Why farmed animals?

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.

What’s our mission and what do we do?

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.

What does it mean to be vegan?

We consume no animal products. Most people understand that means no eating meat or wearing fur and leather. But many people don’t understand this means no eggs, no dairy (butter, milk, cheese), no honey. We believe that all animals should be treated with respect and that we have no right to take from them in any way to serve ourselves. One of the most common questions we are asked is what do we do with the chickens eggs if we don’t eat them? Well we let the chickens eat them! It’s actually quite unnatural for a chicken to lay an egg everyday. This has only become common do to years of selective breeding. However their bodies are not made to handle that level of stress. Chickens would naturally only lay eggs once or twice a year, laying about a dozen eggs each time over the course of several days. Laying an egg everyday depletes their bodies resources and strains their organs. So to help replenish their bodies we feed the eggs, shells and all, back to them! The animal agriculture system is full of horrors and abuse of animals. What most people don’t know is that all animals slaughtered for food are in fact babies. Pigs are slaughtered at 5 to 6 months old and can live 12-15 years on average when cared for properly. Cows are slaughtered at 12-18 months while their natural lifespan is 15-20 years. Chickens are killed at just 7-9 weeks and are often still peeping even though they look full grown due to genetic manipulation. If cared for properly chickens can live to be 10+ years old. Even the lifespan of a laying hen is drastically shorter due to the toll it takes on their bodies. Most die at just 2-5 years old. Turkeys are slaughtered at 14-20 weeks, when their natural lifespan is 10+ years. These are just a few examples of animals age at slaughter vs. their natural lifespan. No animal being consumed is ever given the opportunity to grow old and have a good life. Not even on small local farms. There are also no real protections to make sure that they are cared for and shown respect in their short lives. Cage free just means that there are no individual cages. There can be as many as 50-75,000 birds crammed into one living space without room to move away from each other. Dairy cows are often never allowed to roam free in fields and are kept in cramped barns.