We had a great group of kids for a field trip today. They hugged the cows, gave pigs tummy rubs, cuddled with turkeys and brushed the horses. They loved that Rascalina’s favorite spot to be itched is on her belly button!

Shanti was rescued from a backyard butcher where she had no food, water or shelter. She lived with so much stress, cruelty and fear, that when she came here we named her Shanti, which means peace to inspire her to find it. She has blossomed here and follows us around like a big dog, begging for more affection. If you are wondering what the backyard butcher is, go to: http://youtu.be/VQnL6yKHNDo To sponsor a Gentle Barn animal, go to: http://gentlebarn.org/virtual_barn.php

Our sheep got hair cuts today! Its very hot here now so we did our annual sheep sheering to make sure they are not overheated. We put plenty of sun screen on their backs so their new pink skin is protected. We don’t care about the wool, we just care that our babies are comfortable, but If you are local and would like to have their cruelty free wool, email us. First come, first serve, info@gentlebarn.org. Doesn’t Stanley look handsome?!

Serenity was rescued from slaughter. Before that she had never encountered a kind human before. She is absolutely terrified, but one day she will trust, one day her heart will feel joy, and one day we will hug her and she will know she is loved. Thank goodness we saved her, because she was pregnant. Serenity will get to stay with her baby Rumi for the rest of her life. To sponsor a Gentle Barn animal, go to: http://gentlebarn.org/virtual_barn.php

Just got of the phone with Rood and Riddle with a Worthy update: she and her mom, Indie are doing great! Worthy’s temperature is normal, they are resting a lot and being spoiled by the staff with peppermint candies and horse cookies. Their favorite thing is a grooming circle, we groom Worthy, Worthy grooms Indie and Indie grooms us. This is exactly what we did every day while we there for Worthy’s surgery.

Sassy was rescued from a backyard butcher. She was painfully thin and so very sad. It took months of constant care, but we finally nursed her back to health. Sassy nibbles on our faces, whispers thank you in our ears and cuddles with us daily. If we could house train her, she would be sleeping in our bed! She loves our visitors, especially people in wheel chairs. She does not leave their side and stands very close so they can reach her. Sassy is so special and we are grateful to have her as part of our family! If you are wondering what the backyard butcher is, go to: http://youtu.be/VQnL6yKHNDo To sponsor a Gentle Barn animal, go to: http://gentlebarn.org/virtual_barn.php

It was 104 degrees at The Gentle Barn today. As we fed all the animals, loved them, cleaned up after them and hosted a private tour, Biscuit was the only one with the right idea!

Sasha was ridden by an extremely impatient person who did not give her enough time to figure out what she was being asked to do. Every time she made a mistake she was hit, so eventually she froze completely. We worked with Sasha for two years while she gained confidence and came to trust that she was safe. Sasha is now our therapy horse, working with kids who are quadriplegic. She intuitively knows to come and groom them with her mouth and give them love when they cannot pet her. To sponsor a Gentle Barn animal, go to: http://gentlebarn.org/virtual_barn.php

I bet you didn’t know we had toads at The Gentle Barn? In the winter they come out and hop all around. We saved this one last night from our dog who thought he had found the best toy ever. We reminded him he lived at The Gentle Barn and we have to be gentle to everyone here. With the weather getting hotter the frogs will probably go underground soon, it sure was nice to see them!

Charlie is doing great, getting stronger by the day. Lacey came down with kennel cough and was eating, but seemed lethargic so we took her to get X-rays, per our vets suggestion just to make sure she didn’t have pneumonia. Lacey’s lungs are clear, whew! If you are just joining us: Charlie and Lacey lived together for 14 years and were brought to the shelter for being old. We took them home to The Gentle Barn and are helping their bodies feel stronger and healthier.

After surgery worthy had a slight fever, which the surgeon said was normal after anesthesia and such a long operation. This morning Worthy’s fever was normal, yay! She’s relaxing and eating and doing very well. The surgeon said that we won’t be out of the woods until she gets her cast changed in two weeks but he says the leg is completely straight and so far, so good!

We just put the second name on Worthy’s cast, thank you so much Kathleen! Sign Worthy’s cast and help us pay the growing vet bill. For donations of $1,000 we’ll sign your name of choice on her cast! You could put your mom’s name on there for mothers day! Go to www.gentlebarn.org, click the donate section and put Worthy in the notes. We will email you a photo. We realize not everyone can do this and we will do something more inclusive soon. We greatly appreciate all support, good thoughts and prayers for Worthy!

Our pot bellied pig Snoopy has been recovering from a recent surgery in our infirmary. Today, as we were cleaning her suite, she decided that if we were going to make the bed she would have to be in it! So she plopped down in the middle of the mass of comforters and there she stayed as we surrounded her in clean, fresh, warm blankets! Even piggies love room service!

We need to raise funds for Worthy’s surgery and we thought this would be fun: donate $1,000 and we’ll sign your name on her cast! Go to www.gentlebarn.org, click the donate section and put Worthy in the notes. We realize not everyone can do this and we will do something more inclusive soon. We greatly appreciate all support, good thoughts and prayers. Today we put the first name on Worthy’s cast, thank you so much Karen!!!

Donate $1,000 and get your name or a loved ones name on Worthy’s cast! Go to www.gentlebarn.org, click the donate button and put “Worthy’s cast” in the notes. We have not gotten the bill for her surgery yet, but it’s coming. Be a part of her healing! We will post the photo of names.

Bake Sale This Sunday!!

This Sunday from 10am – 2pm Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is coming to The Gentle Barn for the second year in a row to hold a vegan bake sale where 100% of the proceeds will go to The Gentle Barn. They will have cupcakes, brownies, donuts, chocolate and so much more. Bring your appetite and your friends, it will be delicious and supports a great cause!!!!

Barn Update

When Worthy was rescued she was scared of humans, malnourished, emaciated and was hobbling around on a crooked leg. Worthy was born with Windswept Angular Limb Deformity, which should have been corrected when she was a newborn. Worthy is now a yearling and she cannot live with her leg like this; it is only a matter of time till her leg collapses. So the choice was to put her down or try and save her with corrective surgery. She is so sweet and alive and we believe she deserves a chance. We spent a long time giving Worthy a chance to gain weight, gain strength and learn to trust us and she is now ready and will have surgery on Tuesday. The surgery is going to be expensive with risks and possible complications, but Rood And Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY is willing to give her a chance and is giving us 50% off the bill to help us out. We still have to raise the other half though, and we cannot do it without your help. All she has known up until now is pain, fear and hunger. Lets fix her leg and give her the loving, kind, wonderful life that she deserves! Please donate, any amount is greatly appreciated, go to: https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate.php Thank you so much!

Charlie and Lacey are doing great so far. When we saved them from being put down at the animal shelter, after being brought in for being old, they had great difficulty walking and standing up. For the last two weeks we have given them acupuncture, massage therapy, cold laser and aqua therapy to address their arthritis and atrophied muscles, slow walks to build muscles, Sun Chlorella Algae Super Food to boost their immune systems, and of course lots of love and affection so they have something to live for. Their legs are getting stronger and they are walking much better now. Their coats are starting to shine and their smiles say it all! After 14 years of living alone, on concrete, in a backyard, they finally have the life they deserve. This is going to be a slow, steady process and will involve a lot of care but they are so worth it. It’s getting expensive and we cannot do this without you, please continue to support us so we can continue to support Charlie and Lacey. https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate.php Thank you so much!

Our beloved cow Vegan left us this week at the age of 10. Because he was genetically engineered to get very big, very fast so he could be slaughtered at only 18 months, still a baby, he grew to over 2,000 pounds. Over the last few years it has been getting harder and harder for Vegan to stand up and walk because of his heavy weight and arthritis. This Sunday Vegan went down for the last time and he could not get up. Once a large animal cannot walk, their life is pretty miserable: they feel frustrated, angry, helpless and their organs start shutting down. This week, after giving Vegan cupcakes and water melon, his favorite treats, we gently helped him out of a body that no longer worked.

Vegan was born blind on a beef ranch. The farmer’s wife felt sorry for him and brought him up to the house to bottle feed him. She very soon fell in love with him. The farmer didn’t believe in cows as pets so he gave his wife one week to get rid of him or he was going to get rid of him. She called The Gentle Barn and asked if we would save him and of course we said yes. Vegan came to us at only 8 weeks old and we fell in love with him right way. He was so cute! Because he was blind we taught him to stop on command before he bumped into something. We bottle fed Vegan and when he was a year and a half we found a special surgeon in San Diego who did eye surgery on his congenital cataracts and helped him see. It was fascinating watching Vegan see for the first time, take in the world around him and learn what it was that he was looking at.

Vegan was a bit spoiled and actually didn’t like being pet by people he didn’t know. Vegan had a naughty sense of humor and when he was younger, thought it was funny to toss people in the air. I swear you could see him laughing. As he aged he mellowed and was content to have us give him back scratches and soft pets under the chin. Vegan never did open up to the public and large crowds, but he did bond with several of our volunteers and let them into his inner circle. Vegan was very opinionated and never minced words. He was very clear about what he liked and didn’t like and was not afraid to express himself. We loved that about him and he inspired the confidence of the at risk youth that we worked with. Vegan was a fan favorite of the kids we hosted, teaching them that when bad things happen there can be a power and a saving grace that comes out of it. We would never have wished for Vegan to be blind, but in the end it saved his life. If he was born “normal” he would have been slaughtered a long time ago. Luckily he wasn’t slaughtered and he blessed us with 10 years of magnificence!

We received a call from some people who knew about a Lakota medicine woman on a reservation in South Dakota who had lost her home for herself, her children and her grandchildren. With the harsh winter fast approaching something needed to be done to house her and her entire family. We have so much responsibility at The Gentle Barn; to care for 170 animals and host groups of children during the week and the public on Sundays, but the image of this woman and her family in the snow without a proper home was plaguing us, and the invitation was so strong. So with the reassurance of our great staff and volunteers we set out for the three day drive to South Dakota, materials, tools and laborers in tow.

The actual land was vast and gorgeous with glorious mountains, forests of golden, orange and yellow, and a canvas of sky that seemed to go on forever and at nighttime we gasped looking at the stars, not ever knowing there were so many! But this sacred, beautiful land is full of suffering, pain and Native history that was so thick we could almost see and touch it. The Morning Star Foundation bought the family a trailer, which needed to be worked on and set up, put on blocks and leveled. We also bought the family food and supplies.

It was amazing to witness a people who have dedicated their lives to living without the basic luxuries that we take for granted like hot showers, laundry machines, air conditioning, proper housing and television. Yet they were rich in culture, family, freedom, purpose and tradition. Living off the land, in order to preserve the land and their history and tradition. The Lakota land is very rich in natural resources like oil, gold and coal and the government would love to have the land back, but as long as the Lakota’s stand fast and occupy their land they cannot take it. If a family leaves the land however, then the government can take it from them. These people could easily have better lives somewhere else, but choose to live this way to keep the land and their ceremonies intact. On December 29, 1890 the Lakota people were rounded up and forced off their land. The people ran for safety through the bad lands of South Dakota. When they came out the other side they were surrounded, disarmed and killed by The US army, many of them were woman, holding babies. The monument at Wounded Knee stands in memory of the fallen victims of greed, hatred and bigotry and to remind us all that it was only in 1973 that the Lakota people demonstrated on the very same ground to gain the right to vote and finally won.

Standing at the monument brought us all to tears and we all felt very connected to our Native brothers and sisters that still don’t have the respect, the rights and the freedoms that they deserve! We felt blessed to be there and to play a very small part in their lives and in their struggles. We had a chance to partake in a sweat lodge ceremony and a talking circle and spent time talking to the elders and the chiefs about the traditions and ceremonies. Being connected to the land, to nature, to animals, to the children, to spirits and to each other is at the center of native culture and we felt so aligned with them as it is the center of what The Gentle Barn does as well, so we felt it very fitting to be three with them! As always we went there to give, but ended up taking much more away with us, and as the title of the book we read as children, We left our heart at Wounded Knee!

Back in the beginning of The Gentle Barn, in May of 2000, someone told me about a miniature cow breeder in Washington State.  I just had to call the guy to ask about this cow because I had never heard of a miniature cow before.  He said that he raised miniature cows because they were small and gentle; easy to raise, easy to keep and easy to kill!?  As he was rambling on about how gentle his cows were, he started telling me about a particular cow who was SO gentle that his grandchildren were raising her.  She was a year old and couldn’t have babies, so sadly they were sending her to slaughter the next day.  I couldn’t believe it!  He had described her as so kind and safe for the kids and wiling to tolerate anything they wanted to do to her, I couldn’t believe that such a life would be thrown away because she couldn’t make money.  By the time I hung up the phone, I had talked him into giving her to me.  I made arrangements to have her driven from Washington to The Gentle Barn in California and I had saved my first cow!

When “Buddha” came off the trailer the first day I met her, she looked like an angel in a cow suit.  She was warm and fuzzy and she smelled so good and she looked like she was smiling.  Her eyes twinkled and I felt loved and accepted right away as if we had known each other our whole lives.  Buddha allowed me to easily lead her into the barnyard and she went nose to nose to all the animals and walked around the yard completely comfortable and at ease.  I was so excited to have her in my yard that I could hardly sleep.  That night I kept walking out to the barnyard to watch her sleep peacefully among my other animals.  How could I sleep in my house when I had such a magical creature in my very own backyard?! She took my breath away and I couldn’t tear myself away!

It was clear immediately that Buddha was no ordinary cow and that she would be very special in my life and in the work of The Gentle Barn.  Every time we would host groups of children or be open to the public Buddha would lay down in the middle of the crowd and invite, or practically insist to be hugged by everyone.  She had the patience of a saint and when someone was leaning on her or snuggling next to her she wouldn’t move a muscle, ensuring the child’s safety.  Late at night if I felt stressed or sad for whatever reason, I would go to Buddha and sit next to her and look into her wise eyes, that seemed to know the wisdom of ages and the secrets of the gods.  Buddha would wrap her neck around me and hug me back and I would put my face into the back of her ear or her neck and I would feel warm, protected and completely safe and loved.  SHE was healing ME!

Buddha very quickly became the chief ambassador of The Gentle Barn working with special needs children, with her patience and kindness.  She worked with at risk children, lowering their defenses and helping them become vulnerable and open, and often bringing people to tears as they received her mutual embrace.  Over the 12 years that Buddha served at The Gentle Barn she doled out over 300,000 hugs, worked with thousands of inner-city, at risk and special needs kids, she held still while people in wheel chairs brushed her and precariously leaned over to hug her, she adopted and raised orphaned or lonely animals, and she taught me, loved me and saved me every day she was here!  But most importantly, Buddha showed hundreds of thousands of people that cows are not food.  That they are special and deserving of love and compassion just like you or me.

This past Friday Buddha gracefully, easily and peacefully slipped out of her 13 year old, arthritic body as I held her head in my arms and whispered, “thank you, thank you, thank you!”  We didn’t just say goodbye to a cow; we said goodbye to a teacher, a leader, a councilor, a great mystic, a friend and a mom.  I don’t even know how it’s possible to have a Gentle Barn without Buddha here!  As one of our volunteers wisely stated, Buddha was The Gentle Barn!  But when animals leave us, we find a way to move on; no matter how impossible that seems to us right now.  And Buddha wouldn’t have it any other way.

To every staff member who took excellent care of Buddha, especially toward the end when it was difficult for her to get up and she needed to be served water and food every hour, thank you!  To every volunteer who brushed her, kept her clean, free of flies, loved and appreciated her, thank you!  For every visitor around the world who had the honor and the privilege of meeting Buddha, who was touched by her, inspired by her, who shares in our grief, thank you!  For every one of you who know how much Buddha meant to me personally, who knows that I meditated with her every night, that I snuggled with her every morning, that I talked about her every Sunday, that I worked with her every day with the children we host, who knows that I can hardly breath right now with out her, who is holding me in their hearts, sending me light or prayers, thank you!

And thank you, thank you, thank you Buddha for showing me unconditional love, for always being here for me, for raising me, for teaching me, and for being a mom to me!

Ellie Laks

Founder, The Gentle Barn

8 17 12

We have a few more goats rescued from the backyard butcher who are young, healthy, friendly and are now ready for adoption as pets only! If you are interested and live in Los Angeles or surrounding areas, please email us for an application at info@gentlebarn.org, or please share.

Hiroka, Hero for short (affectionately named by Sun Chlorella), is doing marvelously! She is in great spirits and the wound on her leg is almost completely gone. But, she needs more ultrasound on her swollen knee and more chiropractic and acupuncture for her back. To give her the treatments she needs we are going to bring her down to our main location in Santa Clarita and introduce her to the other horses and continue working on her body. We are very excited to introduce her to you as well!

Portia fancies herself as a queen and lords patiently over the other animals while sitting on her thrown. We felt that she needed a more glamorous thrown fit for a queen of her stature, so we put some bling into it! We don’t want to ruin the surprise, so come with your bow or curtsey and see her newly decorated thrown!

We have a few more goats rescued from the backyard butcher who are now young, healthy, friendly and ready for adoption as pets only! If you are interested and live in Los Angeles or surrounding areas, please email us for an application at  info@gentlebarn.org.

We just placed our first three goats who were rescued and rehabilitated from the backyard butcher to a really great home! The home uses the same veterinarian as we do, they have a huge area for the goats and they are going to take great care of them! We will monitor their progress and make sure they are safe and well cared for forever. Raven, Gypsy and Kara love it there!!!!!

If you are interested in adopting goats, please email us at info@gentlebarn.org.

Madonna and Holy Cow just moved to the big cow pasture up the road so they can have more friends, more exercise and more fun! They were here for the last two years because they were very sick when we rescued them and we wanted to make certain that their issues were over and they were 100% healthy, and they are. They are making a lot of friends, exploring, playing and having a great time!

In 2008 we were part of a rescue with more than 400 animals from a hoarder.  One of them was an emu we called Yoda. When we first rescued him he was wild eyed and scared.  We spent months showing him he was protected and loved and took very good care of him.  He finally realized he was safe with us and started allowing us to pet him.  Throughout the first year we bonded with Yoda and he would put his head on our shoulder and we would wrap our arms around his neck and snuggle him and he would snuggle us.  He looked so intimidating and powerful to newcomers, but he was always gentle, sweet and kind!

Yoda was amazing; he had a game he played with our peacock, Jewel. The first time I saw them play I thought that they were fighting.  I was working at my desk in my office that overlooks the barnyard, so I can see all the animals while I work and I saw Yoda chasing Jewel around the barnyard and thought that it didn’t seem right. I got up from my desk and was about to run out to stop them when they stopped, turned around and then Jewel started chasing Yoda.  It was like they were taking turns playing chase!  They remained playmates for the rest of Yoda’s time here.

Yoda liked men more than women.  When our animal caretaker came to work everyday, Yoda would see his car and come running to the gate to wait for him.  Yoda would follow him around and be by his side as he did his clean up and feeding of the other animals.  Yoda didn’t pay much attention to women other than cuddling, but when I came into the barnyard with my hair up he was all of a sudden very impressed!  Yoda would run over to me and look at me like, “hay, whatcha doin?”  He would follow me around and then sit down on his elbows and creep up to me and posture like he was about to mate with me.  I would explain to me that I was flattered, but married and walk away.  He ultimately would grab the rubber band and pull it out of my hair, exposing that I was indeed a woman and then he would lose all interest, as he threw the rubber band at my feet.

Yoda was an amazing ambassador with the at risk kids we work with.  The children were always intimidated by him initially, because he looked so reptilian and imposing, but after seeing how he loved to cuddle and hearing my explanation of how he is so gentle they would gather around and pet him and stroke his fluffy head and watch him fall asleep.  It would always lead to a discussion about how it feels to be judged and how unfair it is to judge someone else.  Yoda was clearly different than what he looked like and so are most of the kids we work with.

On Thursday morning, June 28 we woke up to Yoda coughing up blood from his mouth.  We called our mobile vet immediately and were told that she was not working that day.  Then we called our bird expert and were told that he was out of town for the day.  We kept calling as many hospitals as we could think of and were told over and over again that they did not work on emus, or that they were closed for the day.  Finally we got a hold of one of the pet hospital we worked with in the past, that works on birds and were told that they were off for the day, but that the doctor came into the hospital just for a moment to check on some animals. She agreed to wait for us and to treat Yoda.  We carried Yoda into the horse trailer after explaining to him what was going on and where we were taking him.  We cooled him off so he would be more comfortable for the ride and were on our way.

We arrived at the hospital and got him into an observation room right away.  As the office staff brought in an estimate, we gave them permission to do whatever they deem necessary to save our Yoda and explained to them that we never make decisions for our animals based on money, only for their highest good.  The doctor gave him a shot to sedate him and drew blood to send to the lab.  Then they started a series of tests and x-rays to determine why he was bleeding internally.  After the tests were done, there was still no clue what had caused the internal bleeding, the x-rays didn’t show any foreign object lodged inside or any holes, etc.

Meanwhile we kept calling different bird vets to see if any of them might have had any additional suggestions or experience with Emu’s.  We kept getting the same answer; there was nothing more we could do.  We did get one vet that said that he could use a scope to look inside but not until the next day.  We would have to wake Yoda up, keep him at the vets overnight, and transport him to another hospital the next morning to sedate him again for a scope exam and perhaps exploratory surgery.  The bleeding wouldn’t stop though, and the doctors said that there was no way he was going to make it through the night, so they suggested that the kindest thing to do was to let him go.  They urged us not to put him through more steps, that if he was to be woken up, that he could suffer a very horrible death.  As I sat in the hallway and cried huge sobs of grief they let Yoda go.  Yoda left in about five seconds flat; there was no hesitation on his part.  It was almost impossible to get my body, heavy with grief off the ground to get to the car to drive home.  There was a hole in my heart that could not be mended.

Arriving home was hard because I didn’t want to see the barnyard without him, I didn’t want a Gentle Barn without Yoda.  I wanted to look inside the white fence and see Yoda’s funny ballerina walk and see him run, his neck and head going one direction and his fluffy body going another.  I wanted to kiss his fluffy head and hold his neck up while he fell asleep in my hands.  I wanted to whisper in his ear how much I love him.  I want to tell visitors on Sundays how he is a distant relative to the dinosaur and he has dinosaur feet and have the visitors gasp in excitement to meet him!  How can I host a group of at risk kids without him?  I will forever expect him to be standing behind me to grab my hair band and let my hair loose, exposing me for being a woman.

Yoda was not just an amazing bird, not just an ambassador, not just a teacher, not just our partner healing at risk kids, but Yoda was our friend!  Jay and I are heavy with grief, devastated and inconsolable.  We are trying to find our way to the gratitude of having met him and the miracle of knowing him and loving him, but it will take time, because for now we just feel a big gaping hole in our barnyard and in our hearts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BACKYARD BUTCHER TURNS HIMSELF IN

Animal abuser begins jail time today for felony animal cruelty and

selling of illegal meat to the public 

Santa Clarita, CA, (June 26, 2012) – Over the past four years, The Gentle Barn has been monitoring and rescuing animals from an abusive and filthy Southern California backyard butcher.  To date, The Gentle Barn has rescued from this location, a horse in horrific and malnourished condition, as well as 14 cows, 32 goats and sheep and 4 turkeys.

After many months working with Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and the District Attorney, the backyard butcher Roberto Celedon, has pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty charges, and a misdemeanor for selling illegal meat to the public.  Celedon has been sentenced to ninety days in jail and five years probation.  He was also ordered to pay $4,000 restitution, to complete 48 animal cruelty classes, not to own, possess, maintain or harbor any animals, not to own, operate or work at any meat-producing facility, not to attend auctions where animals are sold and not to sell any meat products.  Celedon’s property can be searched at any time by three different agencies to ensure there will no longer be animals suffering on his property.

All of the animals have been removed from his property and are now being rehabilitated at The Gentle Barn.  The way the animals were being slaughtered for human consumption was ruthless and the public was being sold potentially contaminated meat.

During a raid on Celedon’s illegal slaughter facility in Santa Clarita, CA in April of this year, over 23 goats and sheep, 5 cows, and an injured and emaciated horse were confiscated and brought to The Gentle Barn for rehabilitation.

Jay Weiner, President of The Gentle Barn says, “This is yet another example of the kind of inhumane and illegal mistreatment that farm animals are subjected to as a result of backyard butchers across the country.  We need to put a stop to this practice and appreciate all the hard work of our volunteers, staff, LA District Attorney, LA County Animal Control Major Case Unit and our loyal donors who have given us the funds we desperately need to care and make these animals well.”

Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn says, “This is exactly the kind of work that The Gentle Barn does; we speak up for those who have no voice and take a stand for those who are being mistreated. You can make a difference for animals, your health and the environment in your own life by adopting a plant-based diet.  Your support enabled us to do this work and achieve this huge victory for animals and the public and your support in the future will allow us to do it again. Please continue to support us, when you do you are saving lives!”

The rescued animals now safe at The Gentle Barn still need medical treatment, top quality nutrition, and round the clock loving care to heal. They will now live the rest of their lives with people who will give them the best care possible.

To make a donation to help these animals recover and heal, please go to https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate.php

To see a video about the rescue, please go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQnL6yKHNDo&feature=plcp

This is a tremendous victory, not only for the animals, but for public safety as well.  Backyard butchers are not licensed or controlled and are typically abusive and filthy places, selling meat from animals riddled with diseases, some of which are potentially transferable to people.

About The Gentle Barn

The Gentle Barn Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1999 as a rescue, safe haven and place of recovery for abused farm animals and children.  Its unique philosophy rehabilitates animals and connects their stories of survival and healing to the personal experiences of inner city, at-risk and special needs children and adults who have suffered physical, mental or emotional trauma.  Unlike most therapy animals who are selected for their docile temperaments and raised for service from a young age, each of The Gentle Barn’s 160 farm animals has a history of neglect, abandonment and other abuses that are personally relevant to at-risk children.  By interacting with the animals and taking a hands-on role in their welfare, those who participate in programs at The Gentle Barn learn empathy, kindness, strength, trust, forgiveness and leadership.  The variety of programs offered promotes lifelong healing for both the people and the animals.  The Gentle Barn is run by founders Ellie Laks and Jay Weiner, both of whom were healed and supported by animals as children.  They live on the six-acre property with their three children.  The Gentle Barn is open to the public Sundays from 10:00am until 2:00pm.  More information is available at www.gentlebarn.org. 

CONTACTS:

Cindy Guagenti / BWR Public Relations

Email:          cguagenti@bwr-la.com

Jay Weiner / The Gentle Barn

Email:          jay@gentlebarn.org