We are so sad that our Blossom has passed away. It was sudden and, although we knew he didn’t have long, unexpected. Blossom was a broiler chicken, his body was built to fail from the beginning. He was genetically engineered…

Ten years ago we went to look at some horses at a local horse rescue. Other organizations know that we take in animals no one else wants, so they call us when they have an animal who is too old, too sick, too lame, or…

Sarah was wild in our neighborhood, we were never able to find out where she came from. She emerged one day with 15 babies and we knew that if she remained where she was, her and her babies would be eaten by predators.…

Eric was raised to fight. When they noticed that he is a lover not a fighter they were going to eat him. Able to intervene, we brought him home to charm us all with his personality and his sense of humor which is larger…

Nalla was rescued along with the 30 animals from a backyard butcher with her mom. She was designated for slaughter, and treated with a cruel hand and an unloving heart. She came to The Gentle Barn terrified of our every…

Lyra came to us from an animal shelter just before she was supposed to be put down. Someone had impulsively brought Lyra home and got rid of her when the novelty of having a chicken wore off. Lyra will have a forever…

This week we helped Claire out of her body, walked her home, and set her free. Before she left, I told her that she had done an excellent job here, as an ambassador, a teacher, a healer, and a friend. She was always gentle…

Spirit is the 6th cow of the St Louis Six. He escaped the slaughter house with his brothers but because of his injuries during the round up process back to the slaughterhouse, Spirit was too ill to survive. Spirit passed…

Katie was a pony who spent her life giving rides to small children. She wore a saddle that did not fit, so her back was sore. They did not trim her feet, so her legs got arthritic and stiff. And she wore a bridle that…

Monty was rescued from Thanksgiving. Instead of ending up on someone's plate, he came to The Gentle Barn where he charms hundreds of people and teaches them how wonderful, intelligent and kind turkeys are. Monty thinks…

McKenna Rockett was rescued from Thanksgiving. Filthy and terrified, it took months to get her healthy and happy. McKenna Rockett soon became the love of our barnyard. She learned how to trust and would lay down for people…

For the first part of Dunkin's life he lived with a human family and thought that he was one of their dogs. He rolled over for tummy rubs, chased cars going by on the dirt road and went for trail rides with the horses.

When…

Flash came from a home where her and her 6 sisters were loved and cared for as family members. When the family moved they quickly found out their home was not safe for her and her sisters when Flash was attacked by a neighbors…

Wild turkeys are smaller and live for about 25 years. Scientists have taken the DNA of a wild turkey and genetically engineered it to create a man made, domestic turkey that is designed to get very big, very fast so they…

Scout was found standing in the rain on a vacant lot with no food, water, or shelter. His coat was bleached from the sun, his hooves were way too long, and he had no muscle tone from lack of exercise. After uncovering…

Mufasa was hatched in a classroom and sent home with one of the students. When he started crowing it became a problem with the neighbors and we were asked to bring him home to The Gentle Barn. From the first time we met…

Daisy was only a yearling when we rescued her from severe abuse and neglect. Grossly underweight, afraid, dirty, infested with lice and parasites, she is slowly healing here with us. She also seems to have a congenital…

Charlie and Lacey left us this week after having the best year of their life. When we rescued them last year, they were 14 years old and were being put down at the animal shelter after living their whole lives in a backyard.…

Tommy the turkey was raised by someone who thought that it would be cool to raise their own Thanksgiving dinner. But when it was time to kill him, the man could not do it. So Tommy was given to The Gentle Barn to be our…

Maddie was rescued from the streets of Los Angeles where she had lived for years as a feral dog. She ate our of the garbage to survive and staid clear of humans at all cost. For years the neighborhood tried to catch her…

Buddha is our therapy cow here at The Gentle Barn. When disabled kids come to visit, they gather around Buddha in their wheel chairs and hug her and pet her while Buddha holds completely still until they are done. She…

Rascalina was someone’s treasured riding horse and they had many adventures together. Once she was older however and could no longer carry anyone she still needed a purpose. Rascalina was donated to the Gentle Barn to…

Dolly was kept outside with little shelter before she came to us, she developed cancer in her eyes from the sun as well as her back. The cancer on her back has been healing beautifully, but her eyes have been getting steadily…

Marsha was rescued from Thanksgiving and then was attacked by a dog. After healing at the hospital, Marsha was brought to The Gentle Barn to charm people with her curiosity, sweetness and grace. Marsha will now get to…

We lost our sweet precious ginger this week. Ginger was already old when we rescued her 4 years ago from extreme cruelty. She was extremely sick when we brought her home and it took months till she recovered. But once…

Zena was rescued from an abusive petting zoo where she had been forced to get pregnant every six months for 7 years. While she was nursing one baby, she was birthing another. Zena's toenails were never trimmed, it was…

Benny was rescued from being eaten on Thanksgiving. It is very common for turkey farmers to carry them by their legs and in doing so, they broke her legs before we rescued her. Her legs set wrong and she now has a pronounced…

Daisy was one of the original chickens to be rescued by The Gentle Barn. She came along with 30 other chickens who were living in a homeless woman's car. When we discovered the situation we asked if we could lighten the…

Pixie was at the animal shelter, we don't really know how she got there. She was only 10 weeks old, thin and infested with mites. We got rid of her bugs, fattened her up and introduced her to the rest of the family. She…

Sophie was rescued from an abusive petting zoo with her son, Billy. Her toe nails were a foot long causing deformities in her joints. She is a loving and devoted mom who will get to be with her son for the rest of her…

Ari was born to a mom imprisoned by the dairy industry. He was taken away from his mom at birth and put into a veal crate where he could not move, had no access to the sun, and was all alone. Instead of being slaughtered…

Horton was rescued from slaughter when he was only three months old. He came to us covered in ticks, underweight, and terrified of humans. With time and patience he gained weight, learned to trust humans, and found joy…

Jewel was a wild peacock wondering the neighborhood. He slept in our neighbors trees at night and soon started showing up at our place for meals. After a few weeks I opened our barnyard gate and invited him to stay. He…

We rescued Sassy from an extreme cruelty case, along with 60 other animals. She was underweight, scared, filthy, and traumatized. With top quality feed, time, patience, and lots of love in the arms of our staff, Sassy…

In the 1980s Vietnamese pot bellied pigs where being imported into the United States and were being sold as pets. Because they were so cute when they were babies, there were thousands of people impulsively buying them.

A…

Krishna was rescued from Thanksgiving along with her sister, Rama. They were not given food, water, or shelter where they came from and were emaciated and malnourished when we brought them home. It took a while, but with…

Sunshine was rescued from a pet store where she and her 29 siblings were crammed in a dark, dirty, crowded cage. After many complaints they released the birds to us.

Sunshine was scared of people at first but soon…

Bodhi was on a truck with many other pigs headed for slaughter when he had the courage to jump off and save his own life. He thankfully was not harmed and found his way to The Gentle Barn where he became our family. Bodhi…

Sid and his sister Sam were backyard dogs for 15 years. When they were old and arthritic and incontinent, they were sent to the pound to be put down. We felt like they did not deserve to go down that way, so we brought…

I am so sorry to say that our dear sweet Bella has passed away. We never know exactly how old chickens are when we rescue them and with the genetic engineering that goes on with egg laying chickens they don't live very…

Tinkerbelle's mom was rescued from an abusive petting zoo. She had a small baby at the time so it did not even occur to us that she might be pregnant. Three months later tiny Tinkerbelle was on the ground next to her mom.…

Our sweet girl, Daisy, left her body today. She had breakfast this morning and joined her turkey and chicken friends in the barn for the day before silently leaving her body. Daisy had a wonderful life here with us.

For…

Freedom was thrown out because she had a congenital birth defect; she had no eyelids. At The Gentle Barn we believe that everyone should have a chance at life and love, so we took Freedom in and paid for her reconstructive…

Rover was minutes away from being put down at the shelter when we found her. Shaking at the back of the cage, she would not let anyone get close to her. Once safe at our house, it still took her many years before she did…

Vegan was born blind, on a beef ranch. Ironically, his blindness is what saved him. The farmer's wife fell in love with him and wouldn't let the farmer slaughter him. Vegan teaches at risk kids that sometimes when bad…

Before she came to us, Lilly was kept as a breeding pig. She had her food thrown over the fence to her and her babies taken away. For 15 years she lived with heartache and loneliness. When she was too old to get pregnant,…

Dudley was taken away from his mom at a very young age and was being raised for slaughter. He accidentally got baling twine wrapped around is ankle and after several days of receiving no help, the blood flow to his foot…

Wild turkeys live about 20 years and are able to run, fly and mate . They live in large family groups and are very social and smart. The meat industry has taken the DNA of the wild turkey and genetically engineered it…

Cinnamon was ridden so hard for so many years that when we found her she was in pain and could barely walk. At The Gentle Barn she is given deep tissue massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture and ultrasound to heal…

Star was part of our very first veal calf rescue years ago. He was taken away from his mom at a day old, put into a veal crate alone, and at eight weeks old was sent to slaughter too sick to stand. We worked tirelessly…

Kaylee was hit by a car in a bad neighborhood. We scraped her off the street and took her to the hospital. Little did we know that healing her body was only the first step. Once her body was better, our real work had…

Buttercup was rescued from extreme cruelty where she had no food, water, or shelter. She was used as a dairy cow so every year she was impregnated, every year her babies were taken away as she cried, and her breast milk…

Reina was rescued along with sixty other animals from a horrendous cruelty case. She had seen her friends and family members slaughtered right in front of her, and she lived in terror every day of it happening to her.…

Zen was brought to us by a Buddhist temple. They loved him very much, but the neighbors did not. They asked us to take him and care for him, allowing him to continue spreading love and enlightenment. At The Gentle Barn…

Amber and her 28 sisters were rescued from a pet store where they were kept in very cramped, dirty conditions. After the customers complained they released the chicks to us. They grew up strong and healthy and we loved…

Duchess was left in the dessert with her younger brother King with no food, water, or shelter. Desperate, the two found their way closer and closer to a housing development and someone who lived there called us to help…

Charlie the rooster was rescued from life in a cage. He was incarcerated for so long that his toes were deformed, and his nails curled into his foot. He loved his new home at The Gentle Barn, and all his new girl friends.…

There was a woman who wanted a female chicken as a pet for her apartment. She ordered one to be delivered to her from an egg company. When she went to the post office to pick her up, there were 15 chickens in the box.…

Ginger was rescued from the animal shelter. We don't know why she was brought there, but we are sure glad we found her. She loved talking and had a lovely melodic voice. She was very social and had a lot of friends. Her…

Joy was rescued from a backyard butcher. She was emaciated, very sick and had we come just a day later she would have not survived. She is slowly gaining weight, getting well and learning to trust us. Joy was named by…

Hosanna was rescued from a hoarder with her two friends, Lynus and Snoopy. They were very scared when they came here, and would even charge us to defend themselves. But in time they realized there was nothing to defend…

We first found Biscuit in a pumpkin patch exactly 10 years ago. We took our kids there to pick out pumpkins, having no idea there would be any animals there. But as we entered and walked around we discovered Biscuit in…

Puffy was a happy backyard chicken, along with her sisters, when neighborhood dogs broke in to the yard and started killing off the birds. The family wanted to build fences and a house to protect them but were stopped…

Mr Rojas was rescued from slaughter at a cruelty case where we rescued his mom. The previous owner hid him to sell for Christmas dinner. Because of Karma's relentless cries, we understood that she had a baby, were able…

Valentina was a Japanese Silky chicken, rescued from the animal shelter just before she was going to be put down. She was way too cute and innocent for that so we welcomed her in to The Gentle Barn. Her fluffy, fuzzy fun…

Divine was rescued from a backyard butcher where she was fed nothing but rotten tomatoes. Starving to death and terrified she now has a long way to go till her trauma is behind her. Divine was named by Portia and Ellen…

A family raised Cybil until she was about a year old, and then moved out of state and abandoned her on the front lawn. She waited for months for them to come back for her, but they never did. A new family moved into her…

Chloe was rescued just before Thanksgiving. Her toes and beak had been cut off, she was black with filth, and had lost all trust in humans.

To our utter amazement it only took us a month for her to climb in our laps…

We rescued Linus 8 years ago from a terrible cruelty case. He suffered so much! We brought him home and gave him daily tummy rubs, treats, and love until he smiled again.
Over the years he has been a fan favorite of…

There are three reasons why animals come to The Gentle Barn: So they can heal and live the life all animals deserve, so they can die in the arms of someone who loves them with dignity and respect, or so they can learn…

Milo was given to a family for a Christmas present, but they didn’t want him. So they put him in the backyard where he lived alone for 9 years. Finally the family moved and didn’t want to bring him so they were bringing…

Angel was hatched as part of a classroom project. The birth delighted the children, but once the fascination was over and Angel turned into a big hen, she needed a home. The Gentle Barn was honored to take her in and we…

Gentle Ben was rescued from a petting zoo that was closing down. After holding still for pats and being kind to all their guests, he was being sent to slaughter. Fortunately we found out and brought him to The Gentle Barn…

Willy the rottie was rescued from a hoarder. He lived in a cage in a place with 200 other dogs, also in cages. He only knew cold, fear, hunger, and loneliness. It took us years to bring the softness back to his face, the…

Darshana was rescued from Thanksgiving with her two sisters. She was dirty, scared and angry when she came here. But after a short while here, she forgave the cruel way she was raised and now she even allows children to…

Wilbur was rescued from severe physical abuse. He was smashed over the back with a chair and was permanently crippled by his "person."

He was then sent to a pig rescue where the other pigs beat him up. The Gentle…

Charlie and Lacey left us this week after having the best year of their life. When we rescued them last year, they were 14 years old and were being put down at the animal shelter after living their whole lives in a backyard.…

Rooty had a good home and a human mom who loved her very much. Her happy life ended when her mom died suddenly. Because Rooty was older, no one wanted her, so she came to The Gentle Barn to live for the rest of her life.…

Gertrude was our most cuddled chicken, when all of the other hens were busy running around looking for bugs or scratching in the hay, Gertie preferred to be snuggled up in someone’s arms where she could overlook the barnyard…

Bubble Gum was rescued from a backyard butcher where she was severely abused and neglected. When we brought her home she was riddled with parasites, had a high fever and almost no will to live. After weeks of care and…

Annie was rescued off the back of a pickup truck on Fathers Day. The back of the truck had a bar-b-q and all the makings of a Fathers Day BBQ feast. When we asked what he was doing with the goat, he said "nothing, she…

A Solute to a Gentleman

When I first met Dylan he was so handsome that I caught my breath and stared. He was a gentleman so he came right over and introduced himself. We have…

Ryan was one of the smartest, funniest, most resourceful friends we have ever had. He played with all the other goats and they all loved him. He fell asleep in our laps and would drool when we pet him. He came alive for…

"Mamma Dear" was rescued from the racetrack, where her frail body was severely damaged. She was several hundred pounds underweight and her muscles were so torn that she could hardly move.

We treated her with continual…

SusieQ was raised in a factory farm where she was poked by electric prods, had her ears shredded, was torn away from her mom, and then sent to Farmer Johns to be slaughtered at 6 months old. When she was in line to be…

The first time we saw Blue she was in a back stall with her head to the wall at a rescue facility in Ojai, Ca. We were giving carrots and apples to the other horses but Blue was not interested. She stood with her head…

Sparrow and his sisters were being sold at a pet store as babies. They were kept in a small, dark box in cruel conditions. People complained and they were released to us. At The Gentle Barn, Sparrow and his sisters had…

Billy was rescued from an abusive petting zoo with his mom, Sophie. He had pneumonia, and sounded like Darth Vader when he breathed. After healing his body, we had to heal his heart. From the time he was born he was dropped,…

Spencer was rescued along with his sister from the animal shelter on his last day before he was killed. He was the quintessential dog: loyal, intelligent, patient, and loving. He was gentle with children and a strong father…

Bluebell came in with over 60 other animals, rescued from a severe cruelty case. She and her sister, patience were very sick and scared,
and we worked very hard to heal them. With round the clock vet care, Sun Chlorella…

Emily was rescued from an extreme cruelty case and saw the worst of humanity. When animal control brought her to us, along with sixty other animals, Emily was emaciated, malnourished, sick, and terrified. After months…

Wild turkeys live about 20 years and are able to run, fly and mate . They live in large family groups and are very social and smart. The meat industry has taken the DNA of the wild turkey and genetically engineered it…

Snoopy was rescued from a hoarder with a few other pigs and 500 other animals. She suffered terribly when she was there with no food, extreme temperatures, and much cruelty. When we rescued her and brought her home …

Patric was a smaller horse, but was forced to carry large people, and work very hard. When his legs developed arthritis and his back swayed, instead of caring for him in his golden years, he was dumped in a ravine to die.…

Barnie was not wanted in his home because he is a rooster and cannot not lay eggs. We took him in because we love his song and his rainbow. He will be treasured here always.

Nalla was rescued from Thanksgiving in 2014. She came in filthy and terrified. After several months of good food, clean water, and gentle hands, Nalla trusted us and became a cuddle turkey. During the almost four years…

Jasmine and her sister Jellie were taken away from their mom at only 4 weeks and put up for sale. Knowing that they were not ready to eat solid food and that they would die in the hands of the average person, we took them…

Along with the wonderful work that we do here at The Gentle Barn, and the joy that comes with restoring new lives and new hope in the animals, comes the agony of losing them when they move on. When The Gentle Barn was…

Zoe's mom was rescued from an abusive petting zoo when she was still a baby herself. We didn't know she was pregnant, but within a few months, she gave us the very beautiful Zoe. Zoe passed away peacefully in her sleep…

Yoda the emu was rescued from a hoarder where he was left for dead along with 400 other animals. He was terrified coming in to our place but very quickly learned to trust. Now he falls asleep when we pet his fuzzy head.…

Marilyn Monroe was kept as a trophy pet for a wealthy man. When the stock market crashed he lost his farm and with it, all his animals. The other animals went to other homes but the cows were going to be sent to slaughter.…

When we rescued Sir Fancy Pants from Thanksgiving in 2011 he was a tiny, scared baby. He soon became comfortable in our barnyard and we watched him grow into the handsome turkey we all knew and loved. Sir Fancy Pants loved…

We rescued Susie many years ago when we discovered her and her 29 sisters at a pet store. They were all crammed together in a filthy cage and when customers complained the pet store released the chicks to us. Susie loved…

Storm was raised by a lovely family who adored him. Because of this he grew up kind and affectionate. Because of the economy the family could no longer care for him and he came to be a part of our family. Our hens follow…

Prince Charming was ridden so hard his knees swelled and he could barely walk. He was then tied to the bumper of a car at a boarding stable and abandoned there. The owner of the stable dug a hole and was going to shoot…

Chili was rescued from a very bad East Los Angeles neighborhood where every house had a pure bread Pit Bull tied to a tree, and by the looks of the scars on their bodies it was clear that they were used for dog fighting.…

Mars was rescued from the animal shelter in his last hours before being put to sleep. He was at least eighteen years old, and because of that he was unsuccessful in finding a home.

At The Gentle Barn we believe every…

Josh was rescued with his late mom, Noni, from an abusive petting zoo. He was a youngster and terrified of humans. She was crippled by overgrown toenails and a poor diet. Together they healed here and soon became the first…

Sidney was rescued from a woman who loved him very much but didn't know how to care for him and he eventually went blind from malnutrition. It look a long time for Sidney to forgive his former family but he soon found…