Sharon and Mark Starmer
I recently started volunteering as a blog writer at the Piece Of Heaven Project sanctuary near Burton, B.C. (Canada), but funnily enough I had asked Sharon for an interview before that. You can learn more about the sanctuary and how to volunteer at their website and Instagram.
L: Welcome Sharon and thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. It’s a pity we couldn’t speak “in person”, as the time difference makes it so difficult for your busy mornings, but I’m really glad we can “talk” this way!
Could you please introduce yourself, your project, and the region of the world that you live in to my blog readers, and talk a bit about your journey that lead you from the UK to running a sanctuary in British Columbia?
S: Thank you so much for inviting me to share my story with your blog readers.
My name is Sharon Starmer. Together with my husband, son, and a small group of volunteers, we run a non-profit organization and farm animal sanctuary in British Columbia, Canada, called the Piece of Heaven Vegan Project, founded in 2018.
POHP aims to educate and promote the adoption of a compassionate, considerate lifestyle, the vegan philosophy and its importance for the future of the planet and all its inhabitants.
I have been vegan for 12 years now and chose to be meat-free (on and off) since 2004. We emigrated to Canada in 2007 and brought our 6 dogs (3 rescues) and 2 senior cats with us. We had always been “animal lovers” but like many people, hadn't quite made or chose not to make the connection that we were loving some animals and seeing them as pets and then choosing to see others as food.
Shortly after emigrating, we found ourselves involved in the world of dog rescue, mainly large breeds, on a major scale. We would also assist others in adopting dogs. Mark often found himself travelling thousands of miles to transport dogs from the US to their forever homes in Canada.
In 2012, Mark came across a Facebook page called Redefining Animal Slaughter as Murder. After reading it, there was no option for us but to become vegan. We have been vegan ever since.
In 2013 we moved to our current home in British Columbia, a place in a remote rural area surrounded by mountains and views of a lake. Perfect for us and our dog family!
The property had a lot of land that was not being used and we started to feel that perhaps we could rescue other animals in need of a home. In 2015 we were asked to take in a small herd of alpacas that would have been destined for the slaughterhouse. Their owner could no longer look after them. She loved them dearly and didn't want them to meet a horrible ending. Then not long after that, we provided a home for a horse (Phaedra) who could not be ridden and was destined for the auctions (a euphemism for pet food). From then onwards, our animal family began to grow exponentially. We decided to not only create a sanctuary, but to also promote the adoption of compassionate plant- based living.
L: For those who have never visited a sanctuary, could you talk a bit about what the every day life and work looks like and what some of the both most difficult and rewarding aspects of running a sanctuary are?
S: The choice for us to start a sanctuary was not made lightly. After being involved in dog rescue, we were aware that it would be a full-time commitment. Every day without fail and in all weathers, we must ensure that the needs of the animals are met. Hay must always be freely available to the cows. For the horses, alpacas, and smaller animals, many hay bags must be filled twice a day. Water buckets and large water tanks must be cleaned and filled with fresh water. Enclosures must be cleaned and bedding refreshed on a regular basis. It doesn't stop for weekends or holidays. Because of the dogs firstly, and now everyone else, we haven't had a vacation since 2008. Absolute dedication is required.
One of the more rewarding aspects of running a sanctuary is seeing a newly rescued animal transforming from being fearful on arrival to becoming happy, relaxed, and included by the other residents.
Conversely, animals in need of rescue are often sick or elderly. One of the most difficult aspects of running a sanctuary is when an animal is unwell or passes. That's always a very emotionally distressing experience for me. We are very attached to all of them.
L: The big problem with people is that they are disconnected from animals and don't see them as persons. Could you introduce maybe two or three animal residents, who are currently living at the sanctuary, and what their personalities are like?
S: For the majority of the population (as was I prior to becoming vegan) it is all too easy to disassociate an animal from what ends up on your plate. Inherited beliefs about animals and their role in life as well as very clever advertising by the food industry, allows us to easily fool ourselves into justifying the horrific treatment experienced by “farm animals”. We believe that meeting and spending time with an animal has the potential to influence perceptions.
Fleur is a white and black, 5-year-old Nigerian Dwarf goat who was being 'disposed of' in a farm downsizing (This happens a lot.). She is small, intelligent, and very confident. She is fearless, feisty, and inquisitive, and is one of the alpha females of our goat family. She loves attention, but her food drive is an even more powerful motivator. If she thinks you have something for her and you're now being forthcoming, watch out!
Phaedra is a 15-year-old mustang horse. Abused as a foal, she developed a history of being moved on from home to home and of being difficult to manage. Basically, she hated being ridden and let anyone who tried to get on her back know that. She had a reputation of being difficult and unmanageable. But when she came here, with no expectations placed upon her, we came to know her as a sweet, gentle soul who loves to be petted and fussed over. Her one hangover from her former life is having a halter put on her for when her feet are being trimmed!
Caspian is our 2-year-old resident rooster. He is a surprisingly friendly and perpetually curious boy who takes great care of the hens. He can be seeing wandering freely around the sanctuary fields and roams far and wide. He is quite accepting of human interaction but will keep his distance if he doesn't know you. A huge number of roosters are displaced when their homes have too many males for their females. The vast majority are killed, so we are lucky to have Caspian. Unusually, he came from a home where he had been loved as a pet. Sadly, his previous owners were told they were not allowed to keep him any more and they were desperate to keep him safe. So he came to us.
Caspian
L: I write a lot about my own trauma recovery on the blog, and wondered whether you could share a bit about how one or two animals from your sanctuary came from a traumatic background, but have since recovered. I know there's Cedric the goat, for example. Coleen mentioned in her podcast interview that the most important thing is building trust, which is just what I learned in my recovery journey concerning the relationship with my therapist. So another great (and not really surprising) example of how human and non-human animals are very much alike.
S: Teddy is one of the sanctuary horses. He came to us at the age of 19 and is now 24 years old. He had been a ranch horse and took part in rodeos in something called barrel racing. He was very nervous when he first arrived and it took a long time to gain his trust. It was apparent that his training had not been done using kind methods. He could no longer be ridden and had he not come to us, his future would not have been a good one. Like Phaedra, he was being lined up to send to '”he auctions”.
Teddy is now a far more relaxed and accepting individual. He needed to be treated gently and with a lot of patience in order to restore his confidence. He has now come to trust us and he knows that we do not want to use him for riding or make him do anything that he doesn't want to.
For some animals, that trust is never restored. Maggie, one of our Highland cows, came from a dairy farm. Countless impregnations, followed by her calves being taken from her, left her obviously angry and deeply suspicious of humans. Additionally, she had experienced seeing so many of her fellow herd members brutally removed when their worth to the farmer was spent.
When the farmer decided to retire, we were able to rescue both her and her last calf, Bonnie. Whilst Bonnie has grown up to trust and have a friendly relationship with us, Maggie will never allow physical contact. We hope that one day she will get over her trauma, but its affects run deep.
L: What are some of the things that you learned from having relationships with and caring for so many non-human animals over the years?
S: As well as learning about the animals and their needs and wants, we have also learned so much about ourselves. It is important to be kind, accepting, and respectful. Providing a loving and nurturing environment results in happy and healthy animals. I think the same applies to all beings.
L: Being vegan in this world is tough – could you share a bit of what it's like to run a vegan sanctuary in the middle of nowhere and how you deal with prejudices and hostility?
S: Yes, being vegan in a predominantly non-vegan world is tough for sure! We live in a relatively remote area of British Columbia and are definitely perceived as being odd. Many people have no idea what being vegan means.
We were far from popular when we first started the sanctuary and we still aren't that popular many years later! People do not like to be challenged about their food choices and would rather live in ignorance of what actually goes on in the agricultural food industry. What we do in protecting them can obviously make people uncomfortable. Some like to spread damaging rumours and we have been called a vegan cult on Facebook. One person even wrote an awful Google review accusing us of slaughtering our sanctuary animals so that we could feed our dogs.
It can naturally be very upsetting when we experience hostility. Mark handles it better than I do. But we both have to periodically dust ourselves off from the aspersions cast about us. We know that what we are doing is right. We need to continue what we are doing for the sake of the animals.
Impression from the sanctuary
L: You are working on opening the gates of the sanctuary for visitors as a retreat – could you tell us more about this exciting project, what sort of visitors you want to attract, and what they could gain from the stay?
S: We have felt for a while now that it would be of great benefit to allow visitors to spend more time at the sanctuary and get to know the animals. We intend to provide a retreat mainly for vegans and the vegan-curious.
We hope that they will feel nurtured by the experience of being in an environment that is 100%ly vegan and that they will leave with a sense of peace having re-established their joyous connection to the beings they have sworn off eating, and perhaps more importantly, having re-energized their commitment to making as much of a difference as they are able in pursuing the vegan cause in their own lives.
That would include being more driven in their efforts to bring about change, and influencing as many as possible around them to that end. Above all else, we want the sanctuary to be a place of rejuvenation and respite against the horrors of the carnist world vegans are forced to live in; where compassionate people can escape to and be amongst the animals they would seek to protect and like- minded individuals, with whom no explanations of purpose or motivation are necessary.
L: Finally, for those who'd like to volunteer for the sanctuary, but don't live nearby – how could they help out any way?
S: People can choose to help us by following us on social media, sponsoring one of the animals, and making donations through our website, or even possibly by volunteering their time by sharing any expertise they possess that would help us to spread the vegan philosophy.
L: Thank you, Sharon, for the interview, and for all you do for non-human animals.
S: My profuse thanks as well for all you are doing to help our mission and all you are doing to help create a kinder world.
L: Thank you.