It always amuses me that the McHenrys named Joy Ranch after the ranch-style homes they built instead of it being an actual ranch. I have lost count of how many times I get asked about what kind of animals we have on our ranch. 

To be sure, we love the animals we have, but rarely have we sought out animals. Most of them simply find their way to the Ranch just like the children and staff. Each cottage has a dog. I have a service dog I’ve trained to also be a therapy dog for the children. There are a couple of cats. We have cows that were donated from South Carolina. A donkey named Spunky is loved by all who come to visit. Ferdinand the bull is as gentle as his namesake. A hinny named Molly whose bray is the most unique sound I’ve ever heard (think the sound of peacock disguised as a bray). We’ve also had goats, chickens, turkeys, and guineas at one time or another. There’s a neighbor’s dog who comes around so often we keep a copy of his records in case Licensing were to ask. But my favorite of all is the sheer number of wildlife we can see at any point on campus. 

Deer are plentiful and many volunteers have said they want to come hunt in deer season. Birds are continually seen. Our favorite of late is a hawk who can be seen all around campus not bothered by the children out playing. We’ve also seen foxes and regularly hear coyotes at night. But the animal I’ll never forget is the time we had a bear come to visit. 

One of our staff, our Services Coordinator, was upset because different staff would see a bear while out driving in the community and she had yet to see one. So, she decided she would ask God to let her see a bear. A couple of months later a young bear decided to go for an early morning stroll all throughout the campus. Almost every staff member saw it and wanted to make sure the one who was praying to see a bear knew to look out the window. Funnily enough, after meandering all around campus, that bear walked right up to the front window of our Services Coordinator’s house, proceeded to eat her bird feed, and relaxed a good 10-15 minutes before moseying off campus. We all laughed at how God answered her prayer and then promptly told her to stop asking God to see a bear! 

Jaxson feeds Molly, the hinny.

Chapter 13 – PETS (from “Feed My Lambs” book)

“Joy Ranch,” someone would say. “I suppose you have horses or ponies.” And we would answer quietly and with some embarrassment, “No, we don’t. But you see, the buildings are ranch style.” Then they would say, “Oh.” So we began to wish for a pony for the children to ride.  And therein hangs a unique and delightful tale. 

Many will remember the fierce Ash Wednesday storm in March 1962 that destroyed over a hundred of the famous wild ponies of Chincoteague Island. When the news of the storm was made known to the public, children all over the United States responded with their pennies and emptied their piggy banks to contribute to the  rehabilitation of the pony herd. 

In an effort to show the gratitude of the Chincoteague people, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company decided to give to one of Virginia’s children’s homes a Chincoteague pony. Accordingly, the firemen sent a letter to each of the 29 licensed child care institutions in Virginia telling of their plan and asking for replies. Ten homes responded, and Joy Ranch was one of them. 

Who would win? We didn’t have long to wait.  On December 18, 1963, all the Joy Ranch children were in the dining room eating the evening meal when the telephone rang. The long-distance call was from Chincoteague,  informing us that Joy Ranch had been selected to receive the scraggy Chincoteague pony of pony-penning fame as a thank-you Christmas gift from Chincoteague’s volunteer firemen. 

Well, no celebration ever had more enthusiastic participants. No football team ever received louder cheers.  When we relayed the message, the children began to clap, and then they began to shout and stamp their feet. And we let them show their joy and great delight until they let up from weariness. 

Two days later the crated pony arrived. To the children’s dismay he had to live in a neighbor’s barn until his “house” was finished. And, believe me, there was no member of the Joy Ranch family more loved and wanted than this pony named Chinco. 

Yes, there have been other pets – dogs by the dozen and a carload of cats. There have also been Albert the bird, Maggie the lamb, Nellie Bell the burro, and oodles of hamsters, gerbils, white mice, tropical fish, and rabbits. And there have been other ponies and horses through the years as well. Pets have come and gone, but Chinco lives on. And when he expires, he will continue to live in the memories of the Joy Ranch children. 

And then there’s the story of Kitty.  One day in October, 12 older boys were in their living room when something began scratching on the front door screen. Opening the door, they found a scared stray cat that said “meow” (“will you take me in?”). Immediately a dozen hearts opened and Kitty became a beloved member of the household. 

This love-at-first-sight was a two-way affair. Kitty loved and trusted her family of boys and houseparents and longed to do something in return for them. So on Memorial Day weekend she gave them the best she had to give – four beautiful kittens. She tried desperately to deliver them on the sofa beside one of the boys; but, failing at that, she tore up paper and made a bed on the floor beside the sofa. 

We consented to let Kitty stay until it was in her best interest (or ours) that she be sent elsewhere. But, as the boys said, she was worth keeping. Every morning she lined up by the door the mice she had caught during the night so everyone could see how indispensable she was to Joy Ranch. 

The boys loved her dearly – perhaps because she had come to us just as some of them had, homeless and scared.