By Ellie Spinosa

A&E Editor

    Crossnore Communities for Children, located just off of Reynolda Road, has recently added some new animals to its family. What is Crossnore? Beginning in 1909, the Children’s Home was opened, and a couple of years later, the Crossnore school was founded. In 2017, they merged, still continuing to help kids and families. Crossnore works to create hope and healing for its residents and to help build and change communities to meet the needs of people in the state. 

    The first addition to the farm was two sheep, starting as a part of the environmental project,  “Seeking Pasture,” performed by the Wake Forest University Professor Joel Tauber. Tauber originally planned to return the sheep to the farm he had gotten the sheep from, but after completing his project, he decided to give them to Crossnore following the bond the sheep, Sarah and Rebecca, had with the Crossnore community. In early December, the two sheep arrived to stay at their new home, Crossnore. 

    Later that same month, just before Christmas, five more animals arrived: four baby goats and a turkey. They were donated by a Crossnore volunteer who oversees the Food Bank Garden. Crossnore also expects to receive a llama later this spring to add to their barn animals.

  Another new addition to their community is Lucy, a Great Pyrenees, also known as a livestock guardian dog. She was rescued from a Great Pyrenees rescue in Hickory, North Carolina. Lucy is the sweetest dog, but when it comes to doing her job–protecting the animals from predators–she gets very serious and protective. 

    “[Having a livestock guardian dog] is really important for the safety of all of our barnyard animals because they need something to keep them safe from predators and from danger,” senior director of experiential learning Andrew Florence said.

    There are many other dogs on the property besides Lucy. Each residential cottage where the residents live has a dog they collectively take care of. Part of their weekly chores is making sure the dog gets fed, walked, and looked after. Continuously taking care of the pets is an activity built into their home environment and routine.

    The animals help build curiosity in the students. While many have only seen sheep in books, interacting with them in person provides a hands-on learning experience. That is especially important for residents navigating difficult circumstances.

    “Sometimes the impact of trauma is that it shuts you down,” Florence said. “Some parts of it that are the simplest parts [the animals] make the most impact.”

    Caring for all these animals takes effort. Crossnore has a great team to do so. They have a facilities team that works to ensure the buildings are safe, have electricity and water, and provide shelter to protect the animals from cold weather. Along with that, there is a team of awesome volunteers who come and feed the animals in the morning and in the evening. They clean out the stalls and make sure the animals have what they need. Crossnore even has a vet who comes to campus occasionally to make sure the animals are healthy.

    The animals at Crossnore play a bigger role than you might have thought. They are active participants in the residents’ lives, offering comfort, a new wave of curiosity, and new experiences that help them gain new perspectives.