Janet Tuttle and Stacy Morris share one big belief: giving second chances.
Tuttle cares for 28 horses and one donkey named Eeyore. Each animal was given up by their owners, drugged, beaten or pegged as useless. They cannot be ridden.
“This place is all about second chances,” said Tuttle, the owner of Rockin “T” Equine Rescue, a sanctuary for sick, old and rejected horses in Lisbon Falls.
Like Tuttle’s horses, the men Morris oversees are being given a second chance. Thirty-two men with a chemical dependency live under one roof at the St. Francis Recovery Center in Auburn. Some were given a choice: jail or St. Francis.
“I had a choice, these animals did not,” said Justin Roy, a 31-year-old recovering drug abuser. Roy, of Poland, is one of seven guys in advanced stages of recovery at St. Francis who volunteer with the rescued horses every Wednesday.
“All of the animals here are given a second chance,” Ryan Moon of Topsham said. “They are all animals that no one else wants. That hits home with me,” the former heroin addict said. “If I was not given a second chance, I would probably be dead or locked up. “To me, it feels just like St. Francis House.”
That connection has made the community partnership between the horse sanctuary and halfway house an ideal fit. “It’s this perfect combination. I’m trying to decide who is being helped more,” said Morris, clinical supervisor at St. Francis.
The men are required to volunteer in the community before graduating from the residential treatment program. However, those who have criminal histories are not welcome by many of the area agencies who utilize volunteers, Morris said.
Tuttle was willing to give the idea a try. “They need that second chance, just like my horses,” Tuttle said. Her horse rescue has fallen victim to a sour economy: Donations are down and demand is up. Tuttle gets phone calls every day from people asking if she can make room for one more horse. Tuttle politely says no. “I just can’t take anymore,” she said.
Behind on a $15,000 hay bill and forking out $600 a week for grain, Tuttle is thrilled about the free labor. “These guys are raring to go. You can’t hold them back. I have never seen such hard workers in my life,” she said.
The men have pulled weeds from a four-acre horse pasture and “cleaned out the shed from hell,” she said. “I could not afford to fix a leaking roof and these guys said we will fix it. They are going to make this a safe place for this donkey to sleep,” she said as Eeyore stood with two guys banging nails overhead.
“They are so respectful. They appreciate being here. You can tell that these guys want to get 100 percent better,” she said.
“It’s my favorite thing to do all week,” said Moon, who takes Wednesdays off from work to volunteer with the horses.
“This is just one more element to feel positive about and I need all of that I can get,” Roy said. “I go through really dark times at the house and coming out here really helps. You get tired of living with 32 drug addicts. It’s stressful,” he said on his 155th day of sobriety.
Morris said the relationships formed through the partnership has helped the healing process. He hears the guys talking about the farm at night. They talk about who might be a good fit and are protective of the program.
“It’s not for those only trying to fill a requirement,” Moon said. “The synergy between them (sanctuary owners), us and the animals seems like it’s suppose to be,” Roy said.
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- Justin Roy of Poland pays attention to Clover, a horse with narcolepsy, at Rockin “T” Equine Rescue in Lisbon Falls. Roy, a resident at St. Francis Recovery Center in Auburn, volunteers at the stable once a week. “These animals need all the love that they can get,” he said.
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