Animals from the meat and dairy industry are usually kept pregnant, so when we rescued 30 animals from the backyard butcher we were expecting some babies. Several weeks ago Louise, one of the cows, had a baby girl who was named Susie Q. This week Sapphire, one of the sheep, gave birth to a healthy, happy, gorgeous baby boy! All babies born at The Gentle Barn will know only kindness, safety, respect and love and will get to grow up with their mommies, a privilege most farm animals don’t get. This baby boy is so excited about what his legs can do that he spends most of the time hopping in the air like a bunny rabbit and twirling around.

The animals from the backyard butcher were so sick when they arrived that they have needed an enormous amount of care. Hero’s leg is still healing from having an open sore infected down to the bone, several of the goats and cows have had abscesses, and all of them were on antibiotics for weeks. So the vet bill is astronomical! To raise much needed funds for The Gentle Barn and to get everyone involved in celebrating this little one we are having a naming auction. Donate $20, suggest a name in the notes section of the form and in two weeks we will put the names into a hat and pick one. Be part of the fun and leave a lasting legacy.

Pamela Anderson came to The Gentle Barn to meet all of the new animals rescued from the backyard butcher. While she was here she named one of the cows Gaia. The name “Gaia” comes from the Gaia theory formulated by the chemist James Lovelock and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s. This theory proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life on the planet. In other words, we are all connected and need each other to survive. We thought that was a perfect name for Gaia; she was treated so horribly because our society forgets this theory. If we were to remember this theory and know that we are all connected, we would treat each other better and no animals would have to suffer! It is perfect that Gaia has a heart on her forehead spreading her message of love to the all of us!

The animals from the backyard butcher are being quarantined at our healing center on our other property so unfortunately the public cannot see them, however, if you want to meet the 30 newly rescued animals and their babies, you can book a private tour and we will introduce you to all the animals rescued from the backyard butcher as well as all of the other amazing cows that live on that property. You can brush and hug all of them and hear their stories of second chances.

Our Native American Drum Circle was amazing! We had about 300 people here to enjoy the day. The children got to drum, chant and walk in a parade around the grounds. The Chief did an animal blessing and graced our property with his cleansing, good energy! It was an amazing day and we are grateful to all of you who were here! Special thanks to Chief Danny, the Elders and the rest of the Yamassee tribe who came and shared the day.