The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog Fri, 04 May 2012 22:07:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Barn Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=149 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=149#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 22:07:21 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=149

 

Our cow that we just rescued from the backyard butcher had her baby early last Thursday morning! She must have been born very early because when we came out at 6:00 a.m. she was already dry and running next to her mom. She is so tiny and gorgeous and her mom is just thrilled. We congratulated her mom and let her know that we would not take her baby away, but would allow her to raise her and love her for the rest of her life. This baby is so lucky she narrowly dodged being born at the backyard butcher, into a life of suffering and cruelty, but instead landed at The Gentle Barn instead to only know kindness, safety, comfort and love! We will keep you posted on how she is doing and give you pictures of her as she grows.

 

 The 6 goats (Rose Mary, Hannah, Amelia, Gus, Reina and Daisy) that we rescued from the backyard butcher in the raid before this last one were finally ready to join the barnyard this week. They are now out in our barnyard making friends, exploring and having fun. If you are local, come meet them, they are a bit shy with new people, but are warming up a bit more every day!

  

Because turkeys are genetically engineered to get very big and very fast so they can be slaughtered at 12 weeks old, by the time they are full grown it becomes difficult for them to walk. Our beautiful turkey Portia, is only two years old and cannot walk anymore. So this week we built her a throne so she can sit in our office and greet folks as they come and go, be given treats and goodies and get the attention that she deserves. She also has her little red wagon that she gets to be in on Sundays and in the sunshine when the weather is nice. We will make her feel wanted, loved and adored as long as we are blessed to have her!

 

On Tuesday, May 1st, our beloved cow Buddha turned 13 years old! Buddha was The Gentle Barn’s very first cow and she has given unconditional love to hundreds of thousands of children! Because cows are genetically engineered to get very big, very fast so they can be slaughtered while still babies, when we rescue them from slaughter they get abnormally large. Buddha is actually a miniature cow, but still she is too big for her tiny feet, so she has arthritis in her front knees. It has become difficult for her to walk or get up and down quickly, so we give her anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers every day, chiropractic care and ultrasound every week to keep her comfortable and happy. If you have had the pleasure of hugging Buddha, you know how very special she is and that she deserves the best! If you would like to donate towards her treatments and The Gentle Barn for her birthday she would sure appreciate it! She also loves horse cookies, carrots and vegan banana cupcakes. If you would like to hug her, please come visit her on Sundays.


We would like to thank Bungalow 360 not only for throwing an amazing Earth Day party at The Gentle Barn, but also for installing solar panels at The Gentle Barn! Bungalow 360 is very generous and wants to support children and animals and non-profits and the planet at the same time, so they donate solar panels to non-profits, one each year, and we are the very lucky organization this year. We are so grateful!!!!! We have wanted to go solar for years and Bungalow 360 has made our dream come true!

Yay…being green rocks!

]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=149 0 Barn Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=143 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=143#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:56:51 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=143

  

 The animals we rescued from the backyard butcher are responding to our treatments and therapies. One of the sheep, who is still sick, has a virus not only contagious to other animals but to humans as well, so she has to be kept in strict isolation. Every day we tell her how beautiful she is and how much we love her. She is getting better slowly and we can’t wait to hold and pet her!

Hero is also healing. She is gaining weight slowly, ultrasound treatments are helping decrease the swelling in her knees, chiropractic is helping her spine straighten and relieving her headaches, and great vet care is healing her leg which is no longer infected down to the bone. Many of the goats and sheep are getting very friendly and are starting to play and allow us to pet them.

  

There are so many animals that we can’t possibly keep them all once we have healed them physically and emotionally and they are out of quarantine. The Gentle Barn only keeps animals that no one else wants, so we will be putting many of them up for adoption to loving homes. We will only adopt them as pets, not for milk or meat production.

If you are interested and live in Southern California, have a fence that is at least 6 feet high and are zoned to have goats and sheep, please email us so we can put you on the waiting list.  Email us at info@gentlebarn.org with “Goat Waiting List” in the subject line.

It looks like she is pregnant and we are awaiting the birth of her baby. Her baby will get to live here with his mom for the rest of his life and will never know the abuse, loneliness, fear or illness that his mom lived with, before we saved her.

   

It will take Hero many months to be completely healthy, some of the goats and sheep are still struggling with fear, illness and injury, and we don’t know what kind of care will be involved with the babies that will be born soon. This is more animals than we have ever taken in at one time and we cannot do this without you, please help us, please donate, any amount is greatly appreciated!
To donate, please click here.
]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=143 1 Backyard Butcher Rescue Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=138 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=138#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:57:40 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=138

Remember Sassy, Divine and Joy from the backyard butcher?  The gross abuse going on over there has finally been stopped!  He was arrested and all the animals there have been removed and are on their way to The Gentle Barn. This is a huge victory in shutting down backyard butchers, their extreme cruelty and their tainted meat. We have been rescuing animals from this backyard butcher for over 3 years and working with authorities to make conditions over there better, and the animals have finally won! By the way, our calf Julian and the 6 goats that we rescued a few months ago were from this backyard butcher as well.

   

We have just taken in over 20 goats and sheep, cows, and a horse. The animals are emaciated, malnourished, scared to death, they have infections, open sores, are infested with parasites, their eyes are infected causing blindness, their noses are runny and they have hacking coughs. They have high fevers and the horse has a huge wound on her leg that is infected down to the bone. These animals are very sick and we have a tremendous amount of work to do to save their lives.

  
The horse is in a lot of pain because of an out of alignment spine, arthritic legs, swollen knees and a huge gash on her leg that is infected down to the bone. So far we have trimmed her hooves which were so long they looked like clown shoes, treated her with ultrasound and chiropractics, pain meds, nutritional supplements and Sun Chlorella, a type of algae we are using to boost her immune system and make her strong. Even in the few days she has been with us she is already much more active and alert. She has a long way to go and we need your help to keep treating her and the others. These are more animals than we have ever taken in at one time, and we can’t do this without you, please support us, we need you now more than ever!
To donate, please click here.
]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=138 0 Backyard Butcher Rescue Press Release http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=135 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=135#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:55:20 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=135
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THE GENTLE BARN CONDUCTS EMERGENCY RESCUE FROM BACKYARD BUTCHER

Santa Clarita, CA, (April 5, 2012) – Over the past several 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 condition, as well as 14 cows, 32 goats and sheep, 4 turkeys.

After many months working with Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and the District Attorney, the backyard butcher has been arrested on felony charges and all the animals have been removed from his property and are now recovering 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.

The LA County Animal Care and Control trucks started pouring onto The Gentle Barn property at about 11:30 Tuesday morning. In those trucks were over 20 goats and sheep (including several babies), 5 adult cows and a badly mistreated horse from the backyard butcher’s location. All the animals are emaciated and terrified, many with open sores, infected lungs, parasites, fevers and hacking coughs. Some of the goats have been blinded from untreated eye infections. The horse has an open, infected wound on her leg that goes to the bone and is clearly causing her incredible pain.

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.

“We recognize that people have many choices as to what they eat and where they purchase their food.” said Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn, “We encourage people to consider a plant-based diet. But no matter what you choose, everyone should be selective about the source of their meat and not buy from backyard butchers.”

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The rescued animals now safe at The Gentle Barn need extensive 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

About The Gentle Barn

The Gentle Barn Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1999 as a 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 138 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 founder Ellie R. Laks and her partner 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

Karen Snook / The Gentle Barn Email: karen@gentlebarn.org

]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=135 2 Backyard Butcher Rescue Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=130 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=130#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:20:43 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=130
There are over 20 goats and sheep that were brought to us yesterday. They are sick, infested with parasites, malnourished, emaciated and terrified. They have such bad eye infections they are going blind! We are working hard to save them but cannot do it without your help, please support us, we need you now more than ever! to donate go to: https://www.gentlebarn.org/donate.php
]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=130 0 Backyard Butcher Rescue Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=127 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=127#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:18:33 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=127
This was our first arrival from the animals taken from the backyard butcher. She is hundreds of pounds underweight and every bone protruding, covered with mud, she has hair falling off in clumps, sores on her face and body, a huge wound on her leg that is infected down to the bone, both eye are infected, her knees are swollen and we are fighting hard to save her life and absolutely cannot do this without you! Please donate at www.gentlebarn.org, thank you!
]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=127 1 Backyard Butcher Rescue http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=122 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=122#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:17:17 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=122 Remember Sassy, Divine and Joy from the backyard butcher? The gross abuse going on over there has finally been stopped! He was arrested and all the animals there have been removed and are at The Gentle Barn. This is a huge victory in shutting down backyard butchers, their extreme cruelty and their tainted meat. The animals have just arrived. Please help us! Go to www.gentlebarn.orgto make a donation.

]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=122 0 Barn Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=117 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=117#comments Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:57:17 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=117

Madonna and Holy Cow just turned two years old! It seems like just yesterday when they were 8 weeks old and we saved them from slaughter and brought them home. With an underdeveloped stomach, Madonna kept bloating and almost died several times and we had to stay up with her all night for almost a month. Holy Cow was stomped when she was born so she would not walk, so she had no muscle and could not stand. Our chiropractor straightened her spine after many sessions and we encouraged her to stand every hour, all day long until she developed muscles and could walk.

They were terrified of humans and had no hope or will to live. It took months of intense therapy, thousands of dollars of vet care, the help of hundreds of volunteers, and tons of unconditional love to heal their bodies and give them something to live for. Today Madonna and Holy Cow are healthy, strong, full of life and happiness, and think of themselves as lap cows. We are so happy they were born and we love having them as part of our family! Madonna and Holy were named by Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.

This week our dentist came out to clean our dogs’ teeth. This non anesthesia method does not take the place of a thorough cleaning by the vet, but does help maintain the teeth between vet visits and helps prevent infections and plaque build up. We explained what was going to be done to the dogs and explained to the dogs that we needed them to lay still and quiet and trust us, and they did! Each one took his or her turn on the carpet while they had their cleaning and it was quick, painless and successful!  If you live in the Los Angeles or surrounding area and you would like the dentist’s information, please contact us.

This week we had a fantastic group of kids who come in from South Central Los Angeles, brought in by the Los Angeles Police Department. We hiked up the mountain behind our house and picked the highest spot to sit and talk. We told them that 4 years ago we had a fire here and as far as the eye could see was burned, dead and destroyed, and we noticed that now just a few years later everything is lush, green and overgrown with flowers of every color.

We talked about how resilient nature is and that no matter how demolished it seems, it can always grow back and start anew. We talked about how our animals are resilient too and asked the kids for examples of how they have been resilient in their lives. They shared some incredible stories of how they survived life, stayed true to who they were, and rose above their situations.

As we walked back to the barn the teens saw some trash on the mountain, and without being asked, picked it up and carried it all the way down to the barn where they threw it away. These kids are heroes, protectors and defenders of the planet and animals, and we are so proud of them and grateful to know them!

Our violence prevention program with at-risk and special needs kids runs from September through June. As this year slowly winds down, we are already trying to raise funds for groups to come next year. We have so many groups that need our program and are on our waiting list hoping to be funded. It is $400 for a group to come to the barn one time, and $4,000 for a group of inner city kids to come to our program for the year. Please sponsor a group of kids who are in foster care, on drugs, in gangs, on probation, from the inner city, or having special needs to come to The Gentle Barn. Our program makes miracles in every group and you would be helping us save lives!

To make a donation towards animal care, our violence prevention program, and to support work of The Gentle Barn please click here.
]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=117 0 Barn Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=112 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=112#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:45:59 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=112

This week actor and producer Mark Wahlberg and his beautiful family came for a private tour of our main property and learned the stories of all our animals, hugged cows, gave tummy rubs to the pigs, held chickens, and had a great time!

We also had linebacker Chris Gocong from the Cleveland Browns and his lovely wife Mandy who came for a private tour of our teddy bear cows on our second property. They hugged, brushed and loved all 40 cows and fell in love with them.

We have three different kinds of private tours; Our VIP tour with the founder on our main property, where you can meet all our animals, hear their stories, feed horses, hug cows, give tummy rubs to the pigs and so much more! Our teddy bear tour of the cows, on our other property which is not open to the public, where you can hug and brush 40 cows and hear their stories. And our horse lovers tour where you can brush our horses, feed them carrots, hear their stories and take them for a nature walk. All three tours are fantastically fun, given to people from all over the world, and we would love to have you here for one, or all three! Contact our office at info@gentlebarn.org or (661) 252-2440 to book your Gentle Barn private tour today!

We have established a brand new volunteer intake, interview and training process and this week we had our very first horse orientation graduates. We are so excited to have them here and proud of all that they learned! They are now officially part of our horse grooming and walking team and we are grateful! If you would like to be a Gentle Barn cow hugger, horse groomer, Sunday docent or upper barnyard buddy spending time with our animals, contact us and we will get you started!  Click here to download the volunteer paperwork.

The 6 goats are doing fantastic! They are getting braver, more trusting and comfortable with us being around them. Reina is the most scared and damaged and we are working very hard to win her trust. When she first came here she would not eat or lay down when we were around, and would watch our every move. Now she will eat happily and lay down and close her eyes in the sun when we are only 5 feet away! That is major progress and we are proud of her. We will keep working until we can pet and hug her and the pain no longer lives inside of her!

We want to thank Lena who saw our story on The Ellen Show in Germany a year ago and has been saving money ever since so she could come to America and volunteer with us. She has been with us for almost a month volunteering and we have all fallen love with her! We wish we could keep her, but sadly she is returning home on Saturday. She has helped us so much and we will miss her! Lena was so inspired by the animals that she has embraced a plant-based diet and will hopefully be able to come back and volunteer with us again soon!

To make a donation towards animal care, and to support work of The Gentle Barn please click here.

]]> http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=112 0 Barn Update http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=109 http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=109#comments Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:17:28 +0000 The Gentle Barn http://www.gentlebarn.org/blog/?p=109

 The vet came out this week to check on Joy. She is an older goat, rescued from severe abuse, and has a lump on her neck, which is getting bigger. She also spends lots of time lying down, which is normal for an older goat, but we just want to draw some blood and make sure she is A-OK.

 A man bought a house and when he moved much to his surprise there were two emus in his new backyard. So, being a caring person, he made them a part of his family. Several years later he was forced to sell his house and didn’t want to abandon the emus, so for the last six months he has been calling every rescue he could think of asking if someone could take his birds, to no avail.

On Thursday they were scheduled for euthanasia because the only people interested in taking the emus were folks wanting to kill them for their meat or oil, and he was not willing to let that happen. He thought that it would be better for them to be put down than go somewhere they would not be loved or cared for properly. We wanted to take the emus to our place, but were warned by our vets not to because they are a mated pair and they would most likely fight with our current male emu, Yoda.  And, we would never put him in that position.

When we realized, however, that no one else would take them and that it was up to us to save them. We started making calls to everyone we could think of. After hours of thought and phone calls, we finally found someone who said that they would take them in and give them a lovely home!

This past Thursday at 4:00 a.m. we drove down to Palm Springs, California to pick them up, a three-hour drive one way. Then, after picking them up, drove another five hours to their new home in Ojai, California. The two emus will keep company with some chickens and goats, and will have a loving home for the rest of their lives. The rescue took sixteen hours total on Thursday, but it was a good day’s work saving two lives!

Whether it is a horse, cow or dog, our chiropractor Dr. Michael Rueben sure does make them feel better! Our dog Kaylee is 16 years old and from time to time her back gives out and it becomes difficult for her to walk. Dr. Reuben came to her rescue this week and adjusted her spine, which made her feel much, much better!

To sponsor Joy or Kaylee, please visit our Virtual Barn.

To make a donation towards their care, and to support work of The Gentle Barn please click here.

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