HUSON — The goal at Pronking Pastures Rescue and Sanctuary in Huson is to get every animal to pronk across the fields. But, what exactly is pronking?
“Pronking is the happy run of an alpaca,” said Kim Williams who is the director of the rescue.
For Williams and her husband Travis, it takes a lot of work to get their animals to point of pronking.
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Most of their animals have severe medical or behavioral issues from previous neglect and abuse or were on other shelters’ kill lists.
“I mean, we have dogs that come in and they don't eat for a couple of days because they're so worked up and have such high anxiety. Then we start the process of them becoming a dog, so we take them on walks, we get them leash trained,” Williams said. “We let them really integrate into a family life and a family structure, and it's surprising how fast that turns a dog around.”
The Williams open their house at Pronking Pastures to all sorts of animals, from dogs and cats to livestock. At the moment, they have about 60 animals.
“You name it, we've rescued it," Williams said. "Chickens, goats, pretty much any animal that's facing abuse or neglect that needs a place, we can offer that for them.”
Many of the dogs in their care had dates set for their euthanasia at other shelters.
But, since starting out in 2020, Pronking Pastures has adopted out hundreds of these dogs to loving families.
“Even though our numbers aren't as big as the humane society, or the animal shelter, it's still a number that we’re really proud to stand by because it's the dogs that come through our home, that have a piece of our heart, that sleep in our bed, that we feed, that play with our kids,” Williams said.
But, it is not just the animals that the rescue has helped.
“My husband actually is an Iraq vet, and when he came back from Iraq, we kind of just struggled finding a groove as to what, I guess, our new normal would look like,” Williams said. “Eventually, we found our purpose of rescuing dogs and other livestock and kind of rehabbing them and finding them their home, and that's what we found joy in.”
While it is a labor of love for the couple, the animals are also a lot of work. With so many animals, and many with special needs — the walks, training sessions, medications and physical therapies add up.
Plus, there are always more animals out there in need of help.
“It's from sun up to sundown, ‘cause somebody always needs something out here,” Williams said. “I could get a call at 9 o'clock at night saying, ‘Hey, we've got a dog hit down by the highway. I need you to come get it,’ or ‘Hey, we have a dog running loose in Mineral County.’”
The Williams launched Mutt Matters Dog Treats to help out with the workload.
“Because every dog that comes through here, well, every animal, dog, cat, alpaca, donkey, horse, or cow, we make sure that they have their medical needs met, which is either alterations, microchips, vaccines, vet visits," Williams said.
By selling dog treats, the Williams hope to get more animals pronking across their pastures.
“When we see the alpacas finally do that, when we see the dogs run free through the fields, without any inhibitions and just happy with a smile on their face, that's the pronk,” Williams said. “That's our goal and our aim.”
