Out of the Blue Animal Rescue

So, you think you’re an animal lover? Top this. Patty and Peter I’Ons, along with Judy Theunissen, care for 44 horses, 13 donkeys, and 34 dogs and at least a dozen cats on their 52 acre Assagay property.

Out-of-the-Blue (so named because of a small inheritance in 2001, which enabled them to purchase a derelict dairy farm and slowly convert it into the haven it has now become) is a sanctuary for previously neglected, abandoned or abused animals.

For much of her adult life, Patty, together with organisations such as the SPCA, has been instrumental in helping increase the moral coinage of this nation by seeking to redress the abuses suffered by animals that have no voice in the affairs of the state.

Domestic animals are neglected or abused for a variety of reasons. Owners move or emigrate, having to leave their animals behind; increasing poverty and hugely rising costs of animal feeds lead to abandonment; ignorance and cruelty generate further hardships for animals, and uncontrolled breeding exacerbates the problems.

Some of the horses fostered are for the SPCA and the stables contain Fresians, retired or abused racing thoroughbreds, Percherons, Shires, a Palomino, Nordics and a number of miniatures.

Recently, the I’Ons and their assistants finally succeeded in registering as a non-profit organisation, creating the “Out-of-the-Blue Animal Rescue Trust” , so that, with the help of other animal-loving donors, they hope to lighten the financial burden of spending close to R30 000 of their own earnings on stabling, feeding and rehabilitating so many animals.

The animals under their care, are rehabilitated, loved and cared for, for the rest of their natural lives. They are not re-homed for fear that they will end up in the same situation that they were rescued from.

To draw funding to support this large menagerie, Out-of-the-Blue now offers supervised holiday camp days, when children are kept fully engaged with the animals on the farm, learning to trust horses and how to groom and ride them. A petting zoo is being developed to further educate children.

The farm also provides stabling for avid riders, and both adults and children can learn to ride under the watchful supervision of Judy Theunissen, a former KZN competitive rider, who teachers pupils from the age of 2 years at Out-of-the-Blue Riding School, also offering spectacular out-rides to the public.

There is something in the laid-back, caring atmosphere at Out-of-the-Blue that genuinely seems to liberate and empower those who soak in the ambiance of happily cared-for animals. A community of those respecting the needs of dependent domestic creatures is amply rewarded by the bonds established with the animals, and the public are invited to share this by visiting this unique venue.

Phone 031 768 1768 or 082 655 1700 to find out more.

Out-of-the-Blue Animal Rescue Trust
F9 Alverstone Road, Assagay, Hillcrest