Charlotte’s Freedom Farm has plenty of lovable animals, but it was Winnie’s day to shine on Saturday.
A large crowd came out to celebrate the pup’s first birthday and enjoy his special super hero-themed party.
The dog, who was born with deformities after some parts of his body didn’t develop properly in the womb, enjoyed a day full of fun – and a few presents – with his well-wishers.
“Winnie’s awesome,” 11-year-old Scarlett Pennie said about how the dog has overcome his challenges.
While Winnie’s front legs are deformed and he’s missing most of his sternum, these disabilities don’t stop him from getting around and living life to the fullest at the rescue farm.
Winnie has a custom wheelchair and a nub cover for one of his front legs, so he can run around and play with all of his friends at the farm. His enthusiasm has helped the pup gain worldwide attention online, including more than 20,000 followers on Instagram at @winnie_the_roo_ and more than one-million views on a featured video on The Dodo, a popular animal rescue-focused YouTube channel.
Scarlett, who was enjoying the party with her sister and cousins, was also impressed with Charlotte’s Freedom Farm.
“It’s an amazing place and it’s nice that all the animals get a new home that they can be happy in,” the Ridgetown girl said.
Scarlett’s cousin, Ella Pennie, 9, of Chatham, agreed.
“It’s an amazing place for animals to go if they don’t have a good home or they get hurt,” she said.
A big fan of animals, especially dogs and cats, Ella said was also amazed by “how friendly the animals are.”
Lauren Edwards, who runs Charlotte’s Freedom Farm, said the facility is doing well after a fire destroyed its barn in July 2020. A former employee at the farm, Christine Rettig, is facing an arson charge in connection to the blaze that killed six animals.
“We’ve rebuilt the barn and things are going well,” Edwards said. “We’re getting back to normal slowly.”
Noting they have fenced virtually every inch of the property, Edwards said the rescue farm has “taken in more animals.”
“We’ve grown the volunteer program,” she said. “We’re doing more tours now.”
She added the farm has been focusing on special-needs animals such as Winnie.
Edwards said they have done a good job letting people know about the animals on social media. She added it was great to see people visit the farm and recognize Winnie and their other animals.
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, she said there are events on Wednesdays and most weekends Wednesday, including their popular goat yoga.
“We just released the June and July schedules, and there are tons of opportunities for people to come out,” Edwards said.