Maurice and Marcia goats at Farm Sanctuary
Rescue

Farm Animal Adoption Network

Maurice and Marcia goats at Farm Sanctuary

Join the Rescue Movement

Guest feeding turkeys at Farm Sanctuary

Since its formation in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has been a leader in the farm animal rescue movement, connecting thousands of abused, discarded, and neglected farm animals with safe and loving homes through our Farm Animal Adoption Network (FAAN).

The Rescue and Placement team receives daily requests for assistance from all across the country. In 2021 and 2022, we received 3,085 requests, representing more than 19,000 animals in need. These individuals are often survivors of animal agriculture. Some have been seized by authorities or abandoned or surrendered by their guardians. Some have fallen from transport trucks or are survivors of cruelty and neglect. All are in need of safe homes dedicated to providing lifelong, individualized care.

10 billion land animals are raised and slaughtered annually within the food system in the United States alone. Sanctuary space is finite, and our ability to assist directly may be limited by location, staffing, and physical capacity. Therefore, we work with the sanctuary community and adopters in our network to save as many lives as possible.

Finding safe homes is challenging because society views farm animals as commodities rather than companions. Individuals with significant care needs and those who are most frequently in need, such as roosters, male ducks, and potbelly pigs, are even harder to place. By engaging each potential home in a screening process, we get to know each adopter and seek to understand who will be the right fit for their circumstances. In collaboration with sanctuaries and private homes, we maintain a compassionate community of adopters that is committed to protecting farm animals from exploitation and ensuring that each rescued individual leads an enriching life.

Please note: The FAAN program is for those interested in adopting farm animals into their homes. If you have questions about our joining network, or if you are aware of an animal in need of placement, please contact us at [email protected] or call 607-583-2225, ext. 223.

If you are looking for information about our Adopt a Farm Animal Program to financially sponsor a Farm Sanctuary resident, please contact [email protected] or call 607-583-2225, ext. 225.

Apply to Join

Frequently Asked Questions

FAAN is a national farm animal rescue and refuge program dedicated to securing loving, safe, and permanent homes for rescued farm animals. The network is coordinated by Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal rescue and protection organization which started the nation’s first shelter devoted to victims of “food animal” production. Since its formation in 1986, the FAAN program has connected thousands of abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals with the loving homes they deserve.

Individuals and sanctuaries interested in adopting farm animals are required to complete our adoption application. After initial processing, we will contact you with any questions and with instructions for submitting photos of the shelter, pasture and fencing you intend to use for your rescued farm animals. Our screening process requires personal and veterinary reference checks and may also include a home visit prior to approval to our network.

Adoption requirements include but are not limited to: commitment to farmed animal issues demonstrated through a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle; the ability to provide financially for your adopted farm animals; appropriate shelter, pasture, and fencing; veterinary and personal recommendations; and access to routine and emergency services performed by a farm animal veterinarian. Current membership in animal protection organizations or volunteer work with animals is preferred but not required.

Farm Sanctuary receives placement requests for thousands of farm animals every year. Because we cannot possibly provide Sanctuary to all of the animals whom we are contacted about, we rely on our FAAN members to adopt animals as their circumstances allow. Our primary networking tool for animals in need is Farm Sanctuary’s Farm Animal Adoption Network Facebook group, and we typically post several animals seeking placement every week; if you are not on Facebook, however, we will alert you to animals in need as appropriate. Our placement team may also directly reach out to suggest animals whom we think would do well with your family and circumstances. However the decision to accept an animal is always up to you; no FAAN member is ever under any obligation to accept a farm animal. We encourage FAAN members to keep us updated on capacity and adoption interests and you may choose to remove your name from our list at any time.

Our ability to rescue animals often depends on having a commitment for permanent home placement for a particular animal prior to rescue, since our Sanctuary space is limited. Once we have that commitment, Farm Sanctuary can then rescue the animal and provide necessary vetting, isolation, and care at our Sanctuary . We may also engage in large-scale rescues or urgent cases in which we have already taken animals in at our shelters prior to reaching out to our direct adopters. We will provide as many details on the animals as possible in advance, however given the circumstances involved in rescue work, there may be less information available and direct adopters are unlikely to meet the animals until the adoption transfer occurs.

Placement requests through our Facebook group are generally handled as referral cases. In these situations, the adopter works directly with the guardian who is surrendering the animal to arrange for adoption. Farm Sanctuary will make the initial introduction between the two parties and can help to facilitate arrangements, but the animals in referral cases do not come to Farm Sanctuary’s shelters before placement; rather, they move directly from the guardian’s care and custody into the care and custody of the adopter. Transport is generally handled by either the guardian or the adopter.

Please note that except in some cases (e.g. a potbelly pig who doesn’t get along well with other pigs), animals must be adopted in pairs of the same species, unless the adopter already has existing animals of that species. When we are contacted about animals in need who have bonded relationships, we always seek to honor those relationships by placing the animals together.

Farm Sanctuary’s rescue efforts are focused on farmed animals who are exploited for food production. The survivors who have found Sanctuary at our shelters may include slaughterhouse and live market escapees, factory farm victims impacted by natural disasters and transport accidents, animals surrendered in cruelty cases, and animals raised in agricultural programs or settings whose guardians have committed to discontinuing these practices.

However, in addition to our active rescue efforts, we receive many placement requests from guardians who may have purchased or rescued farm animals, whether for production or as companions, and who are no longer able to continue caring for them. Our team works to educate the public as much as possible regarding the issues associated with purchasing animals from auctions, breeders, feed stores, and online companies.

We are also often contacted about animals who are offered for sale; Farm Sanctuary does not support purchase as a means to rescue farm animals in need. We discourage rescuers from purchasing animals, since the purchase price supports a cycle of exploitation, and subjects other animals to the same treatment. Although we wish that we could save all animals in need, this is not possible. Therefore it is critical that our approach to rescue also addresses changing the underlying systems involved.

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Placement Assistance

Norm rooster at Farm Sanctuary

If you need help finding a companion-only home for a rescued farm animal, our Farm Animal Adoption Network Facebook group is a great way to connect with prospective homes. Our team handles preliminary screening for any interested adopters based on our adoption criteria. If we find a possible appropriate match, we then connect you directly with the potential adopter. In most cases, arranging transport to a new home will need to be coordinated by you and the adopter. Requests to post animals must be submitted by their legal guardian. If you would like us to post about your farm animal in need, please email us at [email protected].

While we do provide a screening process for all interested adopters, you are ultimately responsible for making the final decision on placing the animal in a new home. Potential adopters and sanctuary settings need careful vetting to ensure that the animal(s) receive the lifelong care they deserve in an appropriate, safe, and stable home. We recommend personally visiting a prospective home in advance whenever possible. You can contact our placement team at any time to discuss concerns or ask questions at 607-583-2225 x223 or [email protected].

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Connie sheep at Farm Sanctuary

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