Guinea Pig Sanctuary

WE NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE SHARE WITH EVERYONE!

We are outgrowing the space we are in! The piggies are coming in quicker than we can find homes for them. So, we are taking on our biggest fundraiser event in the history of the Sanctuary! We have found a few land options in Salisbury. So please keep reading!

The purpose for this Go Fund Me is to:

- Purchase Land

- Build a Boarding Building

- Build an Adoption Building

- Create a Full Petting Zoo Area

- Water / Sewer and Permits

- Electric and Permits

- Anything else deemed necessary to be compliant

We are working on a few things. One of those things is acquiring land to build and create a true Sanctuary. There is so much we would love to accomplish but since we do not receive funding, we rely on our Village and boarding to raise funds. With your help, we know we can make this a reality. We truly need to make every effort to save as many animals as possible. They did not choose the life people have thrown them into. We will continue to make a difference!

On any given day we have between 200-500 guinea pigs on site, with another 1,500-2,000 in hospice and foster homes. We work with many Animal Control Officers, Police Officers, Fire Department Officers, DCYF staff, and other rescues that are finding guinea pigs everywhere. Literally, everywhere…abandoned in apartments, in the woods, in parks, in dumpsters, in the trash, in fields, on playgrounds, under houses, on sidewalks, in the road, on the side of the road, and many other unimaginable places.

Technically, it is not illegal to toss out a guinea pig. Changing the laws takes more money and time than it does to save them though. Vet bills run from $1,000-4,000 a month because guinea pigs do not fare well when tossed out or abandoned. The initial intake costs us $85, and it just goes up from there.

Guinea pigs are sold at livestock auctions to be slaughtered and sold in specialty meat shops. This just makes our jobs that much harder. There are also several places in New England that do “free adoption weekends” and “clearance sales” of guinea pigs. This means that backyard breeders and hoarders can potentially ‘collect’ guinea pigs for any purpose. Even though some pet stores have stopped selling guinea pigs, there are hundreds more that still sell them without any type of screening process.

Most people who buy or get free guinea pigs, don’t have a clue what they are getting into. Accidental litters, exotic vet bills, and the time it takes to care for guinea pigs are nothing less than the same time it takes to train a puppy. Guinea pigs are NOT STARTER PETS. They require so much time and attention to give them the best life possible.

Along with rescuing those thrown away, we have also helped provide medical care for those who couldn’t afford it. Many families and groups utilize our ‘emotional support guinea pig’ program to help deal with spectrum issues, anxiety, depression, or going through rough times. Over the years, we have helped over 10,000 guinea pigs find new homes.

Donations cover all expenses including:

Electric bills - $300-1,000 a month.

Hay - $240-720 a month.

Pellets - $150-400 a month.

Bedding - $500-1,200 a month.

Replacing Kaytee cages is $130 each.

Replacing the 24” dog cages is $45-60 each.

Vegetables - $400-750 a month.

Trash bags - $140-280 a month.

That doesn’t even include the rest of the items needed such as disinfecting wipes, dish soap, sponges, paper towels, and daily things needed to keep the Sanctuary running.

Yet, each month we get the bills paid and the guinea pigs fed and cared for. This is all done 100% by volunteers and donations. For seven years we have been up and down, but we always manage to get through because of the volunteers and the donations. The Guinea Pig Sanctuary clearly runs on miracles, blessings, faith, and generosity.

Did you know these Sanctuary facts?

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary was started in 2017 by a 12-year-old burn patient.

The Sanctuary burned down in February 2019.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary moved to Salisbury MA in March 2020.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary is the ONLY guinea pig rescue fully licensed in Massachusetts history.

The Sanctuary holds and participates in events to help families.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary is a 100% volunteer run organization.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary is a fully licensed 501(c)3 non-profit rescue.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary is a community resource, emotional support rescue.

The Sanctuary takes in guinea pigs that are put on euthanasia lists due to the numbers or due to the other shelters and rescues closing in other states.

The Guinea Pig Sanctuary is a TRUE no kill shelter. Euthanasia is used only as a last resort due to quality-of-life issues. It takes three people to agree on crossing a piggy over and it is never a quick decision.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit the Guinea Pig Sanctuary, and any donation will help make an impact.

I recently visited this sanctuary and was stunned at what I encountered. They are currently housing over 300 guinea pigs and are one of the only fully no kill shelter for guinea pigs out there (many are allowed to euthanize guinea pigs because state regulations allow it due to their size).

The sanctuary was originally created by a young man who is passionate about these exotic animals. He unfortunately was injured in a fire and unable to continue his work at the sanctuary at which point his mother took over. She is a former psychiatric RN and children's therapist who believes strongly in the power animals have on people's mental health.

Along with searching for forever homes for each guinea pig, this sanctuary offers free emotional support programs for individuals in need of the love of an animal. They believe in socializing their guinea pigs to promote this program to the public.

Unfortunately, due to a recent rescue of over 100 guinea pigs all at once, the sanctuary is overwhelmed with more guinea pigs than they originally were built to manage. Despite this, they continue to work to make space and take care of these guinea pigs in the way they need.

This sanctuary is in dire straits with cages stacked on top of one another and barely any room to move around. Any support would be appreciated so that they can continue to provide the best care they can. Ultimately, finding a farm in Salisbury is a dream for this sanctuary to really offer the best space for these animals.

Guinea pigs are loving, gentle exotic animals that too many people abandon. Because this is a fully no kill shelter, once the sanctuary gets a guinea pig, it lives there until it is adopted. The hearts of these people are big and so is the cause. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Guinea Pig Sanctuary, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

https://www.guineapigsanctuary.org/our-story-mission

Sanctuary ~ It has many meanings. It means NO more forced breeding, NO more starving, NO more abuse, NO more being eaten. Sanctuary is the BEST word to describe our place that helps them live a life of love, even if it's only for a few months. Alex started this sanctuary when he was 12 years old. He's a burn patient who struggles with multiple surgeries yet still has a heart of gold. He just wants the piggies to have a safe place to go while they wait for a forever home. 

Since the fire (February 2019) that took all of our personal piggies and our grandson, we have worked through a year of homelessness, losing everything, dealing with grief and the bittersweetness of opening a new location in Salisbury, MA. We were open a week before COVID caused the shutdown.

We have had to pay out over $5,000 for the plumbing plus another grand for the temporary signage and then each month we are still paying the $1,600 rent. COVID has not slowed down the amount of surrenders coming in at all and our numbers are increasing daily but sadly, due to the severity of many of the sick piggies, decreasing. Currently we are spending anywhere from $500-3,000 a week to keep up with the sick fur babies that come in. Just over the past month we have taken in 73 guinea pigs, 4 ferrets, 2 sugar gliders, 12 rabbits, and 4 chinchillas. All animals that are NOT guinea pigs are then taken to a respective rescue that deals with that type of animal. That's not all we do though.

https://www.guineapigsanctuary.org/covid-19-resources

Currently we are providing a food pantry for families as well as a pet food pantry to help families keep their pets. We are also helping many families with other resources to help combat some of the struggles of the pandemic. We share our sanctuary back yard field with any families that need social distancing outside time. Families are welcome to picnic, ride bikes, or just enjoy sunshine. We also have ESL and IEP reading time for families in our library so that kids don't get behind on reading over this time. 

Think that's enough? Not us :) As a community resource emotional support animal rescue we also provide many other services. Emotional Support Guinea Pigs are fostered by children with mental and/or physical disabilities to help them through the anxiety of life right now. Families also come in to feed and hold the piggies to help destress and decompress. We continue to do what we do even when we are struggling personally over the amount of loss in our own lives. 

Because we are technically not open until the schools reopen, we are struggling. We know our village will keep us afloat until we can fully open but in the meantime we have done everything we can to keep the sanctuary going. There are so many ways you can help. 

https://www.guineapigsanctuary.org/donations

Currently we are limited on using volunteers as we're only open by appointment which severely limits the amount of adoptions and fosters we can do. Surrenders however are done seven days a week so that we can give them a chance to have a loving life.  As we are a non-profit, we don't qualify for a lot of the grants and such out there as we weren't technically open long enough to apply. This makes things even harder. We are not going to give up though. We will continue to fight for the sanctuary, the families we strive to help, and the piggies. 

Thank you so much for sharing this with your friends and family. We just need to make it through a few more months, a few more vet bills, a few more piggies. We are confident that once we are open we will be fine. We are resilient and won't give up or give in until Alex's dream of saving the world 'one piggy at a time' is accomplished, which means this will always be a sanctuary ;)

We are sending out daily prayers to our families, our village and the world for health, safety and sanity. If you are reading this and you need help, just ask and we will do what we can. Helping others is so very important and an integral part of our mission. Thank you!