Local farm brings joy, comfort with cuddly animals
by Elie Aoun
After 12 years in corporate human resources, Penny Mouse needed a change. She wanted to focus on something that combined her passion for people and animals, and she found it at The Bleating Heart Farm.
Since opening the Hines Hill farm with her fiancé, Mark Griffith, in June, Mouse has seen that same joy in the people who interact with its fuzzy family. She proudly boasts about children and nursing home residents lighting up as they cuddle with her animals.
Mouse said the farm gives people a brief refuge from life’s pains.
“The world can feel overwhelming, and there is so much tragedy and sadness around us,” she said. “I wanted to create a place where people can step away from all of that – even if just for a little while.”
For Mouse, running The Bleating Heart Farm is a dream come true. She said she is grateful to have found a quiet property with room for the animals.
“I just love the privacy,” she said. “It’s just my own little slice of heaven on earth.”
That dream has become a hands-on farm experience for visitors looking to de-stress, celebrate or spend time with gentle animals.
Meet the animals
Many different types of animals call The Bleating Heart Farm home, and the family continues to grow as more animals are brought in or born.
Dozens of ducks, chickens and guinea fowl wander around the yard and wade in a pond that Mouse and Griffith built. They get lots of chicken eggs and sell them for $5 a dozen. The couple also have a few young peacocks that will need to be moved from their coop when they are fully grown.
Two bunnies, Laverne and Shirley, recently had a litter of six babies, and Mouse said they will be sold when they are old enough to leave their mother.
Inside the main barn live several goats and sheep, including the little lamb Mabel and the cuddly sheep pair Cocoa Puff and Marshmallow Fluff. They are all docile and will bleat until they are given attention or food.
The miniature donkey Bitty Bug recently gave birth to a fluffy-headed foal, who does not stray far from his mother’s watchful eye.
Herman and Helga, a pair of miniature Highland cows, never low and quietly make their way to people, expecting to be petted like dogs. According to Mouse, they and the bunnies are some of the farm’s fan favorites.
While all the animals on the farm are friendly and accustomed to people, Mouse stressed the importance of safety and respecting the animals.
“No matter how friendly, gentle or cute an animal may be, they are still animals and can be unpredictable, especially when they feel threatened, scared or anxious,” she said.
Mouse stressed that visitors should respect the animals’ space and not interact with them without permission from the owners.
Down on the farm
Mouse works every day to maintain the farm and its animals. She feeds them and changes their water every morning, checks on them in the afternoon and feeds them again in the evening. The animals require daily brushing. She spot-cleans the animals’ stalls daily and thoroughly cleans them once a week.
“It would probably take me a lot less time to clean and feed them if I didn’t feel compelled to stop and hang out with them for 20 minutes a piece,” she said. “I’m sure I would get out of here much quicker, but part of the reason I’m doing this is so I can spend time with the animals. It’s very therapeutic. … I wake up every day and I feel like I’m on vacation.”
Mouse said she could not run the farm without Griffith, who helps with the animals while also working full time.
“He is my right-hand man, my best friend,” she said. “I couldn’t do any of this without him. He is always there right by my side.”
Farm visits require pre-booking, and the couple hosts one group at a time to provide a more personalized experience. The Bleating Heart Farm also offers mobile visits with its smaller animals to residences, nursing homes, schools, festivals, businesses and other community events looking for a little comfort and fun.
In addition, Mouse regularly hosts special events, including goat yoga, Donuts with Donkeys, birthday parties, crafting workshops and storytime on the farm, as well as field trips for Scouts, preschools and homeschool co-ops.
Mouse and Griffith are renovating the barn’s loft so that it can be rented for bridal showers, family reunions, church picnics and other events. They plan to host a fall festival in October.
The Bleating Heart Farm is located at 228 West Hines Hill Rd. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit thebleatingheartfarm.com.
Photo caption: The Bleating Heart Farm brings therapeutic animal visits and hands-on farm experiences to local residents. Featured on the cover (clockwise from left): Olivia Willis hugs Bitty Bug the miniature donkey; Scott Swinehart gets a kiss from goats Clarice and Mabel; Calen Sharp visits with Bitty Bug’s son, Buddy; and Jessica Stevens holds baby goat Rudy. Photos submitted.