A Spiritual Retreat for Pets (and Their People)
A Miraculous Story of Divine Inspiration
To begin with, WolfStone Ranch grew out of what I consider to be a God-Given Mission1 to do for the animals of the rural Midwest what Martin Luther King Jr. did for civil rights. My original vision of WolfStone Ranch was just to rescue “unadoptable” dogs from the Farmington Pet Adoption Center to rehabilitate and then place in appropriate homes. But from the beginning, I knew that I also needed to start a business to support my rescue/rehabilitation work.
So I thought and thought. And I prayed and prayed. And I came up with a few tentative ideas... Why not open an alternative veterinary practice? (I currently have to drive to St. Louis for those services.) Why not open a vegetarian/vegan restaurant? (I desperately want to become a vegan myself, for every reason in the book.) Why not open an animal-themed boutique? (Animal “stuff” is always popular.) Not bad ideas, but something was missing...
I continued to think and pray. “God, You know I need to start a business to support the rescue work You’ve called me to, so won’t you tell me what that might be?” But nothing, I heard nothing.
Then on November 5th, I read in my Marianne Williamson’s2 perpetual calendar...
Meditation is time spent with God in silence and quiet listening. It is the time during which the Holy Spirit has a chance to enter into our minds and perform His divine alchemy. What changes because of this is not just what we do, but who we are.
So I changed my prayer. “God, I need a miracle here. I’m asking You to change me. Help me to give up my negative, limited thinking. Help me to embrace positive, limitless thinking. Help me to give up anxious thoughts of Lack for confident thoughts of Your Abundance.” And I kept praying, but I also quit wracking my brain for ideas...
Then on November 11th, I read in my perpetual calendar...
We must commit ourselves to incorporating the conditions that foster peace and serenity into our daily lives. So much inside of us can flourish when we turn off the worldly noise. The search for inner peace is a lifestyle decision.
Then, in the wee hours of 11/12/13, I had a dream about starting a spiritual retreat for pets and their people… a place where all guests, no matter their species, could find peace and serenity, a place to begin a new lifestyle to take home with them.
1. [See “God-Given Mission” page, found on the “About” tab of www.wolfstoneranch.org]↩
2. [Author of the best-seller “A Return To Love”]↩
Our Mission
- Building a Spiritually-Based, Activist Community around the Ethos of Compassionate Treatment of All Animals
- Creating an Environment that Supports Healing for All Living Beings
- Canine & Feline Rescue, Rehabilitation and Adoption Within Our Own Growing Community
Contact us:
WolfStone Ranch
PO Box 1458
Farmington MO 63640
Email • 573.756.1367
Visit us on:
Please Note
WolfStone Ranch is a small, exclusive facility. We are not a typical shelter open to the general public. We do not accept owner surrenders because we are simply not set up to be that kind of rescue operation. Instead, we are able to take in only a small number of “unadoptable” shelter animals in need of intensive rehabilitation. Once we are able to adopt out one of these animals, we are then able to pull another “unadoptable” animal from one of the local shelters so that they can take in more animals in dire need of rescue. With this in mind, we suggest that you contact the Farmington Pet Adoption Center if you need to relinquish an animal (be it your own pet or a stray you’ve picked up). Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
Links of Interest
Farmington Pet Adoption Center
Humane Society of Missouri
Best Friends Animal Society
KRCU, Public Radio for Southeast Missouri
St. Louis Public Radio News