Retired Grand Blanc Twp. police officer ‘protects and serves’ farm animals

By Blake Keller

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    CLAYTON TWP., Michigan (WNEM) — Retirement for some could include unlimited time having fun and relaxing, but for one local police officer, his retirement still looks a lot like work.

In retirement, he now hopes to spread the power animals have over our health.

Grand Blanc Twp. Police Captain Matt Bauserman is known to some as a woodworker. He opened his own woodworking business, Reclaimed Designs. He is known to many more as a veteran police officer, serving the Grand Blanc community for 28 years.

“Very thankful for what I got to do there,” Bauserman said. “Amazing people I worked with and great leadership,” he added.

In retirement, to protect and serve extends beyond the Grand Blanc community with Charlie’s Forever Farm. It is a farm animal rescue opened by Bauserman and his wife, Ranae, in 2019.

“We’re here to help the animals, save the animals,” Bauserman said. “We have nine donkeys, two horses, a goat, three ducks, 10 chickens, we had six dogs left dumped or abandoned,” he added.

One horse, Imogene, is a 16-to-17-year-old Amish horse from Pennsylvania. Her front legs went bad, she went to auction, and ended up in a kill pen, the Bauserman’s told TV5. They got her out and brought her to the farm. She can’t be ridden since her front legs are bad, Bauserman said. They have to give her a pain pill every day and get her looked at by a veterinarian. She is there to retire and relax.

You may ask, who is Charlie? The farm’s namesake actually comes from both sides of their family.

“Both of our fathers were named Charlie, Charles,” Bauserman said. “They both passed on, so we thought that’d be a very appropriate name.”

The rescue in Clayton Township at 3108 Van Vleet Rd. opened in 2019 and got non-profit status in 2021. It’s an animal safe haven for a reason.

“We started learning about the donkey trade and horses and slaughter. You can’t slaughter equine in United States, so they get shipped to Mexico or Canada and then from there, they are processed for dog food, skins,” Bauserman told TV5.

You wouldn’t know today Matt Bauserman had almost no prior experience taking care of farm animals. Now, the care is one of the best parts of his daily routine.

“They changed our lives amazingly,” Bauserman said. “You could have the worst day ever and just go out there and spend 10 minutes with them. Your mind is clear, and you’re calm and they’re calm, and they just change you,” he added.

Charlie’s Forever Farm picked up quickly on the benefit of having animals around, so now they want to give back to the community by offering educational opportunities and animal therapy.

“Having this animal assisted therapy has been incredibly beneficial,” Nyse Holloman, President and CEO of Voices for Children Advocacy Center in Flint, said.

Voices for Children Advocacy Center works as an advocate for children throughout Genesee and Shiawassee counties. They help child survivors of abuse and neglect and human trafficking.

Amanda Richard is a child and family therapist for Voices for Children, specializing in assisted animal therapy.

“They act like a piece of comfort for the kids. A lot of the times they tell me they don’t feel judged by them,” she said. “You can tell them anything and you know it’s not going to get repeated,” Richard continued.

“It’s like you have all these fur children,” TV5′s Blake Keller joked with Matt. “It’s a lot of fur children, they all have their own personalities,” he said.

Like Bennett, a donkey, who is the resident goofball. It’s a gratifying feeling and position Bauserman doesn’t take for granted.

“Just being lucky enough to be around them every day,” Bauserman said.

“It’s a safe haven,” Blake Keller suggested. “That took a turn on us too. We started out with just wanting animals, once we were around them and the effect it had on us, it can benefit so many more people,” Bauserman added.

If it goes according to Bauserman’s plan, it will benefit more people and more animals. It’s a challenge the Bauserman’s are willing to take on, but they realize they can’t do it alone. They need you.

“We need support from the community as well for funding. That is obviously not cheap. A lot of the money comes out of our own pocket, which is perfectly fine,” Bauserman said. “That’s what we signed up to do.”

Charlie’s Forever Farm would like to build a year-round educational center for groups, like Voices for Children, to come and have a space to learn that’s near a barn setting. There’s also plans to implement animal therapy programs for first responders and Veterans who suffer from PTSD.

The farm also provides opportunities for you to sponsor an animal or honor a loved one.

“We’ll plant a tree and have a plaque, in loving memory of a pet or of a family member or anything like that,” Bauserman said.

The farm is also fundraising a kennel project to house the stray dogs left at their property.

You can visit their property by appointment only. For more information, visit their website.

Congratulations to Capt. Matt Bauserman on his retirement, Friday, July 14!

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