The Animals of Camp Topisaw

If you’d like to help support the animals by contributing to their feed and vet bills, just click the PayPal link at the bottom of this post. Thanks!

One of the first things people comment on when they come to Camp Topisaw is the animals. I mean, it’s kind of hard NOT to notice them—there are just so many!

In case you’re wondering what kind of crazy people we are to have so many animals, let me say that we didn’t set out to be. 90% of our pets have just appeared in our driveway—we didn’t go searching for them!

Most of the animals are strays who’ve been abandoned.

Apparently, some folks think it’s okay to drop their unwanted pets off on the side of the road with a “Hey, these puppies will love the freedom of country life!” attitude.

And this is where we come in.

Those “lucky” pups most likely hear us or our other animals and make their way to Camp Topisaw. Sometimes they’re healthy, and we wonder why in the world they’ve been tossed, but most of the time they’re hungry and scared and (sorry to say) wormy as heck.

We take them in, work with them, give them love, food and a trip to the vet; and our other animals slide over to make room in the pack.

A peaceable kingdom

It really is amazing how well everyone gets along—very much a peaceable kingdom—and I like to think that the animals are just so happy and thankful to have been taken in and treated with kindness and respect that they remain on their best behavior.

Maybe they did turn out to be lucky pups!

 

Here’s a run-down of the current (subject to additions!) menagerie

Dogs of Camp Topisaw

• Brownie
• Earl (aka Rocko)
• Sasha
• Brenda (aka Bren)
• Itty Bitty
• Slinky
• Sparky (aka Spartacus or Sparkles)
• Rue (aka Roo Roo or Rufus)
• Lucy
• Luna
• Scar (aka Scarlett) We’re devastated to announce that Scar has passed away. She was the best dog, and we’ll miss her greatly.

Brownie, Earl, Sasha and Brenda (pictured above) are about 6 month old siblings. I found them abandoned on a bridge near our house—only Brownie was sitting there, but when I parked and got out, the others came running up the hill. They’d sent the cutest one to lure me in…

Itty Bitty was at first mistaken for a rabbit. She’s tiny but very fat and roly-poly and has a very silly toothy grin.

Slinky is Itty Bitty’s protective older sister (the fact that they’re different breeds is irrelevant…) She’s fearless yet gentle and loves spending time in the woods with Mel, looking for snakes and beaver holes.

Sparky is a happy-go-lucky little guy with loads of personality and different colored eyes. In the way of it, he’s not very obedient and tends to avoid capture, especially at bedtime.

Rue is so named because she sneakily followed me home from a walk on the road (“rue” in French) one day and has been here ever since. She loves playing in water and wants nothing more than to be around and to please her humans.

Lucy loves sitting in chairs, especially the Adirondack chair by the fire pit. She’s a lovely dog, very respectful but appreciative of head pats, She can have a short temper with new-to-the-group puppies but eventually either warms up or just avoids them!

Luna is nocturnal (of course!) During the day you can hear her bumping around under the house where she hides out to avoid horseflies, the sun (her nemesis) and, possibly, puppies. An absolute teddy bear with quintessential “puppy dog eyes”.

Scar is the star of the show and steals everyone’s heart with her ever-present smile. She undoubtedly wins the “most-likely-to-be-kidnapped-by-a-camper award as she visits everyone’s tent—a canine welcoming committee—and wins them over with her charm and respectful attitude.

cats of Camp Topisaw

• Boo (aka Mama Cat)
• Snake
• Gwen
• Chipmunk
• Teddy
• Katie
• Dora
• Kitten
• George
• Julian
• Murphy

Boo is an old black cat with a crooked tail. She’s moving a bit slower these days but still loves to be petted.

Snake, a long-haired tortoiseshell, is Boo’s daughter and does NOT like to be petted. She does, however, love to sunbathe on the shed’s tin roof.

Gwen is an orange tabby and a bit persnickety, but she’s been a very good mother to Chipmunk. She will occasionally deign to be petted.

Chipmunk is a brownish gray tabby cat whose favorite place is by her mother’s side. I actually watched Chipmunk being born so have a special affinity for her.

Teddy is a Siamese and loves to hang out in the woods which is kind of funny to me. You can often find him perching on the bridge between our house and Rose Gate.

Katie lives in a tree. Yep, that tells you most of what you need to know about her—she’s solid gray and a recluse who will occasionally jump out of the camellia bush and startle the *%# out of you. She also has a very gravelly meow which is rather charming.

Dora is black and white and keeps to herself. She sometimes appears in the freezer shed and asks for a stroke or two, but most of the time she just loves to sleep (I get it!)

Kitten is another Siamese and has one of the most annoying meows I’ve ever heard. He loves loves loves attention but is very comfortable letting you know when he’s had enough.

George is one of 3 orange brothers who were rescued from a ditch. He’s a marmalade cat and a sweetheart who loves getting in your lap. Hands down our most sociable cat.

Julian is George’s brother and looks like a meerkat. His velvety soft coat is lovely to stroke if you can ever find him—he’s the champion hidey-hole finder!

Murphy is another gray tabby cat with white markings and THE most adorable gray nose. He has very clear ideas of who’s good company and who’s not and is supreme at whipping any new animals into shape.

cows of Camp Topisaw

Daisy. I gotta tell you the truth–it took me a long time to warm up to Daisy. She is headstrong which is probably why she’s such a great mom, bearing a single, always healthy calf every year.

Blue Bull is named for his coloring, a sort of dark gray that’s known in the Pineywoods world as “blue”. This color has almost been bred out, as most people have gone for the reddish brown colors. Anyway, BB’s big and bad exterior hide a tender heart (just like Ferdinand!)

Our cows are a native, endangered breed called Pineywoods (or “scrub cows”). I love them because they’re beautiful and resourceful and super smart.

Don’t believe me?

Here’s a story to illustrate:

After spending loads of time researching this breed, I finally located a small herd to buy. 4 heifers and a bull were delivered into our pasture which we’d fenced and provided with (we thought) everything a cow could want. Imagine the scene: the cows are in, feelings of pride and contentment and oh wait…the cows are out! They’re running across the field! They’ve sprinted across the creek, through the woods and, yes, they’re just…gone.

It was heartbreaking to see all that work and money (endangered ain’t cheap) just slip—well, run briskly—out of our hands. We alerted neighbors, we heard reports that the herd had been contained but then broken out again, we rode the roads looking and calling.

Nothing.

But then, 5 days later, the entire herd just reappeared in our yard. After traversing miles and miles of unknown land, they re-crossed the creek and found their way back to a place where they’d “lived” for less than 24 hours. From that moment on they’ve had my respect and admiration.

So yes, smart cows.

 

To learn more about this fascinating breed:

Pineywoods Cattle Registry and Breeders Association

To learn more about endangered breeds of livestock:

The Livestock Conservancy

 

Also in residence:

1. 1. one very aged sheep
   2. one very aged donkey named Olive who gets feisty around dusk and loves to bite the hand that feeds her
   3. chickens

 

Still here?

Thanks for reading—that’s a lot of animals, I know!

We feel very thankful to be able to offer them a safe and stable home. They reward us with their love and affection, with their protection and companionship and with their delightful antics.

Want to help?

As you can imagine, buying feed and taking these guys to the vet gets very expensive. (All our dogs and cats are spayed or neutered). If you’d like to help with their expenses, you can click DONATE below or scan the QR code. This will take you to Paypal where you can make a one-time or recurring donation.

 

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Thanks in advance—from us and the Animals of Camp Topisaw!