Inspiring Kindness and Compassion towards Animals, Our Planet, and Each Other
Inspiring Kindness and Compassion towards Animals, Our Planet, and Each Other

Summer Haircuts and Using Wool

We posted last week that as part of our spring animal care we sheared our sheep so they do not over heat. The response on social media was amazing. Animal rights’ activists were condemning us for shearing them, and everyone else was criticizing us for not using the wool. I’d like to talk about that and explain.

Sheep originated from cold climates, so they have thick wooly coats to keep them warm and dry. When Columbus came to America, he brought sheep with him and that is why they now live in America. Most American states have very warm climates and the sheep would die of heat exhaustion if left with long winter coats. So, each spring we have Candy come out who has been shearing our sheep for eighteen years, and he very slowly and gently gives them a haircut. It is amazing to see the immediate relief on the faces of our babies once their fleece is gone and they feel cooler. When we brought the sheep into the Gentle Barn as part of our family, it became our responsibility to care for them, including keeping them comfortable each year.

When you look up the history of sheep on the internet, it immediately begins talking about wool and meat. There is no discussion about sheep’s personalities, family dynamics, language, likes or dislikes, the discussion is about them as a commodity and what they have done for us. At the Gentle Barn, we do not see sheep or any animal like that. We see their fear when we bring them in. We see their desire to live and be loved. We see their attachment to their children, mates, and friends. We see their courage as they recover and learn to trust. We see the hope and joy on their faces when we pet them for the first time. We see their tremendous purpose when they become ambassadors giving children hope and inspiration. So, when it comes time to give them their summer haircuts, it is not something that we do for personal gain. It is something that we do strictly for the well-being of our sheep.

Furthermore, the wool industry is very cruel. Most factory farms have thousands of sheep and the shearers pride themselves on how fast they can get the job done. The sheep are sheared so fast and are handled so roughly that they often have their legs or necks broken, and get deep cuts. The image that most of us have in our minds is of sheep in big green pastures, frolicking peacefully together. However, what we don’t see is that sheep are only kept to produce wool for the first year or two and are then sent to slaughter for their meat or for dog food. At the Gentle Barn we do not want to support or idealize the wool industry at all. We don’t want to make cute little fuzzy blankets so more people can fall in love with wool. We want to promote man-made products and just give our babies a haircut. We do, however, put it out for the birds for nests and send some to the people who sponsor our sheep so they can have some of their soft fur as a memento.

The animals we rescue come from a world who views them as objects with no souls or intelligence. They are used to being unseen, unheard and disrespected, which is why they are so terrified when we bring them home. We put them through a recovery process where we go to great lengths to show them that we see them, hear them and respect them, and eventually they trust us. At the Gentle Barn, it is never about us or what we can get from the animals. It is always and forever about them and what we can do for them. So, their summer haircuts are not about what we can do with their wool, but about how we can make them comfortable, healthy, and safe. Since the day we saved their lives the only thing we are focused on is how we can do more for them and how we can love and care for them more. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable for them to be sheared, but we do it gently and thoughtfully, and make them see that we are just doing it to make them feel more comfortable. I would never want them to think I was doing it for personal gain!

Many of you might still think throwing away their hair is wasteful. I think that thought might come from the belief that animals are here to serve us. The minute we evolve past that belief and we see them as sentient beings like ourselves, making a shirt out of sheep’s hair makes as much sense as collecting your child’s hair off the floor of Super Cuts and knitting it into a sweater. I think not recycling is wasteful. I think closing our hearts to animals and to one another is wasteful. I think killing animals for meat and milk is wasteful. I think going through this life and not loving everyone as much as we can, and evolving as much as we can is wasteful.

Please come visit us at The Gentle Barn, sit with one of our many sheep under a shade tree, feel their joy and tranquility, look into their golden eyes, breath in their sweet scent, close your eyes and connect with their hearts, and fall in love. I promise you that the last thing you’ll be thinking about is what we did with their hair when we gave them haircuts!

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    March 2nd 2024 - The Gentle Barn California

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