When Sheila’s Ark headed west
A local farm is sanctuary for dozens of animals


 By Chris Fitzgerald, KP News

The Key Peninsula is home to some animals one may not expect to see in this rural area: donkeys, a camel, a Capuchin monkey, a muntjac and a zebra. These animals — and a long list of others — are part of Summertree Farm.

Summertree Farm is a year old in June. The 20 mostly-wooded acres were cleared and fenced for an amazing diversity of animals owned by Sheila Gainey, her husband and two young daughters. After two unsuccessful bids on other Washington farms, the Gaineys discovered their Vaughn property.

“We made our offer sight-unseen,” Sheila says, “…packed our ‘ark,’ and headed west to our new home.”

Originally from Bellevue, Gainey has been a flight attendant with Delta Airlines for 17 years, based on the East Coast post. “(The East Coast post) was only supposed to be for two years,” she said with a laugh.

If not for her illness, the family might still be living on their Ohio farm. Happily juggling a full schedule that included an equestrian shop and facility there, Gainey was diagnosed with breast cancer and “wanted to come back home” to the Northwest. Still on medical leave a year later, Gainey has completed the major therapies. On the days she idn’t want to get out of bed, she said, the animals were waiting; they kept her active, helped speed recovery.

Gainey, whose parents emigrated from England, grew up around horses. When she was 17, she got a thoroughbred named “Summer Tree,” and owned her until the horse died at age 29. She later raised Hanoverians and participated in dressage. She was known as a soft-touch among friends and colleagues, and it was not uncommon for people to travel across states to reach her Ohio farm with just one more unwanted rabbit, pot-bellied pig, or llama. Gainey found dogs left on her doorstep. “I placed (re-homed) quite a few dogs,” she said. Her farm offered children’s riding lessons, summer camps, and hands-on animal education work (badges) through Girl Scouts and other groups. She hopes to pursue those community activities here in a year or so.

The exotic animals at the farm are also rescues of a sort. Gainey began purchasing unusual “pets” by default, at a central Ohio auction house offering exotic species. The first time, she thought she was going to an Amish farm sale to purchase sheep. “If I’d known it was an auction house, I wouldn’t have gone,” she said. Lucky for the animals that day, she did. Although there were no farm animals present, she saw known meat buyers there bidding. She went home with two fallow deer fawns (raised for meat), a pony, donkey, and two elderly horses, all bound for slaughter. “They (meat buyers) were bidding on others, but that was all I had room for,” she said almost apologetically. Gainey went back and made more purchases, this time deliberately with sanctuary in mind, xcept in the case of the 2-year-old zebra acquired for her girls, who hope to ride it someday.

Summertree Farm is now home to 18 horses, two llamas, three sheep, two cows, several donkeys, family dogs, a one-humped (dromedary) 2-year-old camel named Bill, a Capuchin monkey, a muntjac (small Asian deer), numerous rabbits, chickens, housecats, and a zebra. Nearly all of them, according to Gainey, are rescues either purchased at auction, or relinquished from private parties. Each animal has a sturdy all-weather shelter, clean bedding, large enclosures appropriate for them, and is visited daily by a woman devoted to their care. Gainey goes through seven tons of hay a month. She feeds little grain, and mixes her own. Other animal feed and routine care bring animal maintenance costs to around $2,000 monthly, she figures, and then adds another $2,000 per month for the five part-time employees who help run the farm.

“For Christmas,” Gainey says, “I get sweatshirts printed with ‘I don’t need any more horses’ and ‘Say No to Dogs.’ But I can’t.” She has plans for her farm, which in some ways is reminiscent of the sprawling animal enclosures at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, a childhood favorite for Gainey. Her animals are not for sale, are not bred; she does not board animals.

She hopes, when her energies fully return, her unusual pets will help children learn how to care for and respect all of life’s diversity. Until then, like Gainey herself, these animals have come home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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