A love of nature and animals and what she describes as “the desire to get out of mainstream America” led Melissa Christoff to subscribe to The Caretaker Gazette. Melissa recalls, “After subscribing to the Gazette for a couple of years, I decided to be more pro-active in my search for a position as a professional animal caretaker so I ran a Situations-Wanted ad in the Gazette.” Melissa continues, “After more than two decades working mostly for either radio stations as a news reporter or in the airline industry, I wanted a simpler, more peaceful, purpose driven life working with animals away from traffic, cell phones, pollution and the chaos of contemporary life.” As a way of working toward that goal, in 2003 Melissa first volunteered at and then was employed at the Arizona Humane Society. Melissa explains, “That led me to becoming a professional pet sitter for two local companies and then eventually starting my own pet sitting business. After acquiring experience caring for everything from rats, rabbits, cats, canines to equines, I felt I was ready to make the transition from the suburbs to rural living.”
Within a week or two after placing her Caretaker Gazette ad seeking a position as a professional animal caretaker, Melissa received an email from a couple, Chuck and Sandy, who own Zenpony, a private animal rescue ranch in Marana, Arizona. The owners of the ranch, who were looking for a Ranch-hand/Animal Caretaker for Zenpony, are long-time subscribers to The Caretaker Gazette. After a phone conversation, two visits to Zenpony, and a few more weeks to carefully think things over, Melissa accepted an offer to live and work there. Melissa recalls, “After turning over my beloved furry clientele to another trustworthy professional pet sitting company and consigning or donating over half of my furnishings and personal belongings, I moved to the ranch in mid-July.” Zenpony is nestled between beautiful mountain peaks in the thick desert terrain northwest of Tucson, in Marana. The town was named for the Spanish word maraña ( thicket) by 19th century railroad workers who had to clear a line through the area. Melisa says, “Although the last seven miles to the ranch are un- paved, the roads are periodically groomed and, unless the washes are flooded, the roads are drivable without a four wheel vehicle.”
The ranch recently took on another name, Zendonkey Rescue, when it became certified as a satellite adoption center for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (PVDR) - the nation’s largest donkey rescue organization. PVDR rescues distressed donkeys and works with the Bureau of Land Management to round up and relocate displaced donkeys on federal lands in lieu of the donkeys being shot. Melissa explains, “As a satellite adoption center, Zendonkey Rescue will help educate the public about the plight of the American donkey – a much misunderstood and maligned animal - and help find suitable homes in the Marana and Tucson vicinities for distressed donkeys.”
The ranch’s current inhabitants include four donkeys, three horses, a mule, 15 dogs, an alpaca, two pot-bellied pigs, and two dozen chickens, turkeys and roosters. Except for the fowl, all the animals were abandoned, neglected or both. Melissa says, “Two of the latest arrivals are Jake and Elwood – German Shepherd/Great Dane mixes who were found near death in the desert by area ranchers. Some of the animals require hospice care or have special needs, such as Baby Donkey who has contracted front tendons and wears leg braces. Aside from the donkeys available for adoption, all of the animals who come here are given a home for the remainder of their lives.”
The transition from the suburbs to the ranch meant going “off-the-grid”, but that doesn’t mean going without electricity. There are numerous solar panels and a back-up generator that kicks in as needed. The ranch has its own well with water supplied by a river that is located 350 feet underground. Melissa explains, “Conservation is very important here. To conserve energy, all electrical appliances and lights are used mindfully.” Home for Melissa is now a single-wide tow-able trailer that she shares with Apollo, a very sweet, affectionate pit pull mix who she rescued since coming to the ranch.
Describing her routine on the ranch, Melissa says, “Days begin with being on the grounds by sunrise to feed the animals, rinse and refill water buckets and troughs followed by a lot of mucking. Getting up while it is dark took a little getting used to.” Melissa also takes a pack of dogs for a morning run. As a part Mescalero Apache, Melissa jokingly says her Indian name is “Runs with Dogs”. There are also chores to done on an as-needed basis, including grooming and bathing dogs or cleaning the chicken coop, the pigs’ play pools, the feed or hay barn. In-between morning and evening rounds, there is time for relaxation; this can include a nap, computer time, reading, studying Spanish or watching PBS World. There is the weekly trip into Tucson for groceries or a movie at the historic Loft Cinema. Melissa’s future plans include learning natural horsemanship and planting an organic vegetable garden.
According to Melissa, “The hours and the days fly by. The animals make my day every day! There are moments of pure exuberance and moments of complete physical exhaustion. I am definitely living in the moment more than I ever have before,” Moving from the suburbs to an isolated ranch with limited human interaction has also had its challenges. Melissa says, “For starters - you need to really enjoy your own company but I think I’ve made the right decision.” Ultimately, Melissa’s gypsy soul has its sights set on the Costa Rican countryside, but in the meantime, she says, “I’m taking one day at a time and embracing each sunrise - which happen to be quite striking in the Arizona desert.”
