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 The sanctuary is a non-profit, no-kill operation. Serenity Springs relies completely on donations for its operation, and all donations are used directly for the care of the animals. There are no paid staff members. Donations are tax deductible!
Pictured above: Kirby, Perkins and Midge with Sanctuary Owner/Director, Terry DeGaw |
"There are thousands of abandoned and abused animals in the world today. Many of them are lucky enough to find their way to  sanctuaries which will care for them for the rest of their lives. Serenity Springs Sanctuary is just such a place... and they need our help to continue their work. Together, we can make a difference."
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History of Serenity Springs Sanctuary
Serenity Springs Sanctuary was founded in 1992 in Dallas, Texas. The main focus at that time was the rescue of cats and rabbits, along with the raising of two capuchin monkeys for an organization that trains them to aid quadriplegics. One day, a call came in from Animal Control regarding a situation involving 11 piglets from two different litters that needed care, as their moms had rejected them. Would I be willing to take them in and care for them? I said yes, and it forever changed my life.
There was little information on hand at that time, and to this day I am grateful that they managed to live in spite of me. I pretty much made things up as I went along. The next two weeks were spent sitting on the couch in a frantic feeding frenzy. I used different colors of nail polish to identify them and moved them from one playpen to another after feeding.
A friend from the Dallas Morning News decided this event would make a great story, so it was published in the paper. After that, my phone never stopped ringing. Pigs started showing up on the front porch and in my carport. I became "pig poor" and was still looking for information on their care.
It didn't take long until I had 33 pigs in my backyard. My once beautiful St. Augustine yard became desolate and barren. There were depressions resembling foxholes, and I became known as the Pied Piper of Pigs.
Calls continued to come in regarding pigs that needed a new home and the decision was made to leave Dallas for the country. In Bridgeport, Texas, I received a request to leave the city limits, as the pigs posed a health hazard. Of course, this stemmed from the general misconception about pigs being dirty, which in fact isn't the case. In the end, five moves with the pigs eventually brought us to our final destination.
The sanctuary is now located on almost 25 acres of beautiful hilly and wooded lands in Montague County near the town of Forestburg, in the community of New Harp. The area is steeped in old west history, including Indian altercations with settlers, the Butterfield Stage Route and outlaw camps. There were also feed mills, blacksmiths, post office, a general store, the Chisholm Trail and cattle ranchers. When the railroad was built, it bypassed New Harp to the south, and as a result, the community of New Harp was no more. Only the cattle ranchers survived the progress.
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"Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact the man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot."
Mark Twain
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