Animals, like humans, experience PTSD following traumatic events. Kindred Spirits Care Farm aims to help these animals find a better life.
In 2009, Karen Snook met with colleagues hoping to create a nonprofit organization that would be “most-beneficial” to the world. They envisioned a space for rescued animals with natural areas and gardens where they could be cared for. This idea soon became Kindred Spirits Care Farm, a farm that brings in animals from various traumatic situations.
Many of the rescued animals at Kindred Spirits come from situations where they have been neglected or abused. Snook and veterinarian Katie Nenn explain how it takes time and patience for these animals to open up to humans. What may seem like kind gestures, such as petting, can actually be frightening experiences at first.
But being around the animals and providing them with love and affection, Snook said, is just as healing to her as it is to them.