Farmed animals have little to no protections in the legal system and are a large under served group of individuals needing advocacy. They are one of the most exploited groups of animals in the world with the least amount resources for rescues specializing in their care.

We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal sanctuary with a focus on farmed animals. Our mission is to provide lifelong care to neglected, abused, and at risk animals along with educating the public on animal welfare. All animals who come here stay for their natural life. All animals receive the same level of care and medical care. We believe that everyone deserves access to routine and emergency medical services. Our goal is to provide the best quality of life possible while allowing individuals to have maximum autonomy. Outside of medical care and necessary treatments we don’t force any of the animals to interact with anyone they don’t want to. We focus on individualized care for everyone here. Rescue vs Sanctuary? Typically rescues operate as an adoption based agency while sanctuaries operate as permanent placement. There is some overlap and always exceptions. However, we do not adopt out any animals or place any animals with the general public. We work with animals who are high risk or are not suitable for placement in private homes. However at times we do place animals in other sanctuary when we are unable to accommodate taking them in here. We do not take in any wildlife outside of pigeons, sparrows, and starlings as they do not require permits to keep/care for. Wildlife requires care by a licensed professional and taking in a wild animal would jeopardize everything we do here. While we have a much higher level of medical care and willingness to provide animals every chance at survival, we also focus every decision on the animals best interests and quality of life. We strongly believe that when the time comes humanely euthanasia is one of the kindest acts we can perform for them. While living here every animal receives around the clock care, especially when circumstances require it. We believe in preventative care and do our best to get in front of any potential health concerns with proper diet, supplements, and environmental standards. Due to the unmanageable demand we do not accept owner surrenders of any animal, except for under special circumstances. When taking in an animal we must consider the long term obligations including resources such as time, financial commitment, medical needs, and their impact on current residents.

Currently 41 individuals call Little Woods home. 11 pigeons, 4 cats, 6 chickens, 2 turkeys, 8 pigs (6 small and 2 large), 2 ponies, and 8 goats.

Pigeons

Norman was our first resident. We found him barely alive after being attacked by a predator and took him in.

Igor, Popple, Zero, and Hagrid followed soon after Norman and all came from a wild bird rehabber in Detroit. Popple passed away in December of 2024 from cancer

Duckie came from the same rehabber and was thought to be unable to fly. Though he quickly proved that wrong.

Jimmy, Paisley, and Iris came from a hoarding neglect case in Detroit and were transferred to us from Michigan Humane Society

Maggy was a ceremonial release pigeon left for dead and was brought to the Bloomfield Hills animal control by a good samaritan. We were contacted by ac and asked to take her in as her needs were beyond their level of care they could give.

Maple was a racing pigeon who had been attacked by a predator and made his way to MHS who then transferred him to us.

Emerald rescued herself by showing up to Little Woods on her own. She was a racing pigeon who like many didn’t make the long distance flight. She was emaciated and loaded with parasites, and attempted to get into the house through windows before we brought her in.

Pigs

Winston was our first pig. He is a potbelly/kune kune cross and was dumped on the streets in Detroit as a tiny baby covered in mange and emaciated. We were contacted by MHS and took him in.

Ethan is a potbelly pig and was left to freeze outside as a piglet with his brother, who did not survive, before being rescued by an organization in Toledo who had no long term space for him so he was transferred here.

Snuffles & Houdini both potbellies who came to use after being adopted out by a rescue in Toledo and returned after being neglected by the adopters.

Althea was saved by witnesses after she fell from a transport truck in south west Michigan as a tiny 4lb piglet. With no one else able to take her in we made the leap to big pigs and welcomed her to Little Woods

Squishy is a potbelly pig who had been mauled by her caretakers german shepherd and was rushed to MSU. When the caretaker could not afford the expensive and intense medical care we were contacted by a rescue partner and agreed to take her in. She lost both ears and suffered several wounds but has made a full recovery.

Alexander like Althea fell from a transport truck on the freeway. After agreeing to cover his medical care to get him to safety we made the decision to bring him home to the sanctuary 

Oliver came to us after spending 16 years at the Detroit Zoo. Unknown to us he had been suffering from untreated seizures for years under their care. However now with the help of medication and our team of vets his seizures are under control and he is thriving in his golden years.


Ponies

Ruthie (pony) and Frank (mini) were rescued from a high kill auction in NJ at just a year old by an organization based in VA. After being neglected by the now defunct organization we agreed to take them in and provide a permanent home.

Goats

Grammy Stevie, Joan, Lizzo, Russell, Fiona, Maria, and Billie came to us from a rescue turned hoarding neglect case in Battle Creek MI that we assisted with. And were our first goats to call Little Woods home.

Neil & Elliot came to us from a high profile hoarding neglect case in CT where 65 goats were confiscated by the state. Both positive for CAE, an incurable degenerative disease in goats. Sadly Elliot passed away just a few months after coming to sanctuary. Neil though has been thriving thanks to modern medicine and specialized care.

Chickens

Helen was our very first chicken rescue. A family found her in metro Detroit after being dumped off and hit by a car at only a few months old. She made a full recovery and has been the chicken ambassador at Little Woods ever since.

The roo crew was rescued by a partner sanctuary from a hoarding case where 80+ chickens were living in a garage. In January of 2024 we lost Kermit to cancer.

Turkeys

Christopher and Didi were our first bird rescues beyond pigeons. They were surrendered by their caretaker who could no longer provide for them and did not want them to be slaughtered. Didi had a chronic respiratory disease and eventually succumbed to it after two and a half years with us.

Jolene was saved from a small backyard farm where she was destined for slaughter.

Cats

Toona & Ellie came to us from a TNR program in Detroit. Ellie was labeled unadoptable as a kitten and said to be vicious. Which turned out to be false. Toona had been forced to live in someones home after being feral and spent two years living under a bed before being surrendered to the TNR rescue.

Beau spent most his life living on the grounds of Beaumont Hospital in metro Detroit until the management decided he and the other feral cat were pests and hired an exterminator to trap and kill them. The nurse staff was able to assist in rescuing Beau and we agreed to take him in.

Lillian was dumped over our gate as a tiny kitten. And due to the lack of resources and overwhelming number of cats in need in the area we made the decision to provide her a lifelong home.

We work with organizations and agencies all over the country including animal control agencies, police departments, and other rescues and sanctuaries who request to place animals in our care. We also directly work on cases of neglect and abuse where we negotiate the surrender of animals in situations where there are no agencies to prosecute. While we get countless requests from individuals we do not accept owner surrenders, except under special circumstances.

As a sanctuary we work specifically with animals who are not a good fit for private homes. The majority of the animals who come here are not candidates for placement in private homes for a variety of reasons. Some would not make suitable companions in private homes due to behavioral issues, some have unique special medical needs, and others simply need somewhere quiet without expectation to live their lives.

We define sanctuary as somewhere that provides lifelong care, while a rescue is a transitional organization that focuses on placing individuals in private homes. While some sanctuaries may have adoptions programs as well the primary focus is being the final safe place for animals to live.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit we are funded by donations and the occasional grant. A lot of people think that the government sends us money because we are a registered nonprofit. We wish. We do not receive and financial assistance from any government agency. Because our focus is on farmed animals we do not qualify for the majority of grants that cat and dog rescue do. We are dependent on individual donors and our annual income is made up primarily of donations under $50. Grant funds typically make up less than 5% of our annual income.

As a nonprofit we have a board of directors that oversee the operations of the organization. Things like budget, policies, and large scale decisions are voted on and decided by the board of directors. The daily operations and responsibilities are done by co founders Ryan and Molly. They are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the animals, working with agencies and resources, and keeping things running smoothly day to day. As well as overseeing fundraising, marketing, and donor retention.

The primary ways people can help and be involved with the organization are volunteering and fundraising. But there are several other options as well. Simply spreading the word and telling other people about Little Woods can make a significant difference. Sharing and engaging with our social media brings a lot of exposure to the work we do. We also plan to continue to expand our committee for community outreach and growth as well as forming new boards and committees that benefit and promote the sanctuary.

We believe strongly in identifying the difference between providing everyone care no matter the cost and when we are selfishly trying to keep them around for our own comfort. Knowing when to let someone go is one of the most difficult tasks that we must regularly navigate. While there is no blanket standard of quality of life because each resident is an individual with different needs we do have the standard that no one should suffer unnecessarily. While one individual may do well with limited mobility, it may be inhumane for another. One of our most important duties as caretakers is providing end of life care. We strongly believe that everyone deserves the same respect in the end. And with that we utilize humane euthanasia when residents require assistance to pass. We also show everyone the same respect of cremation, unless physical limitations do not allow that as an option. In which case we would choose a proper burial.