Llamas typically live about 10 to 15 years. Our llama King was 21. Looking back, I suppose I should not have been surprised when he started lying down more often, flaring his nostrils, and squatting in an unusual…

My husband and The Gentle Barn’s cofounder, Jay Weiner, has brilliantly established connections with the owners of slaughterhouses, auction houses, and stockyards so that when animals…

As you read last week, our family drove to Washington to rescue a mother pig and her piglets. When we got home, Jay backed the Beyond Meat trailer up to our barnyard gate and waited for us all to get out of the truck. We walked to the back of the trailer…

Four years ago, my family had a remarkable opportunity to drive from California to Washington to save a mommy pig and her babies. Menorah was raised to eat for Christmas dinner, but when she unexpectedly gave birth and the people raising her saw her as a mom, they could no longer see her as a meal. We were contacted and asked to bring the pigs…

I rescued my very first turkey 24 years ago in November after our grand opening in 1999. I was so excited! His family purchased him for Thanksgiving but could not go through with butchering him, so they brought him to me. Tommy was handsome and regal, with feathers that…

I met Julia when she was 16 years old. She came to The Gentle Barn with her high school class for those with disabilities. The teens were holding the chickens and petting the animals when I approached Julia with a red hen named Bonnie. The teachers yelled at me to stop and explained that Julia was not safe for the hen because she was prone to…

At The Gentle Barn, our staff wear many hats: From raising funds to managing operations, running social media, hosting tours and field trips, facilitating Cow Hug Therapy sessions, maintaining the properties, and caring for the animals. While the maintenance departments are…

This month marks the 13th anniversary of our cows Holy Cow and Madonna’s rescue and arrival at The Gentle Barn. They came to us at only a few weeks old, injured, scared, lame, and sick. We had to work hard to save them, and it took many months until they were healthy.…

As we approach our twenty fourth anniversary, I am flooded with gratitude for the people across the globe who have supported our efforts and enabled us to get this far. Behind every beautiful…

Jay and I were contacted by a lovely couple in Colorado Springs who asked us to take in their horse. Marley had a back injury that rendered him unrideable, and he needed the sort of rehabilitation that we offer here…