By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent XENIA, Ohio — Have a horse you just can’t take care of? Call Thom and Lizette Sears. Have a dog you can’t tend to? Call Thom and Lizette. In fact, if you have geese, ducks, rabbits, donkeys, sheep or even camels that you don’t want – call the Searses.
Thom and Lizette own and operate Hole in the Wall Farm, a 501(c)3 nonprofit rescue located on Stone Road in Xenia. For the past 28 years the couple have opened their farm to unwanted pets and livestock.
“We’ve welcomed every animal imaginable, from Highlander cattle to pygmy goats, from dogs to circus ponies,” Thom said. “Heck, we’ve even had elephants and we now have camels. We’ve had as many as 85 dogs and 55 horses on the premises, but I don’t want that many ever again.”
Currently there are 15 draft horses, five racehorses, seven miniature ponies, three camels, a kennel full of dogs and numerous sheep on the farm; and that number is low for this time of year. Several horses were added to their collection last month when the Darke County (Greenville) and Greene County fairs (Xenia) ended. Owners abandoned the horses, leaving them in stalls at these fairs.
“I think God put me on the Earth to be a steward for these animals and I’m proud of that,” Thom said.
The couple left lucrative jobs in 1980 to take on this task. She was a mortgage banker. He was a laser salesman. Both felt a need to find homes for loving animals whose owners could no longer care for their pets or domestic livestock.
“We would prefer that people would take responsibility and pay for their own animal,” Thom said. “I can’t take everything that’s offered because we’re running out of room. We rely on donations. We just can’t do this for free.”
High hay and corn prices have put a huge dent into the couples’ savings. Those same high prices have caused many in the tri-state to surrender their horses.
“Those so-called ‘yard ornaments’, or horses, that people had running around in their yards ended up being expensive, especially with the costs of feed being so high,” Lizette said.
The couple will accept any domestic animal. They’ll accept any dog, “as long as they’re well-behaved,” Thom adds.
“We were given two camels a while back, one was orphaned and had to be bottle-raised and the other one’s mother died. We’re getting calls all the time for people to take horses off their hands. Obviously, we can’t take all the horses out there, but we do find homes for most. And keep in mind, we don’t make a profit on the horses we place.”
The only charge to anyone wanting to adopt animals from his farm is a small fee, used to help offset feed costs.
“A contract is signed by the new owner so that in case things don’t work out we get first rights to get the animal back, and they receive a refund,” Thom said. “We then try to find the animal a new home.”
Theirs is a USDA-certified and approved facility that also cares for pets left behind after people are placed in an assisted living facility or upon an owner’s death. At present the couple cannot accept cats, reptiles or large exotic animals, such as primates or carnivores.
Their efforts off the farm help pay for animals on the farm. They offer carriage rides and petting zoos at fairs and festivals. They also offer camel rides at county fairs, birthday parties and corporate outings.
“What we do with the healthy animals goes to help the unwanted or unhealthy animals,” Thom said.
They’re also on the lookout for new or used equipment such as fencing, mowers, hay feeders, water tanks, hay, spreaders and backhoes. They’ll also accept volunteers or monetary donations to help with their operation.
The farm on Stone Road rests on the site of the historically registered McDonald Stone Quarry. Their McDonald Homestead farmhouse (1839) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Their intention is to put the farm in a land trust so it always remains a farm and a haven for the unwanted animals.
For more information about Hole in the Wall Farm, call 937-376-2700 or e-mail thomasasears@sbcglobal.net |
