Tricia Simons did not plan to run an animal sanctuary, but her son Geoffrey had other ideas. “He wanted to be a farmer,” he says, “and I wanted to help him achieve his dreams.”
Simons, a single mother who has focused the last 25 years on raising and advocating for her three autistic children, met her partner, Pascal Gauthier, just before formally establishing Triple C Farm on the outskirts of Ancaster in 2015 as a sanctuary for cattle and a pet farm Fortunately for Simons, who, although passionate about horses, had no experience in agriculture, Gauthier grew up on a ranch in Quebec. Gauthier, an Army veteran, also had construction experience. “We talked about what I hoped the property would become and what my dream was for the kids,” says Simons. “Pascal made it possible.”
And it has been a blessing to the whole family ever since.
As adults with autism, Simons’ three children benefit from routine farm work and therapeutic interactions with animals. Simons says 25-year-old Geoffrey, who struggles with social interactions as well as reading and language, has become a leader on the farm. “He knows the name of each animal,” says Simons. “He knows where they sleep at night. He knows what food they feed them in the morning. ”Geoffrey has a strong connection to all horses, but his favorite is Gideon, a striking dark brown Clyde Hanoverian.
Simons’ other two children, twins Richard and Michael, 24, also work on the farm, tending to more than 300 goats, llamas, horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and pigs, most of them rescues. . . Twins, he says, “have this sense of pride and satisfaction when they have done their job.” Like his mother and older brother, Michael likes horses. “You will see him in the field with his head on the horse’s side,” he says, “or he will be speaking and singing (to the horses) in the field.”
Richard also has challenges with language and behavior, but Simons says he’s “super social, loves attention, and music is his passion.” His favorite farm animals are cats and dogs. “He loves to hug them all the time,” says Simons. “You will see him constantly walking with a cat in his arms.”
Simons says the farm routine was especially helpful to her children during the pandemic when other support programs and activities for adults with autism were closed. As Triple C has grown, Simons is also working to establish a day program for adults with disabilities to learn skills that they can use to get hired on farms.
In addition to the day programs, sanctuary tours, and other programs offered on-site, Simons wanted to find a way to share the animals with more people, so now they pack up and head to schools, long-term care centers. , and events like yoga with goats in Ontario. They even offer Tel-a-Goat, or Goat-a-Gram if you wish, to bring a goat or any other Triple C resident to your home or office (with flowers or chocolates) to celebrate any occasion.
Streetsville resident Ashley Wettlaufer recently surprised her husband, Dustin Tzirulnick, with a Tel-a-Goat for his birthday. “He loved it.” Wettlaufer says. “He doesn’t feel comfortable being around people right now during COVID-19, so it was perfect. He got to celebrate his birthday in a really unique way. “
The unique programs and routines on the farm go beyond daily benefits for Simons and his children, but also to ensure Triple C’s longevity. “If something ever happens to me, I don’t want my kids to end up in a system in that someone who didn’t know them was guiding how they live their life, ”says Simons. “I wanted my home to end up being everyone’s forever home.”
Reference-www.thestar.com