Rescued farm animals get special attention during Bay Area heat wave
MORGAN HILL -- With dangerous heat expected this Labor Day weekend, Alma Bonita Animal Rescue in Morgan Hill is ready to keep their rescued farm animals safe and cool.
Sheila Murphy's passion is saving neglected and abused farm animals. She says it's her calling. She's the founder of Alma Bonita and loves all 87 of her rescued animals.
"We call them our fur family," said Murphy. "Absolutely, they are our fur and feathered family. We absolutely think of each one of these animals. This is their forever home."
This day called for a refreshing shower in the the alpaca pen.
"One of the fun parts of the job is when you get to shower the alpacas which because of the drought, we don't do too often but when we're beating the heat and extreme temperatures, we absolutely have to keep them comfortable and cool," said Murphy.
Sheila knows every animal and exactly how to keep each one safe in dangerous heat. They also have a fan for the baby goats, and they have a freezer full of ice, ice packs and frozen treats for every day of our upcoming heatwave.
Many of these animals have medical and special needs like their little goat Rocky who was born with one broken leg and one injured leg. He just got a new wheelchair.
They also have many older animals like Star who is a super senior. She's 31 in horse years which is more than 100 in people years. These animals need special care and extra attention especially in extreme heat.
"We're especially mindful of animals that can't fend for themselves and need extra support, so we'll keep an extra close eye and actually bring them indoors to the house or office if we need to," said Murphy.
"This is something I've always wanted to do ever since I was a little boy; live out the rest of my life with these animals," said ranch manager Joe Freimuth.
Freimuth is not only the ranch manager but he's also Sheila's dad. He has a special relationship with the animals, and he makes sure to check on them often.
"I come down even when no one else is here every half hour to make sure everything is fine with the water," said Freimuth. "It's extremely important in this heat."