The Press of Manorville & the Moriches Online Edition

When Rich and Gay Devoe decided to retire about 12 years ago, the couple bought a quiet piece of property in Manorville and purchased two horses to ride at their new home. Shortly after moving in, the couple found out that 2 acres of property next to them was available and they purchased it as land for their horses to be able to roam more freely.

About a year later, 4 acres behind their property also became available and the Devoes decided to expand their small ranch even further.

But when the couple went to check out the land, what they discovered would change their lives forever.

“There were about 50 sheep and goats, which we knew they had because we’d hear them bleeting,” Mr. Devoe, 71, recalled. “As it turned out, the owners only came out from Westbury twice a week to feed those guys, and they were nothing but bone and skin with their ribs sticking out.”

Periodically, the owners of the animals would slaughter some of the animals for their meat. The Devoes were aghast at the condition of the animals, and not only bought the land but also took on the stewardship of the beasts.

Through a great deal of food and hard work, which included curing a rampant lip disease among the stock, the Devoes managed to bring the bevy of goats and sheep back from the brink of starvation.

Word about the animal lovers’ good deeds quickly spread and reached the ears of officials at the Center for Animal Care and Control, a non-profit organization in New York City that rescues, cares for and finds homes for abandoned and abused animals.

“They were closing up illegal slaughterhouses at the time, and they brought us a bunch of goats and sheep—mostly goats,” Mr. Devoe said. “They taught us how to become a non-profit, and we’ve gotten ASPCA rescues and people bring us animals they can’t keep anymore. And that’s how we got started and that’s what we do.”

Today, the Double “D” Bar Ranch is home to nearly 500 formerly neglected or abused farm animals of all types and sizes. The Devoes have an endless number of stories about their rescued animals, including horses and pigs that are found roaming the streets.

Some of those animals’ stories can be viewed on the Devoes’ website, doubledbarranch.org. The website also features photos of some of the animals as well as information on how to donate money to, and volunteer time at, the ranch.

Mr. Devoe said that he knows all the animals’ names by heart and personally spends time with most of them on a daily basis. A favored animal is a 10-year-old, 850-pound pig named Pinky.

Although somewhat hobbled by her weight and age (pigs usually only live to be 10 to 15 years old), Pinky still manages to hoist herself up and visit with Mr. Devoe, who pats her belly and affectionately calls her “his girl.”

Mr. Devoe, who still breaks horses for riding, said the running of the facility costs approximately $150,000 per year to cover the cost of feed and housing. Local veterinarians volunteer services and funds to the animal rescue, but the Devoes still have to scrounge for donations on a daily basis to tend to the animals.

The couple admits there have been occasions where they’ve had to decide between electricity for their house and food for the animals. Mr. Devoe, who does a lot of basic veterinary work himself, said the animals always come first and noted that the couple has occasionally gone to sleep without lights and heat, but their cherished animals have always slept on full bellies.

Fortunately, generosity does abound, even in tough economic times. Mr. Devoe noted once, when the electricity had been shut off to their home, one local veterinarian offered to pay their bill, but the humble couple refused the offer.

Through a bit of creative economic maneuvering, the vet paid for animal feed and the Devoes got their lights back on.

The couple also recently received help from another benevolent animal organization known as Pet Peeves, which is a non-profit umbrella organization that provides funding for animal shelters and rescues across Long Island.

Pet Peeves provided the couple with an $8,000 grant to have 36 male goats and sheep at the ranch neutered. There are roughly 80 goats and sheep that call Double “D” home.

Much of that cost is going for doses of antibiotics and antitoxins for the animals prior to the operations, which will be performed by a veterinarian next month.

“We can’t thank Pet Peeves enough,” Ms. Devoe said, noting that the Double “D” is strictly an animal rescue and does not breed or raise goats or sheep for harvest or sale. “We can’t put too many males together because they get into fights and someone is going to get seriously hurt. But if we can have the males in with the females without worrying about them reproducing, then it helps a lot.”

While precautions are taken, births still occur at the ranch. Mr. Devoe, who said he works on roughly two hours of sleep a night, spent part of Monday caring for a baby lamb that had been born just the night before.

He pointed out that the wobbly-kneed animal was unable to suckle from its mother because the ewe was likely suffering from sensitivity in her milk glands. The protective mother had taught the lamb to drink water from a bucket in its pen, but the tiny animal still had to be fed by hand.

“You do what you have to do,” Mr. Devoe said, holding the lamb on his lap while feeding it a bottle of formula.

In addition to needing monetary donations, the ranch is in need of ranch hands to clean, feed and repair housing for the animals. Volunteers and the Devoes provide all work done at the rescue.

Volunteers come in a variety of ages and sizes. Some have initially found their way to the ranch as a way of fulfilling community service obligations, which include everything from earning Scout merit badges to working off criminal sentences.

Others, like Marlene and Anthony Ricotta of Mastic and their son, Anthony Ricotta, Jr., were introduced to the ranch as the result of hard times. Ms. Ricotta, who used to work for the IBM Corporation, said she found herself laid off because of the recession.

She and her son went to the New York State Department of Labor and were assigned to work at the Double “D” Bar Ranch about four months ago. Her husband also joined in the work at the rescue.

All three said they found that the ranch had taken on a greater obligation than a mere job. Even after the family was reassigned by the Department of Labor, the Ricottas all feel the need to continue to volunteer their time at the ranch.

“I cried when we had to leave,” Ms. Ricotta said. “So we help out on the weekends and work in the rain in the snow because the animals have to be fed and taken care of.

“Rich and Gay are great people and it’s a wonderful place to work if you love and care about animals,” she added. “It’s the kind of job you leave after a long day of work and you just want to come right back.”