After calling Somerville home for more than half a decade, the property that houses Misfit Farm will soon be on the market, as owner Carrie Basile and her husband Kenny Bunker seek a new home in southern Maine. When they find it, the 62 abandoned or neglected animals that have found a home at the sanctuary will be along for the ride.
Misfit Farm and its entourage originally came to Somerville from Acton in 2018. At the time of the move, all of the six trailer-towing volunteers Basile organized to help her move the animals dropped out at the last minute, she said, forcing Basile and Bunker to move the animals themselves inside a moving van.
Seeing an unruly goat climb into the passenger seat was a memorable moment from that move, Basile said. This time around, she plans to rent a livestock trailer to make the process easier.
Misfit Farm began nine and a half years ago, when Basile adopted her first goat, Annabelle, after repeatedly “bugging” her husband, she said. Though Bunker initially said “no, no, no,” he eventually acquiesced.
Now, the two work as a team, with Bunker helping to build structures to house the animals and with tasks on the farm in addition to his work in construction.
Initially, Basile exclusively took in goats. But as time went on, she began to receive requests to re-home other kinds of animals. The first was a pig who “really needed help – I just couldn’t turn him down,” said Basile. “And he turned into a second …”
Basile’s empathy extends across species lines, and today, the farm hosts a menagerie of animals, including goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, cattle, ducks, and cats, among others. Nearly all of them came from difficult situations, Basile said, a fact that gave rise to the sanctuary’s name.
“We call ourselves Misfit Farm because I take in the misfits – the ones who are either deformed or were bullied. There’s always a story,” she said.
Those stories are apparent on a walk across the farm grounds. There is Chris the sheep, who startles quickly with strangers.
“I’ve never seen an animal more terrified of humans,” Basile said.
There is Daisy, the blind highland cow whose eyes are unseeing behind shaggy bangs but who manages to cavort happily with the farm’s other cattle regardless.
And, everywhere, there are mementos and photos of Squishtopher Robins, a rescued sheep who was particularly special to Basile. Robins came to the sanctuary because he was aggressive and unmanageable with everyone at the farm where he lived – everyone, it turned out, except for Basile, with whom he formed an instant bond.
“We were inseparable, like best friends … he was the best, best pet I ever had,” Basile said.
Squishtopher Robins also features as the protagonist in a series of picture books authored by Basile and illustrated by her daughter, Michaela Falzone. Basile sells Misfit Farm merchandise out of a small shop on the property.
Basile and Bunker also live on the property, which spans more than 11 acres, in a log cabin-style home. Basile envisions that a potential buyer could live in the home, perhaps renting out the mobile home that also sits on the property for extra income or using the farm property for commercial purposes such as boarding horses in the main horse barn.
There are numerous other structures on the property, including barns and storage sheds, a small shop, and a standalone indoor/outdoor sunroom where Basile serves food and drinks during farm fundraisers.
Selling is complicated, Basile said, by the fact that she and Bunker must first find an appropriate property to purchase and get to work building a new barn for the animals. With so many animals, most of whom need special care, she and Bunker can’t simply pick up and move, she noted.
However, Basile is feeling optimistic, and hopes to be fully moved by next autumn. Although she has loved her time in Somerville, Basile, who is originally from Acton, will be glad to be closer to her family in the southern portion of the state, she said.
Another reason for the move is the rising cost of maintaining an animal sanctuary. Many of the supplies required have just about doubled in price since Basile began her work, she said. A move to the right property could help streamline the sanctuary operation, cutting costs and reducing the amount of work required to care for the animals, she hopes. Leaving Somerville, however, will certainly be bittersweet, she said.
Misfit Farm is located on Rockland Road in Somerville. For more information, find the sanctuary on Facebook.
