Q&A: BEYOND THE BARN

Katherine Dunn ’76 cares for animals who inspire her art, stories and relationships with elders in her community.

Dunn’s Apifera Farm in mid-coast Maine serves as a nonprofit sanctuary for elder and special-needs animals and fosters relationships with elders through animal visits to the local senior care facility. A prolific artist and writer, Dunn finds inspiration in her herd, sharing their adventures on social media and in the newspaper column Tails and Tales.

Question: What’s the Apifera Farm origin story?

Answer: My husband, Martyn, and I had a farm in rural Oregon. (Martyn’s a landscaper so we started growing lavender; apifera means “bee bearing.”) We were there for about 13 years, farming and raising sheep, but I was taking in old neglected animals at the same time. When we moved to Maine, I had to make a choice because it’s a totally different property than we had in Oregon, and I decided I was just going to focus on the sanctuary.

Q: How many animals live at Apifera at one time?

A: Right now it’s about 60: 10 equines, 12 goats, a few pigs, a couple of sheep, llamas, chickens, ducks and bunnies. And we take in old cats from the shelter, sometimes they’re hospice cases. We have a special secure barn with a heated room where they live the life of luxury.

Q: How do you get acquainted with the animals when they first arrive?

A: I give them their space and try to let them show me what they need. Here’s an example: I took a bunch of goats from a neglect case a few years back and one of them just kept leaving the herd to be with the horses, so I let him. He’s been living with the horses for six years now, and he’s very content. I’ve never bought into the idea that a horse has to be with a horse and a llama has to be with a llama. They need companionship and to see other animals, but I let them decide.

Q: You tell many stories in which you and your animals are essentially an ensemble cast of characters. Can you talk a bit about that?

A: There’s a story in every corner of the barn because of the animals’ personalities. I don't have favorite animals, but I do have different relationships with different animals. With some I have a caretaker role and some are my right hand, more of a communion relationship. Obviously some of the characters are partially me; part of me is in many of their words. And part of the best of me that doesn’t come out in real life is in them too. I wish I could be as calm and wise as Ernest the pig. Some of them are strong muses, like little Opie [a goat], who passed away way too young. That’s a hard thing with the animal stories: people get attached. I had one longtime follower very sincerely say, “I’m going to have to take a break because you make us fall in love with them and then they die.” And I felt like saying, “Well, what about me? I still have to stand up.” I understand it.

Q: How do you deal with the loss of beloved animals?

A: The first two animals I owned as a single adult were a dog and a cat, and the cat was 20 when I had to take her in to be put down. The vet asked if I wanted to stay with her, and I said I couldn’t. I’ve always regretted it, and I’ve never walked away from an animal again. I see many people go through this with their dying pets, and they just don’t know how I go through it over and over again. I think part of it is having lived on a working farm, where you’re so much more entwined with nature and life and death, and you see how the animals react. You don’t get jaded, but you look at life and death differently when you live in a herd. No matter what animals we bring on, they’re all going to go. How much longer can I keep bringing in my little friends, my characters and animals? I get kind of worn down from that. And also from losing people in the elder care facility who I’ve really come to know.

THERE’S A STORY IN EVERY CORNER OF THE BARN BECAUSE OF THE ANIMALS’ PERSONALITIES. I DON'T HAVE FAVORITE ANIMALS, BUT I DO HAVE DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT ANIMALS.

Q: Can you talk about the relationship you and your animals have developed with local seniors?

A: My initial thought was to bring old animals to commune with old people, but it dawned on me that seniors aren’t interested in whether an animal is old or young, they just want fun. So I’ve taken on some younger animals too, like my pug puppy, Lumpy, who comes on visits. The animal visits—which, in addition to Lumpy, can include ponies, llamas, bunnies and goats—are really just about being with the residents and showing up, and they go in spurts. When I’m not there for a couple of weeks, [the residents] get kind of mad at me. They say things like, “Where have you been?” I will say that when I don’t go for a few weeks, I feel very unbalanced myself. I consider the sanctuary a healing mission for animals and people.

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