Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school and college students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Jonathan Coleman remembers the struggles he dealt with as a kid. Speaking and forming relationships were difficult, until he met his three best friends: Froyo, Romeo and Tyler, miniature goats who were part of a team of barnyard support animals.
“I got involved with Animal Assisted Happiness when I was 9 years old,” said Coleman, now 27. “That was a time when I was struggling a lot socially as someone on the autism spectrum. … At the time I didn’t see it as therapeutic, but it was a therapy to help me with thinking about other people and other living things.”
Founded in 2009 by Vicki Amon-Higa and her husband, Peter Higa, the nonprofit says it has helped 150,000 people — including Coleman — through its free services.
The mission of Animal Assisted Happiness is to improve the lives of special needs children by allowing them to interact with an array of barnyard animals. Located in Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, the farm is filled with rainbow-colored fences, stacks of golden hay and bustling crowds eager to see the animals.
The idea for the organization sprouted in 2006, after Amon-Higa started bringing her miniature horse Lollipop to visit 14-year-old Riley Church, a brain cancer patient. During the visits, Lollipop would instinctively place her head on Church’s lap.
“Animals don’t judge. They just let you be,” Amon-Higa said.
Through her work, Amon-Higa now watches as bonds blossom daily – like the unexpected relationship between Dakota, a non-verbal boy, and Ginger, an extroverted miniature pig.
“I have watched Dakota read to Ginger,” Amon-Higa said. “And when a child who’s nonverbal is speaking with her, it’s just the most beautiful thing to watch.”
Board member Lisa Zuegel describes the happiness her 26-year-old autistic son, Jeffrey, experiences on the farm. “He loves seeing the horses, walking around with a huge smile on his face, and being in nature,” Zuegel said.
They have been coming to Animal Assisted Happiness since Jeffrey was a child.
“He’s welcome here, and we need more places like this in the Bay Area,” Zuegel said. “Places where people aren’t judged, where they feel safe and genuinely valued for who they are and what they bring to the world, and where they can communicate and connect in ways that feel comfortable for them.”
Another horse lover, 19-year-old Finlay Snell, says his visits help him deal with the challenges of autism and motor control.
“I like horses because they help me with my balance,” he said.
A regular visitor since elementary school, Snell started volunteering in high school by walking horses and cleaning pens.
“By taking care of animals, he learns how to take care of himself, too,” said his mother, Yoko Snell.
Hundreds of youth and adult volunteers contribute their time to help make the nonprofit run. Coleman, who is now a special education teacher, says the support he received set him up for success.
“Animal Assisted Happiness helped me join the disabled community and learn how to communicate with others,” Coleman said. “I had the resilience to find that calling of teaching.”
Avani Kumar is a member of the Class of 2028 at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.
