Lucy on the herd protection front.
Rounding out our Friendly Barnyard is a small flock of heritage breed Rhode Island Red chickens. This flock spends their days happily and busily scratching the ground looking for bugs and tasty green vegetation to eat.
What’s Coming Next?
Many folks are excitedly wondering what’s next for the Friendly Barnyard – so much so that we even made it onto FOX 8 WGHP! There is tremendous opportunity for where we go, and we’re approaching that slowly and deliberately to ensure long-lasting sustainability. We are very excited to prioritize and build intentional programming with the animals, especially with our kids in Outpatient, Campus-Based Foster Care, and Anderson Academy. To get there, we’re going to continue ensuring that our animals are well-cared for and that each of them is ready to enter educational and therapeutic applications. Not all animals are well-suited for those types of interactions, so we have to go through the training and precautions to ensure they’re ready.
Next, we want to do whatever we can to help Friendly Barnyard visitors to slow down. We want them to be able to linger long enough to see how the animals and the environment change over time. A few projects we’re working on to help with that are an informational kiosk, seating, and an outdoor classroom space. The kiosk will have a sheet highlighting each animal and will share fun information, such as their birthday, breed, “hometown,” and facts about that specific breed or animal. Seating will allow visitors to comfortably notice the animal’s behaviors over time, but will be especially helpful for our clinicians who may want to use the barnyard as a space for therapy. The outdoor classroom is in its infancy, but it will have lots of hands-on and early childhood education tools and features, allowing the space to be used throughout the day by Anderson Academy, as well as by our Programs staff in the evenings and weekends.
Throughout our next steps, our volunteers and community will be vital to our success. If you’d like to volunteer, please email us at info@crossnore.org. Consider donating to support our mission. You can donate at: https://www.crossnore.org/donate-now/
