In 1986, Farm Sanctuary launched the farm animal rescue and Sanctuary movement. It continues to grow because others—like our Sanctuary friends at Odd Man Inn—are growing with us.

In June, we sent a healthcare team to Tennessee to lead a Sanctuary clinic week with Odd Man Inn Animal Refuge. Odd Man Inn (OMI), a “refuge for animals out of options,” was first incorporated in Washington state, but this year, they acquired 93-acres of land in Jamestown, Tennessee—and with it, guardianship of 160 pigs. Now, they’re in the process of moving their operations to Tennessee and learning who lives on the property and what type of care they need. Below is an excerpt from our interview with Wendy Smith, Co-Founder and Director at Odd Man Inn (OMI).

All Boots wanted was a family. He was a twin, and his mother only had the strength to feed one lamb, so she had rejected him shortly after birth. To make matters worse, they lived on a sheep farm that breeds lambs for meat.

Just as we expect people and companion animals to have distinct personalities and individual traits, so do cows. And the complexity of cows’ emotional range makes clear that they have the capacity to lead deeply felt and intricately emotional lives.

After years of suffering for dairy, Shirley goat got a glimpse of sanctuary.

It’s peak BBQ season and as more folks are choosing plant-based foods, veggie dogs are having their day in the sun.

After escaping a slaughterhouse, 40 cows ran for their lives through an L.A. neighborhood. After their recapture, the city allowed one to live out her life at Sanctuary.

Pietro is a Holstein calf. Holsteins are commonly raised for dairy––and in dairy, boy calves are generally sold for meat. But the farmer couldn’t sell Pietro. The newborn was sick, and he had a broken leg. He could barely stand, let alone walk. It wouldn’t be worth their time or the cost to nurse Pietro to health and then sell him.

This is as much Otis’s rescue story as it is the chance to honor the unnamed calf who helped him find Sanctuary. Otis and this calf lived on the same beef farm. And if things had gone according to plan, both calves would have been killed.

Roosters are great providers and devoted protectors.