FARM SANCTUARY/HEAVEN ON EARTH

On Saturday, Joey and I took a little trip to Farm Sanctuary. It is an organization that rescues farm animals from slaughter houses and cruelty cases. Some animals have been left for dead, left to suffocate under animal corpses, others have jumped off the back of trucks, risking their lives for a chance to escape. There is one location in New York and one in Orland, California (just about 3 hours from placerville). I encourage you ALLLLLL to read the book FARM SANCTUARY by GENE BAUER. It is so beautiful. Heather gave me the book for my birthday last year and since then it has been my DREAM to go there and see all of the sweet animals who have learned SOMEHOW to forgive and love again. Once a month, they have a volunteer "work party" where people can come and meet the lovely animals and help out on the farm any way they can. So, Joey and I got up early, and left for FARM SANCTUARY at 6:30am.
MY DREAM COME TRUE!


The drive FLEW by. I was day-dreaming of the lovely personalities I would FINALLY meet. I get e-mails every time they rescue a new animal, so I had already read about so many cows and sheep and pigs that were awaiting us! It was to be the best day of my life!

When we finally arrived, I saw the sign from the road, and my eyes filled with tears before I had even set foot on the property.



It was a gloomy day, but a perfect day. As we pulled up to the "PEOPLE BARN" (they try to make the people and the animal residents as equal as possible), we looked around for more volunteers. We happened to be the only ones who showed up to help. (ONE person joined us later, around noon, but that was it)!!



After we met with Carolyn, the woman who gave us a tour and told us incredible stories (and later baked us vegan pumpkin cookies!), we began our tour. First, we were off to the Turkeys!



This Is Gideon and Isaiah!! They were found in a cardboard box together outside of a shopping center. They were next to a dumpster with other trash, waiting to be picked up and dumped with the rest of the "garbage". There were two more baby turkeys with them, but they were too starved and dehydrated by the time they were rescued, and didnt make it. But Gideon and Isaiah did!



Now they share a pen together and NEVER leave each other! They LOVE LOVE LOVE grapes and having their bellies scratched! We both never knew how loveable turkeys are! They love their heads rubbed and their bottoms and bellies scratched. Their colors are NEON and gorgeous. Here is Joey admiring them, before we got to go in and cuddle them.



Now get ready to have your hearts melt!!

Next we got to go see WENDY the MAMA!! She is a sheep who was abandoned on the side of a road in California. SHE WAS PREGNANT about to give birth. They told me she was terrified, weak and unable to stand on her own. Just days after they took her in, she gave birth to two baby lambs. One of the lambs was born with underdeveloped lungs and was rushed to the University of California at Davis Veterinary Hospital to receive oxygen and antibiotics to have a chance at life. Now they are both happy with their protective little mama! We got to bottle feed the babies and kiss their noses! THEY LOVE PEOPLE!! Although, I cant say the same for the mama. She kept her distance, and who could blame her!

Here is Autti and Colvin, and their mama Wendy!



Isnt it strange to think that people EAT LAMB?! Look at those babies!

Next we got to see the "retired cows". Now one thing that I was SHOCKED to learn is that most of the cows they have there are DAIRY COWS! (I guess thats no surprise, since its in California..) But these guys (as well as the others) are WAAY to big. They were bred to be HUGE and then pumped full of hormones. The largest cow there is 8 FEET TALL AND 3000 POUNDS! These guys are Norman, Hank, and Lester. They are only about 13, and almost at the end of their rope (cows can typically live to be 25-26 but since they were raised in slaughter houses, they have horrible health problems and their legs can barely support them). They are so gentle and kind, and they LOVE visitors.



Here is Joey and Hank (I think...) I just LOVE joey's smile in this video! Hank just started licking his hand out of the blue! (His tongue was very scratchy, like a cat)



Later, we moved on to the sheep and goats! GOATS ARE THE FRIENDLIEST ANIMALS ON EARTH!!! They followed us around and nibbled on our clothes! Some were outgoing, some were SHYYY, some were arrogant, some were gentle. Just goes to show that animals have individual personalities, just as we do...which makes sense, us being ANIMALS and all...

Joey and I adopt a sheep there every month named IAN who we got to see, but only from a distance. He is VERY shy! Ian was auctioned off for slaughter 8 years ago, and SF police found him in the back of a pick up truck with a tarp over him in close to 90 DEGREE WEATHER (can you imagine that, under all that wool?!). He was near death. The police arrested the driver and the passenger and he was taken to Farm Sanctuary. Now we pay for him every month and we get to go see him whenever we want!!

Here is IAN!!

And here are a couple of his goat friends!

Then we got to see the piggys! They each had heartbreaking stories of their own, as you can imagine. It was nap time for them, but they were SO DELIGHTED to wake up to a couple visitors, as you can see!



LOOK AT THE SMILE ON HER!!



Goodness, there's just too much I can say about this day. We saw donkeys and bunnies and chickens (with no beaks :( ) and ducks and roosters! SO AMAZING!

So, anyways, Joey and I are now completely vegan. Im sure a lot of you saw it coming. But just feeling the energy in that place and seeing each thankful animal and getting to know so many unique personalities among them changed our hearts and lives. I know that I just cant be a part of something that thinks its okay or moral to throw a living cow or goat or pig onto a "dead pile" if they are injured or old or sick and just wait for them to suffer to death. or take a baby calf away from his mourning mama, only to slaughter him before 6 months of age for veal. It goes on and on. and its real. and it breaks my heart so deeply.

In many cases, animals can teach us so much more than humans. They can teach us about forgiveness, and loyalty, and trust, and unconditional love, and all about nature, on such a different level and from such a genuine and selfless place inside of them.

THANK YOU JOEY FOR COMING WITH ME AND FOR LOVING THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE AS MUCH AS I DID!

"If you care about animals, you are in good company"