‘If you haven't met a donkey, I can't really explain it’: Finding mindfulness at Forever Farm

MIDDLEBORO — At a sanctuary farm in Middleboro, a nonprofit strives to provide comfort to both the dozen donkeys who call it home, and to the people who visit the farm tucked away on Highland Street.

The Forever Farm animal sanctuary at 168 Highland St., is going on its second year of nonprofit operations that take-in farm animals to provide them with a “forever home.” Their mission also offers a space for people to find calmness while interacting with pigs, chickens, goats and most importantly — donkeys.

“I want it to be a place for animals, but also for people,” said Founder and President of Forever Farm Nichole Botelho.

Botelho said petting, feeding and spending time with the animals leaves herself and many visitors with a therapeutic sense of “mindfulness” and being “in the moment.”

The farm recently started offering therapy sessions with The Healing Path Care Farm, a Whitman-based “care farm” that provides traditional therapy sessions from licensed clinicians in the non-traditional setting of interacting with farm animals. 

Botelho said she first got the idea to purchase the farm when she found the previous owner was selling flower pots on Craigslist. After coming to the farm to buy the pots, she saw something more was for sale — the farm itself.

She grew up in the suburbs of Berkley, and lived in the metro area of Taunton before moving to Middleboro. Before running the nonprofit, she worked in real estate and said she never interacted with donkeys before, nor expected to open and run an animal sanctuary.

Botelho bought and moved to the farm five years ago with her family. She started trying out business ideas like boarding horses and raising chickens, but the businesses weren’t working. Soon enough, she began fostering for area animal rescues and a thought dawned on her.

“I can't leave this barn empty, so I started fostering for another rescue. Then I thought, we could just do this on our own. It kind of grew from there, and we’re still growing,” she said.

Before she started the nonprofit, she bought two donkeys to protect her chickens since donkeys are naturally territorial and have protective instincts. She said the donkey’s safeguarding instincts is all she really heard about them before having two of her own. To her surprise, she found them to offer much more than protection of the flock. 

“If you haven't met a donkey — I can't really explain it,” she said.

She added many visitors of the farm are also “absolutely” surprised to see the same affection, smarts and playfulness in donkeys they might see in their family dog. No donkey is the same, whether it be in the ways they show affection to people or each other — or their calls that are personal to every donkey.

“They just bond with you, it's almost like a dog,” she said. “Some are more affectionate than others, but once they bond with you and you look in their eyes, it's just — it's an incredible feeling. They give back as much as you put into them.”

The burgeoning partnership with The Healing Path Care Farm is starting with their “Mindful Little Farmers” program which focuses on emotional regulation for kids.

“You could go see your therapist in an office, or you could come see your therapist outside with donkeys,” Botelho said. “It's about meeting the animals where they are, and meeting the people where they are.”

Botelho isn’t caring for the 12 donkeys, one horse, one mini-horse, five chickens, four goats and two pigs alone — a volunteer team of about 11 pitches in to care for the animals and tend the farm. 

“We do all the chores together, and then we hang out for a little bit. There's always time to interact with the donkeys. We brush them, pick their hooves, and just hang out with them,” she said.

Animals land at their forever home of the sanctuary by many means. Whether it’s from “kill pens”, breeders with limited space, owners who have passed away or other financial reasons — Botelho said they don’t always get the full story.

“When someone reaches out to surrender an animal, you don't want to make them feel bad about it. You don't want to scare them away from telling the truth,” she said. “We don't judge people for any of it.” 

She said it feels good to see the positive health and demeanor changes in donkeys who have either come to the farm in poor condition — noting one donkey who was so sick it could barely get off the animal trailer — or others who are very nervous or shy of people.

The “residents” of the farm go through about 1,000 pounds of feed and 100 hay bales every month. The monthly bill to run the farm costs about $2,500 per month, but unexpected costs like expensive veterinary bills or general upkeep of the farm’s structures can put a strain on the nonprofit’s wallet, Botelho said.

The farm is free to the public to visit, and optional donations fund the entire nonprofit’s operations.

Whether it's the more adjusted donkeys who have all the gentleness a roughly 400-pound four-hooved animal could have, or the not-so adjusted newer donkeys to the farm that aren’t as sociable with people — Botelho said the sanctuary doesn’t ask much of the animals.

“We don't have a lot of expectations for them, so they get to just live their lives,” she said.

Donkeys can live to be 40-years-old, and they come with high care-costs. The bonds they make with their owners can also add difficulty in rehousing them. Once animals are rehoused at Forever Farm, they are not for sale or adoption — they are in their forever home.

“I think a lot of people are surprised at how affectionate and mellow the donkeys can be. They enjoy attention as much as the people do,” said Botelho. “I love when people come here who have never seen a donkey and say they didn't know it would be like this.” 

Find more information about making a reservation to visit the farm at the Forever Farm website.

To inquire about therapy sessions at the farm, whether group sessions or individual, contact The Healing Path Care Farm by calling Leila Donovan at 781-718-4038.