LAKEWOOD – People deal with tragedy in different ways. For Haley Flowers, 17, of Lakewood, it has been by starting Bigfoot’s Guinea Pig Rescue.
Cages upon cages are stacked in her bedroom, taking up space where her double-door closet once was, and also where she had a dresser. There’s a little bit of room for her bed, a place to stack her clothes and to move around to feed her rodents and clean their cages.
Her mom, Wendy, said Haley’s mood started to decline when the family lost everything in Hurricane Ike when they lived in Texas. She later had some hardships when attending Totem Middle School, and then more at Marysville Getchell High School.
“I couldn’t really handle the pressure,” Haley said.
When some friends of hers at Totem were killed in the shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School almost two years ago, “I sunk down to the very bottom,” she said. Her mom added, “We were very worried about her.”
She sank into depression and a counselor recommended she find something to do to keep her attention away from all the negative.
Haley has always loved all types of animals. The family has had dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs and more. “We’ve had every style of pet imaginable,” Wendy said, but not a guinea pig. “Out of the blue she just asked me.”
Haley started with two, but now has 30. She takes in rodents that are abandoned or abused. She nurses them back to health then adopts them out, usually only asking for a donation.
Her mom said it is not a money-making venture at all. But Haley has done it all on her own. She works at a nearby dog-boarding facility up to 30 hours a week, and uses those funds for her rescue. She even did all the paperwork to obtain nonprofit 501-c3 status. She also has a business license.
Wendy said she can’t believe how responsible Haley has been. She even has a screening process and has drawn up a contract for people to sign when she adopts out one of her animals. It says they must provide the guinea pig with hay, pellets, fresh vegetables and fruit, and probiotics. Also, if they decide they no longer want the pet, they need to offer it back to her first.
Only a few of the animals are not adoptable because they bite or are overly aggressive because of previous abuse. She mostly uses Facebook and Craigslist for advertising and business transactions.
Wendy said Haley has a “caring heart.” She’s taken in other small critters, such as a chinchilla, ducks, mice and rats. She took in one rat that was in such bad shape she had to pay $80 to have it euthanized the next day.
She has rescued animals from various situations. One was going to be snake food. Others were abandoned in various settings. And she has received animals from as far away as Tacoma.
Wendy said Haley’s nonprofit is not a money-maker at all. Their PUD bill has gone up $50 a month just from the animals’ laundry alone, she added.
An MG senior, Haley has learned many things about guinea pigs online and from other rescue organizations. She said probiotics are a must, as they clean out their digestive systems. She also uses a powder to get rid of mites and neosporan for various infections. She trims nails, bathes and boards small animals, all for negotiable prices.
“I do everything I can for small animals,” she said. “I find them so caring. They are so helpless. They look for my attention. I’m totally into them.”
