Smokey Chestnut Farm Rescue

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Norton, MA
Smokey Chestnut Farm Rescue

Smokey Chestnut Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue located in Norton, Massachusetts

05/28/2026

Join us!

https://smokeychestnutfarm.com/store-1/p/yoga-at-the-farm

05/27/2026

Happy hump day from the sweetest Belgian in the whole wide world . . . Dakota!!! 🩷

05/25/2026

We are excited to introduce the first post in The Smokey Blog: Contemplations of Sanctuary by volunteer and board member Emma Sandra Shanley, BA & MA in English.

5/25 Remembrance

There’s a faux poppy hanging from my rearview mirror. My mom always gets a few on Memorial Day. Her grandfather, who served in World War II, would wrap it around the base of his car’s rearview mirror and keep it there all year round. So, my mom does, too. Poppies are a well-known symbol for Memorial Day in the United States. This is because of a Canadian. In 1915 Belgium, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row,” to memorialize the flowers that grew over the war-torn fields. It is a beautiful image: the persistence of Nature to bloom despite devastation. We now wear poppies to embody that perseverance to try to grow flowers from even the most hopeless of dirt. Memorial Day is observed through acts of remembrance as well as reflection: to remember those who have fallen and to reflect on what we have learned from and since. We are the poppies on the war-torn field; we are products of the past.

There’s a faux poppy hanging from my rearview mirror when I drive through Smokey’s front gate. There is a faux poppy in the foreground of my vision as I look towards Grace, who is eager to greet me or receive a little treat. Heidi refers to the front walk of Smokey as Memory Lane. As visitors and volunteers stroll along the fence line, they share memories. They share stories sparked by a brief touch of a snout or a gentle gaze. Tears are sometimes shed. Laughs emerge as well. It is quite beautiful. It is a poppy in a war-torn field.

The herd share their stories with us; well, Heidi and Bobby share what can be known about these creatures’ stories. Abuse, neglect, labor, and fatigue: these are common themes. However, with every shared gaze, gentle pat, and conversation that seems to transcend language towards understanding, a bright poppy blossoms in our hearts. Every day at Smokey consists of remembrance and reflection: we remember those we have lost and the hurt we have endured and reflect on how we remain standing and ever blossoming together still.

In 1917, R.W. Lillard published “America’s Answer” to McCrae’s poem: “Fear not that ye have died for naught, the torch ye threw to us we caught! Ten million hands will hold it high, and Freedom’s light shall never die! We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught in Flanders’ fields!” There’s now a poppy hanging from the barn door.

05/24/2026

LAST CHANCE!! The Smokey Pop- Up Shop closes TONIGHT (5/24) at 11:59 PM ET. Get your Smokey swag and support the herd!

https://smokeychestnut.itemorder.com/shop/home/

And Enjoy some outtakes of the herd trying on the Smokey merch 😂

05/22/2026

Today we had a wonderful visit with the The Residence at Great Woods - Norton, MA! Whiskey who finds it difficult to be still for longer than a fraction of a second enjoyed sacred time with one of the residents.
The two of them communed together suspended in time while the rest of us witnessed this beautiful interaction.
When all was said and done, I heard the resident softly say to Whiskey, Thank you . . . I love you!
Doesn’t get any better than that! 🩷

05/20/2026

Lucas is flexing his Smokey swag in front of Finn now!
Everyone in the herd is jealous of his baseball hat in this heat wave.

Be prepared for the heat and sun this summer with your own Smokey hat. We also have t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, blankets, bags, and more available for sale!

Our pop-up shop closes THIS SUNDAY May 24th at 11:59pm ET.

https://smokeychestnut.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Don’t be like Finn and wait until it’s too late.

05/14/2026

Finn only has his winter hat to protect him from the rain, so he’s already ordered himself a baseball hat from the store (yes he knows how to use a computer).
Be like Finn and order your Spring/Summer Smokey swag while you’re thinking of it. 🛍️🧢

Shop the store here: https://smokeychestnut.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Proceeds benefit the herd (so that Finn may or may not be able to purchase a rain jacket for himself next Spring 😂).

05/13/2026

We had a wonderful time this morning welcoming the Norton Senior Center / Community Support Center back to Smokey for the first time since we said farewell last autumn before the winter set in. So nice to see old friends, and so nice to make new friends! We took a walk down memory lane. It was the perfect morning for a stroll and a nap thereafter! 🩷

05/11/2026

Hi Smokey friends! We are wondering if anyone here has personal connections with a food truck that would be willing to cater our annual Hot Rods for Horses Car Show on Saturday, August 8th in Norton at the farm from 11am-4pm (or even 11am-2pm or 11am-3pm). Thank you!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all who, nurture, protect, and love, whether your children walk on two legs or four! The love of a mother is sacred in every form, and today I find myself thinking, especially about the mothers here at the sanctuary, whose stories are too often unseen, and unheard.
Yesterday, Pumbaa and Mama’s rescuers, Betsy and Jeff, came to visit them and to spend time with Bobby and me. Looking at these two beautiful pigs now, safe and cherished, it is almost impossible to imagine the fear that once surrounded their lives. They had been found at a local cultural festival being sold to be roasted and eaten. Thankfully, compassionate people stepped in and saved them from that fate. Betsy and Jeff hid them in their backyard despite not even being zoned for pigs because for them turning away was not an option.
As Betsy and I stood talking yesterday, her eyes softened as she remembered Mama during those early days. Mama had been acting differently. She was carefully arranging her hay over and over, gently nudging it into place before nestling into it with quiet determination. Betsy realized what was happening before anyone else did. Mama was preparing to become a mother.
But the world had already been too cruel. The stress her little body endured before rescue was simply too much. The harsh handling, the fear, the knowledge deep within her that life was never valued — all of it took a devastating toll. Mama delivered three beautiful babies. All three were stillborn. Through it all, Betsy gave Mama the greatest gift she could have given her — compassion. She gave her time. Time to kiss her babies. Time to caress her babies. And time to cry for her babies.
Animals are not objects. They are sentient beings with hearts capable of immense love and unimaginable sorrow. A mother’s love does not become less meaningful because she has hooves instead of hands.
Thank you, Betsy, for being a wonderful “mother” to mama! And thank you to all of you who show kindness and compassion to humans and animals alike.
You are loved, Mama! 💞💞💞💞💞

Address

Norton, MA
02766

Telephone

+15089627027

Website

http://www.smokeychestnutfarm.com/, https://linktr.ee/smokeychestnutfarm

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