Bruised, battered and hunger-stricken animals are not the first ones chosen by someone looking for a pet. Most people pick the cutest and cuddliest to take home. For Roxie Stillman, however, the underdogs are always her first choice. Though a woman who names her animals “Booger” and “Shortie” is not who you might expect as a rescuer, Stillman has taken in unwanted and neglected animals for more than 20 years, and with her love and attention, has given them a second chance at life.
Animals of all types surround Stillman’s property, which consists of a modest white house, a garage, a small barn that houses growing calves and a luscious green pasture. A calf is just waking up as the sunshine spreads over its face; a yawn escapes from its mouth. Two chickens, whose feathers are as white as the first fallen snow, fight over a piece of bread that is soggy from the morning rain. This is life on the farm.
Stillman walks up to every animal on her farm and greets each one with hug and a personalized greeting. She talks about each one’s favorite food, personality type and background. Her voice is riddled with pride and sadness as she talks about the animals that she rescued from neglectful farms and slaughterhouses.
She hates slaughterhouses and hates when animals are mistreated. That is just part of the reason why Stillman turned her home into Critters Corral, located on Highway AB in Madison.
ANIMAL ABUSE
Animal abuse and neglect occur to domestic and farm animals all over the world. Dogs, cats, horses and goats can all suffer from being abused by an owner.
Animal shelters and organizations in Dane County do their best to accommodate animals and to combat animal abuse, but recognize it is an ongoing problem.
Lauren Wojtasiak, executive director of Underdog Pet Rescue of Wisconsin, says she has encountered many abused and neglected animals since she started working with animals more than 10 years ago.
“We’ve had a couple hundred animals in our home in the past year-and-a-half, and I would say that… at least 30 percent have been neglected,” she says. “There are [some dogs] that came into the shelter as neglect abuse cases, where you can tell by just approaching or trying to pet the dog, they’re totally sure you’re going to hit them.”
Tyson Klappaus, manager of Mounds Pet Food Warehouse in Madison, recognizes the seriousness of animal abuse and thinks that rescue programs do a great job in protecting animals.
“Rescues are a good way to re-home the animals that people aren’t able to take care of,” Klappaus says. “These [rescuers] have a huge responsibility; you can tell they love that animal.”
Stillman has a few domesticated animals such as rabbits and chickens, but she mostly houses farm animals. Although abuse and neglect is an issue that centers mostly on domesticated animals, Stillman sees it as an issue that concerns all types of animals.
“Animals count on you and they trust you to take care of them,” Stillman says. “If you are ever stressed out or can’t take care of an animal, give it to someone else … don’t abuse it.”
HOME ON THE RANGE
Stillman has over 200 animals on her farm including goats, cows, horses, geese, chickens and rabbits. Some owners drop off their animals at the Critters Corral because they can’t take care of them anymore. One particular chicken runs back and forth in Stillman’s yard for just that reason; his family could no longer keep him, but they still come to visit him.
The other animals on the farm arrived in some other, less humane way. Some of the horses were not taken care of underfed, or worse. Stillman says when she first saw many of the horses and goats they looked like “bags of bones,” which she says both outraged her and broke her heart.
As she tells stories of animals she had in the past, she can’t help but smile and start another story about an animal that she has now. “Shortie” and “Booger” are just some of names she has chosen for the horses she has rescued. She can’t help but to see these animals as a part of her family.
Stillman looks over at the barn and smiles as she says, “I think I’ve got heaven right here … they bring me peace. There’s nothing better than on Christmas Eve to walk down to the pasture to be with them.”
“I’m serious,” she says. “It gives me goose bumps because it brings you right to what it’s all about.”
ALWAYS A FARM GIRL
Stillman grew up on a farm and has been around animals her entire life, which contributes to her vast knowledge and love for them. “When I was a kid we were very poor. My sister needed a dress for prom and I had to sell my pony to get her dress … Diamond was his name.” Stillman says. “I can tell you right where we bought him … and that we brought him home in the back seat of the car. He was just a baby.”
Over the course of her life, Stillman has had a few jobs from being a beautician to working in auto-truck salvage, where she is currently employed. She has worked since age 15 and playfully adds that working that long “doesn’t hurt anybody.”
Now she devotes most of her time to helping animals live a full life in a safe environment.
JUST ANOTHER DAY
A positive person, Stillman tries not to think of the bad things that happen to animals every day; she decides to focus her attention on the great things that she has seen. She looks around and expresses that everything in this world is beautiful; nothing is truly ugly.
“Everybody might say that this is an ugly yard. I see beauty in everything, because when I look at those nuts, those are going to feed the squirrels this winter. I see the grass that the rabbits are eating. Everything I see is beautiful,” she says.
Her positive outlook is reflected in her efforts to bring the animals and people in the community together.
She wants people to be able to enjoy the animals as much as she does, so she came up with a variety of ways to allow people to interact with the animals and to get back to nature. Along the side of the fence where the animals roam, there are multiple lawn chairs and a picnic table, which allow visitors to stop by to sit and enjoy nature.
“Norman and his wife … come here every Sunday when the weather’s good and they sit at that picnic table for hours and watch the animals. They have their own little picnic,” Stillman says. “Norman swigs back a couple of beers and he says, ‘This is heaven.’”
Stillman also shares her farm with many groups of people, such as local nursing homes and groups of people that have autism.
“It was the greatest joy on earth to watch these people because they’re so happy,” Stillman says.
SKY’S THE LIMIT
Going forward, Stillman is thinking about starting to host special events on her farm. She hasn’t had many yet, but she would like to have more game and music nights. On select Friday nights, she opens up one of her barns to the community to play board games – “Farmopoly” is a favorite – which she says is a great way to get to know people in the community. Sunday nights are music nights, with local bands coming to the farm to sing and entertain the locals.
She also plans on adding more activities that kids can participate in, especially ones that involve interaction with the animals.
“My goal is, if I ever win the lottery, is to first buy land and build houses for people who can’t afford them. Second is to own land over there.” She points to a big open field next to her farm. “And I’d like to turn it into a private animal sanctuary,” Stillman says. “So people can always enjoy this because wouldn’t it be neat to always have a place where people could come and play with the animals?”
