Farm Sanctuary’s Susie Coston Makes the World a Better Place For Animals & The People Who Love Them
If you’ve ever attended a party and made a beeline to go pet the host’s cat or dog, then you’d definitely get along with Susie Coston because she, admittedly, does the same thing. Then again, if you love animals with all of your being and want to make the world a better place for them, you wouldn’t just get along with Susie, you’d be downright inspired by her.
It was her own love of animals that propelled her make a big change in her life and make them her work. Coston had tried out a variety of different careers but she realized her true passion was helping animals. A passion that lead her to eventually becoming the National Shelter Director of Farm Sanctuary, which rescues, rehabilitates, and houses abused and neglected animals.
“Nothing really felt satisfying and then when I started working with animals, I was always so happy,” Coston tells Smart Girls. And even though her line of work can be physically and emotionally exhausting, she knows it’s for the greater good.
“It has its moments,” she admits, adding, “I’m so enthralled with these animals and seeing them thrive, that is what gives me the energy to keep doing it. That’s the part I love. Some of the animals have been here the 16 years I’ve been here. You’re growing up and growing old with some of these animals, so I have a very special bond with them.”
Coston — who works at the Watkins Glen, New York facility — oversees all of the Farm Sanctuary shelters, which includes every aspect of helping the animals and their ongoing health needs. There are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to the work of Farm Sanctuary, whether it’s transporting hundreds of animals back from a rescue or preparing a healthy animal for adoption into a vegan or vegetarian household. It’s truly a team effort, but one in which the people involved look out for each other.
“The thing I love about Farm Sanctuary is we are constantly evolving and trying to figure out ways to keep the job from burning everybody out,” Coston says. “It’s an emotionally-charged situation when you’re taking an animal who could die and then, if they don’t make it, you’re traumatized. It’s a lot. We do secondary trauma workshops, anything to alleviate that… We don’t want people to be sad.”
Farm Sanctuary’s healing environment is one that Coston believes is an effective one for the animals and the people who care for them. She suggests an internship at Farm Sanctuary may be that first big step for anyone hoping to start a career in animal rights and activism. These interns can learn everything from development to advocacy, which allows a person to find their true calling in the field. “There are so many ways to help these animals,” Coston says.
Whether a Farm Sanctuary internship leads you to a career (and Coston points out that much of the staff is comprised of former interns), or points you in a direction that’s better suited for you, it’s almost impossible to walk away without feeling inspired to make some sort of change.
In fact, one former Farm Sanctuary intern is none other than animal photographer and activist Jo-Anne McArthur. “She does everything you could possibly imagine,” Coston says of McArthur. “But she started out here and really got to know these animals and became more empowered to do the work that she does.”
Getting to know animals and telling their story is a big part of the Farm Sanctuary mission.”When you first get into any kind of animals rights, there’s a tendency to be very angry and get in people’s faces and make them feel crappy, but you shouldn’t do that,” she advises. “I wish when I first started I had come to a sanctuary and met the animals and had the frame of mind to tell their stories and talk about how intelligent they are. That, to me, has a bigger impact of reaching more people.”
Coston suggests that for any aspiring animal activist, they do as much research as possible and simply educate people about the animals they love. “Learning the history of the animal and who they are now… it allows people to really see the animals.” And when people really see farm animals, they see what complex, caring, and amazing creatures they truly are. Coston points out that they have incredible and quirky personality traits (sheep run when you call their names!) and strong, deep bonds.
“They are no less intelligent, they are no less bonded to their family members, they are no less inclined to be attached to you. Their personalities are no different than a dog or a cat.”
For more information on Farm Sanctuary and their internship program, visit their website.
Images via Farm Sanctuary
