1- The Why Behind Havencroft

The Why Behind Havencroft 

1/12/25
Written by Ariele

Welcome to Havencroft! 

This is our first blog post, which I'm writing partially as an introduction to who we are and partially because I need to set up the blog functionality on our website, so if you're actually reading this, thank you!

My name is Ariele and I'm a writer, marketer, and most of all, an animal lover. 

I have had animals my entire life. My first cat was named Ginger, a fluffy calico who put up with being mauled by a child for seventeen years. She slept in my bed, kept me fed (by bringing me mice and rabbits, which to be clear, I did not eat), and was my dearest companion. She died at the ripe old age of seventeen, and that was the first time my heart was broken.

Weirdly enough, that pain didn't make me want to avoid animals. Despite the heartbreak, the experience was one of the most rewarding ones of my young life. 

Compounding it was the rest of my family's obsession with creatures large and small. We had several dogs and innumerable cats (I did a count once that over thirty had lived on our property during my childhood), rabbits, honey bees, and myriad birds: chickens, turkeys, peacocks, pheasants, and pigeons, all at various times. 

Wild animals were a delight as well. We always watched out for deer, of course (I even "caught" a fawn once! Don't worry—we put it back), and went searching for frogs and snakes, rabbits and possums; a few times I even went sneaking about the woods when we got word of a bear sighting—I only saw a bear once though.

After I graduated from college, I adopted my very own cat from the NHSPCA and named her Goblin. She was weird AF but I loved her dearly and was devastated when she passed. And since then, I have been fortunate to care for more cats, dogs, a spouse (Josh), and numerous other creatures. (Check out our current hooligans!)

Animals are wonderful. They are full of joy and possibility, even when their lives are short. Each one we've lost, I've grieved. And each time I've grieved, I've thought to myself: this animal deserves this. They deserve to be loved. They deserve to be grieved. They deserve to be missed. 

Many, if not most, animals do not have this. They don't have somone who will miss them when they're gone. Especially the animals who don't fit the "ideal" for what people want. Family dogs like golden retrievers, cats with normal behaviors and beautiful eyes—they are the most likely to find loving homes. 

But goats like Stumpy, who is lopsided and a bit standoffish? Tornado cat, who couldn't decide if she wanted scrotches or to raze every inch of land within reach of her claws? Gazelle, the goat who couldn't stop headbutting if her life depended on it? Goblin, who had urinary problems her entire life and was returned to the SPCA 3x because of it? 

These animals deserve love, care, and affection just as much as the others. And they deserve to be grieved. They deserve to be missed when they're gone.

And that's what I want to do. I want to provide safety, comfort, love, and care for the animals that no one else wants. And I promise to grieve for them when they are gone.

To be honest, I would do this even if we weren't set up to be a non-profit. We've been doing it our whole married lives to small extent, and more recently, we were able to move to a larger property to do it on a larger scale. 

But setting up as a non-profit will allow us access to more resources, allow us to accept donations so we can really provide the best possible lives for these critters, and it will allow us to tell the stories of these animals so that maybe others can love and grieve them too, even if from afar. 

Welcome to Havencroft. I hope you'll stay.