MEDINA — Kinky Friedman is well-known for his best-selling books and
his band, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, but not everyone knows
him as a dedicated animal lover and salsa entrepreneur.
Nancy Parker Simons and Tony Simons,
who run the nonprofit Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, rate his dedication
to animals as his chief virtue.
The Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch sits on
40 acres that are part of the larger spread owned by Friedman, his
brother Roger and sister Marcie. The rescue ranch is a “never-kill”
facility that takes in abandoned and homeless animals. All the animals
are spayed, neutered, given their shots and patched up as necessary by
the vets at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic before taking up residence. The
ranch’s board of directors includes Friedman, Willie Nelson, Laura
Bush, Lamar Smith and Ann Richards.
At present there are 54 dogs, six pigs,
a rooster, a turkey and a hen in residence — a total that does not
include the 10 dogs, two cats, two donkeys and the miniature horse
that are personal pets of Nancy and Tony Simons.
One cat, Lucky, was rescued as a kitten
by Kinky and a friend. The kitten had been shot in the leg and now, as
a full-grown cat, gets along quite handily on three legs.
There seems to be no “beastism” at the
ranch, as they’ll accept almost anything. Nancy and Tony have come
close to taking in a flock of peacocks and elephants.
Tom Friedman, Kinky’s father,
originally leased the property to the rescue ranch.
“It’s a real living legacy for him,”
Kinky Friedman said. “He died in August. Rescue Ranch has become a
really vibrant happening. A lot of people are plugged into it in
various ways.”
Another part of Tom Friedman’s legacy
is his injunction to his children to “leave the world a better place
than you found it,” which is the motto of the rescue ranch.
“So many people are impressed to see
someone doing something important,” Friedman said. “It has a sort of
spiritual ripple effect.”
The animals — with the obvious
exception of the Simons’ pets — are available for adoption, but even
if they never leave the ranch, they have a home for life. If an
adoption doesn’t work out, the adoption contract stipulates that the
animal will be returned to the ranch.
Country music plays over speakers for
the animals’ entertainment. Volunteers visit and bring treats. The
dogs have large runs and the Simonses walk them down to the river
where they can run and swim. The pigs appear to be in, well, hog
heaven. The ranch’s Web site has pictures of many of the animals up
for adoption.
“The ranch is more of a sanctuary than
an adoption center, because we are so far out,” Nancy Simons said.
“Adoptions are a little sporadic. We never know when someone will come
out to adopt an animal. One man showed up at 9 p.m., but he had been
out earlier to look the dogs over while there was still light.”
About 350 animals from the ranch
successfully have been adopted during the past five years. The ranch
doesn’t have a set adoption fee for most of the animals, but welcomes
donations.
“Most animal rescue facilities are
trumped up or out of control, run by people who don’t know how to run
them,” according to Friedman. “Taken together, Nancy and Tony have
what it takes.”
The Friedman ranch also is home of Echo
Hill Camp for 6- to 14-year-old boys and girls, which was founded by
Kinky’s parents, Tom and Minnie, in 1953. When camp is in session, the
campers form the Rescue Rangers and help out with the animals. (For
more information about the camp, visit www.echohill.org or send an
email to info@echohill.org.)
Kinky Friedman provides more than land
for the rescue facility. He has developed a line of salsas that sell
in grocery stores and on the Internet. All proceeds go to support the
Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch.
The four salsas — Black Hat Edition
(black bean and corn), Lucky’s Lone Star Caviar (black-eyed pea),
Pickin’ and Grinnin’ (peach salsa and dip) and Politically Correct (a
medium salsa) — are available in Kerrville; Albertson’s carries the
Kinky Friedman’s Private Stock line and a customer service
representative at H-E-B corporate headquarters said she would look
into getting the product into H-E-B stores in Kerrville and Boerne.
The salsa also is available on the
Internet at www.kinkyfriedman.com or by calling (866) 327-2572.
According to Friedman, the ranch is
presently being supported by salsa sales and by money raised at a
luncheon with Laura Bush last year in Austin.
Those who want to help support the
ranch can become an “Honorary Texas Jewboy” via Friedman’s Web site.
He donates $5 of the membership fee to the animal rescue operation.
For information on visiting the ranch,
call (830) 589-7544.
