Take A Tour Of This Large Animal Refuge In Deblois, Maine [VIDEOS+PHOTOS]

There are those that take on animals and then figure out that they don't have the time, patience and money to take care of them.  There are also those who abuse.  This special farm in Deblois makes it all better, for some.

We stopped by this past weekend's open house at Downeast Equine and Large Animal Society (DELAS), on Hatchery Road, just past Wyman's Blueberry facility and across from the airstrip off 193 in Deblois.

There we met up with Debbie McLean who runs the place. She gave us a tour and introduced us to the many horses, cows, pigs, birds and even a Llama, that make the refuge their home.  A lot of them freely roaming the grounds.

We saw a beautiful and healthy mustang horse grazing in a pasture, and if Debbie hadn't told us we never would have known that it had been beaten and dragged behind a car somewhere in southern Maine a while ago.

We found Norman the cow, a huge animal, who along with his his brother were standing in their outdoor pen. They had both been surrendered to the Massachusetts SPCA when someone eventually figured out that they could not afford to feed them anymore, and then eventually made their way to Deblois.

There were the horses who had been locked in a barn somewhere for six weeks before being discovered by a responsible person. Then there was the poor horse that had given birth time and time again, only to have her babies immediately taken from her and sold.

All is well for these animals now, in Debbie and her volunteer's care.

We found that this shelter is only one of two in the state licensed by the Maine Department of Agriculture specifically to take abuse cases, and that it was currently filled to the max.  Recently, some animals had to be turned away.

The reason for the open house was to collect enough donated funds to pay for hay and other supplies for the winter.  We gladly dropped some cash into the jar on our way out.

Debbie asks that if you'd like a tour, then please call 207-598-7738, and she'll happily set one up. If you'd like to donate to the Downeast Equine and Large Animal Society, you can email for more information at downeastequine@gmail.com, or, mail along a contribution to PO Box 485, Cherryfield, ME  04622