Meet Trish Eley! Trish has been volunteering at Animal Place since August 2013. It all started when former volunteer Colleen invited Trish to help take care of Jujube and Jellybean, our sanctuary donkeys. Trish, having been a guardian of horses in the past, was delighted. The rest is history.
Trish’s love for our donkeys, or “the girls,” as she affectionately calls them, is indescribable. “I’m very privileged to get to be in here with them,” Trish stated while brushing the very spirited Jellybean. In addition to caring for our donkey residents, Trish helps clean other animal barns and dishes. When the weather is nice, she picks Italian thistle, an invasive species. Trish’s love for Animal Place is clear. “It’s so satisfying to come out and even do barn cleaning,” Trish admitted. “It’s a beautiful place just to visit and walk around on the grounds.”
Trish’s compassionate nature shines through in every aspect of her life. When not volunteering at Animal Place, Trish raises tadpoles. “I have pans around our property for the animals to drink out of, and the frogs always lay their eggs in them,” she explained. “I gather up those eggs, and I put them in a baby pool. I’ve been raising tadpoles for about nine years. It’s fun, and it’s interesting.” She also works as an electrologist in Auburn, providing services to all members of the community, including trans clients preparing for gender-affirming surgeries. “It’s a very wonderful, satisfying job,” beamed Trish.
When asked what has kept her coming back to volunteer at Animal Place year after year, Trish said it was the people.
“I love the people. They are my kind of people. Everybody here is so nice. We all have the same vision and beliefs.” – Trish Eley
Unsurprisingly, our staff returned the sentiment. “She works directly with one of our most volatile residents (Jellybean) and does so with compassion and joy,” relayed Animal Care Director Meg Aston. “The donkeys look forward to every Wednesday when she is here,” Meg added. “She personally purchases new fly masks for the girls every year, and she also bought Juju a winter coat. Outside of AP, Trish protests every year at the rodeos in the area and encourages others to join. We are incredibly lucky to have such a passionate, committed volunteer.”
We are so thankful to Trish for her incredible years of service!
Want to volunteer with Trish? Join a volunteer orientation, then sign up for Animal Care & Cleaning Training on Wednesdays! Learn more and sign up here: https://animal-place.vomo.org/org/animal-place
