She learned to fly through the air on a trapeze, later becoming part of a skating act. She worked with circus animals, such as Gentle Ben and Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion. The highlight of her circus life was a performance at the White House on the front lawn.

Baron eventually came to Florida, as a jockey. She traveled extensively around the country riding at many major horse tracks, such as Gulfstream Park, Meadowlands, Monmouth Park, Hialeah and others. After 22 years, she decided to find a permanent home with land for her newest interest.

Baron wanted to give back to the animals that had become an important part of her life. She found the perfect piece of land to accomplish a "dream come true": A sanctuary for unwanted animals in desperate need of a home, that have become lost, abandoned or no longer wanted. She named it "Saving Animals for Everyone," which is a nonprofit organization.

Baron is dedicated to the animals that live at S.A.F.E. The animals' cages are double-gated, locked and made with tiger strength 9 gauge chain link. A visitor will be impressed with the cleanliness and orderliness of the compound. The monkeys' cage is a work of art. There are ducks, peacocks, rabbits, iguanas, horses and even a home for pot belly pigs. Each animal has its own special story which is told on the web site at www.savinganimalsforeveryone.org.

Unfortunately, the past years' hurricanes have done tremendous damage to the bird aviary. The sanctuary is in need of donations to fix this large outdoor structure. When fixed, it will house many birds.

Baron receives many calls each day on animals that need help. If S.A.F.E. is unable to take in an animal, she will try and help to find it a new home. Volunteers, including partner Kevin Sprague, have helped build and maintain the sanctuary.

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For more information on this facility, call Lilly at 671-6797 or write P.O. Box 1206, Anthony 32617.

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“I was tired of turning away 20 dogs a week,” said owner Lilly Baron. “We couldn't take in as many as we wanted to because we didn't have enough room. This is the final phase of the sanctuary, and we had to make sure we had enough money.”

She said the sanctuary has always taken in a few dogs, but at the end of July they will have the capacity to properly care for more.

“Every animal is a passion of Lilly's. She takes any animal in that isn't being treated right,” said Don Lemon, vice president of the sanctuary. “I mean she took even us in.”

Baron said dogs won't have to stay in their kennel if they are animal- and people-friendly. With supervision, they can roam with other canines throughout the property several times a day.

“These dogs need to run free, like a dog camp,” she said.

Baron said Stacy Moore, known as the “Muttman,” has offered to train troublesome dogs for free. But Baron emphasized they are not looking to become a shelter for only dogs with behavioral issues.

“Some of these animals come in in really bad shape, and they either go up for adoption or we keep them. With the recession... there are so many people just throwing their dogs out the window of the car; because they can't feed them, they dump them. The problem is, people keep breeding dogs,” said volunteer Carolyn Britt.

Baron started the nonprofit sanctuary in late 2003. It is licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a class III facility to handle small exotic animals.

“Everything I've done in my life has been with animals and plants. I love it, but I'm not a hoarder. Less is more. I don't need 100 animals,” said Baron.

She said because the sanctuary is run entirely on donations, she will gladly accept estate animals, as well as dogs that need boarding, to help with income. She plans to install cameras inside the new kennel so owners can check up on boarded pets throughout the day.

To finish the kennels, a volunteer still is needed to provide - and install - aluminum siding.

Baron said she doesn't need more sanctuary-specific volunteers, as she has more than a dozen. Instead, she said, people can help by donating new furnishings for the kennel, such as a stainless steel examination table, generator, electric fans, dog beds, ceramic bowls, toys, leashes, collars and flea products.

The sanctuary also needs funds to buy a hurricane shelter, another acre of land, a medicine cabinet that can be locked and a front-loading washing machine.

Baron said although they have already “gone green” by growing their own fruits and vegetables hydroponically, and using energy efficient lighting on timers, she would like to install solar panels to help with being environmentally friendly.

Baron said she will always welcome funding for her two biggest expenses - paying for veterinary services and buying feed, such as ZuPreem bird and ferret food, and Timothy hay.

To help with funding, Baron offers two tours of the facility each day, by appointment only, at $10 a person. An additional behind-the-scenes full-day Jungle Pass is available for $100 and includes helping feed the animals and a special photo session.

Memorial bricks - for humans or pets - can be purchased for $100, to be placed at the Wall of Friends or Memorial Pond.

Another reason help is needed is that the sanctuary is prepared to help rehabilitate shore birds impacted by the massive and ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with an extra 30-foot by 12-foot cage originally built to house African crowned cranes.

“All the bird sanctuaries are going to be full. I don't think there are enough in the state of Florida to take on all of those birds,” said Baron.

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Rasjha the camel is a former circus animal riddled with arthritis.

Willow, the Capuchin monkey, was rescued from a defunct New York zoo, too wild for a private home and too domesticated to be returned to the wild.

Shantie, the wolf, has epileptic seizures and needs around-the-clock care and medicine. The facility's two skunks are without their scent glands to protect them from predators but are too aggressive for most prospective adopters.

Their stories are unique but what they have in common is they and 50 other animals all now call Saving Animals for Everyone in Anthony home.

Founded by Lilly Baron, the 2 1/2 acre refuge rehabilitates unwanted exotic animals but also traditional pets before many go off to permanent homes.

But the 53-year-old Baron said she needs help because the facility doesn't have room for more animals, but more unwanted pets and creatures arrive nonetheless.

"We're full. We're to capacity. We need to adopt some of these animals out," Baron said. "We need help."

The latest group of animals to make it through the sanctuary's doors were 20 neglected miniature horses last month, many emaciated and not much more than skin hanging on bone.

Baron thought the county's Animal Control Department would move too slowly getting custody of the animals, so Baron instead bought the neglected horses outright with the help of a sponsor. She shipped most of the horses to a sanctuary in North Dakota for adoption. The cost for the project was $8,000.

"The horses were infested with lice ... and worms."

Some of the horses' teeth were so ground down from eating sand that the animals' mouths looked like they belonged to horses many years older they were. None had ever had hoof work done or been vaccinated, Baron said. Some of the horse were so sick and weak, they couldn't travel.

Meanwhile, the animals keep arriving with owners who can't or won't care for them.

This week alone, owners brought two sheep, two cockatoos, a goat and a cockatiel.

Next week, it could be more ferrets and rabbits to join the ones the facility already have.

Baron said she and her 15 volunteers need money to help run the 501 (c) 3 organization, keep animals fed and build a new kennel for adoptable dogs. The facility is permitted by Florida to also house exotic animals, reptiles and birds.

The problem is that it's too difficult turning away animals that are abused, Baron said.

Two months ago, a man telephoned Baron saying he was looking for two horses to use as pleasure riding horses and would pay their owners the cost of feed and veterinarian services in exchange. The man, whose name is Richard, wants to remain anonymous for this story.

What the retired landscape architect got instead was a telephone call from Baron asking for help buying the 20 miniature horses she would later ship to North Dakota.

"I didn't like the condition the horses were in. I wanted them out of there," said the 70-year-old retiree. He wrote two checks totalling almost $3,000 to give the horses to Baron and start them on their journey north.

"The money could have sat in the bank," Richard said, "but this is a far better choice for it."

Meanwhile, Baron said she would continue to care for the animals.

"Here they get love, they all get talked to," she said. "That's not going to change."

Anyone wanting to adopt a pet from Baron or make a donation can contact Baron at 352-671-6797.

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