Rescue Stories

After being found on the side of the road, Poppy hen found her way to Farm Sanctuary and is ready to live a life of peace and tranquillity.

In 2022, a woman inherited a Vermont farm, a quaint property with a tall red barn housing ten cows. Because she wasn’t a farmer herself, she was advised to send the cows to slaughter. Instead, she reached out to Farm Sanctuary.

Last fall, Farm Sanctuary welcomed Deborah, Tracey, and Lisa — three bonded geese rescued from cruelty — to our New York shelter.

A sweet sheep named Dottie gave birth to twin boys on January 21, 2021, in Dutchess County, NY. What should have been a joyous event for Dottie was likely one of great stress. Dottie’s baby boys – Freckles and Patches – entered the world to severe neglect. Yet the persistence and determination of compassionate neighbors and our Farm Animal Adoption Network have given them a second chance.

Last fall, authorities removed 44 animals, including Lizzie and Robbie pigs, from a cruelty situation in New York’s Finger Lakes region. These survivors are now celebrating their first fall at Farm Sanctuary.

Earlier this year, Dan, a former beef farmer, asked Farm Sanctuary to help rehome his herd. Impressed by the cows' intelligence, Dan began to reconsider his relationship with them. Ultimately, he decided he could not, in good faith, send thinking, feeling beings to their deaths.

Greg’s guardians loved him so much that they chose to say goodbye to give him a better life.

In June, Farm Sanctuary staff collaborated on a special project: bringing Pippa, a three-legged lamb, from our Watkins Glen, New York shelter to her new home in Acton, California.

We recently said goodbye to Rhino: a remarkable and spirited piglet whose love for life, despite severe health challenges, inspired and brought us so much joy. Rhino came to Farm Sanctuary with neurological issues — he had a head tilt and trouble balancing. We knew his condition might shorten his life. However, we vowed to make every moment count.

After “this little piggy went to market,” Jack and his friend Allan went home to Sanctuary. The boys—a Yorkshire pig and Hampshire/Duroc cross, respectively—were both raised for production purposes. They met at Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, and are friendly and rambunctious boys with a bit of an eye for trouble. Mischievous behaviors aside, these are signs of social and problem-solving skills which likely helped the boys survive.