Most people have to visit a zoo to see an exotic animal, but that’s not the case for freshman Brilynn White.
“I have around 40 animals that consist of horses, ducks, goats, pigs, cows, donkeys, z-donkeys, zebras, tortoises, a sloth, armadillo, parrot, bunny and the normal cats and dogs,” White said.
Many of the Whites’ animals were rescued, such as some donkeys, z-donkeys, goats, and some of her horses but the rest of the animals were bought from an online auction for the simple fact that her mom loves animals.
“My family enjoyed the part of getting to rescue animals, and knowing that the fact that they could save a life by bringing it home to rescue was pretty cool,” White said.
Having this many animals around their house requires a lot of time, care and attention per day, however.
“Every day we clean out their stalls and or cages. We put 12 hours a day into working with them. For me, I have to clean stalls, empty litter boxes and fix what they break,” White said.
The hardest animal for the family to take care of is her sloth due to the time-consuming needs and challenges.
“My dogs and sloth take up a lot of time, and I can’t hold my sloth due to the fact that if it were to bite me I would have to go to the hospital due to the bacteria that they carry,” White said.
While the chores are hard, White does not mind taking the time to give her animals what they need.
“I enjoy doing the chores and having these animals around. It is definitely unique but also doing the chores makes me realize that they all are different in their own ways,” White said.
Out of all the animals White has, she feels that she is the closest to her barrel-racing and pole-bending horse Jasper.
“My horse Jasper, my barrel and pole horse, [and I] have a special bond that most people don’t have with an animal. The reason me and Jasper have such a special bond is because he was the first horse that I gained trust with,” White said.
This bond allows her to see his unique personality, which sometimes causes issues.
“There was this one time where I was cleaning my horse’s stall and he yanked on my hair and then I fell and got up and accidentally let him out. Then I left the gate open and let the other two horses out, causing a very chaotic scene,” White said.
Even though the current animals that White has at home are time-consuming, her family still plans on getting more animals.
“Here soon we plan on getting two capybaras and then giraffes and get back into buying more animals and the rescuing side of it,” White said.
The rescuing part is what White’s family feels is most rewarding and what they find the most joy in doing.
“My family enjoyed rescuing animals and the feeling of knowing that the pets that had gone through so much are at a great home and enjoy life way more now that they are happier,” White said.
Regardless of the number of pets that the White family has, they still enjoy having each and every one of them at their house.
“Even though we have many pets that take up a lot of time, me and my family still enjoy having them around and just how cool of an opportunity it is to have them,” White said.
