The Gentle Barn

11/11/2024

There’s something truly special about being surrounded by rescued animals who, just like us, are simply wanting to be loved 💖 If you come out to Open Sundays at The Gentle Barn this November to meet our amazing rescued animals, you will also receive free samples from the vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand Pacifica (while supplies last)✨

Learn more about visiting and reserve your spot here!: https://www.gentlebarn.org/visit/

08/11/2024

The Gentle Barn is excited to share that our beloved animals from Missouri have safely made their way to our Tennessee sanctuary! Our sweet cows, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl have all arrived and are ready for their next chapter 💚

Though leaving their Missouri home was a big transition, each animal has embraced the change with excitement. Our cows have already begun to enjoy the wide-open spaces, while the goats, pigs, and birds are happily settling in and discovering their new surroundings. It’s heartwarming to see them begin to bond with one another and their new family.

We know that adjusting to a new home can take time, so we’re giving them plenty of space to explore, extra treats, organic hay, and all the love they need to feel comfortable. As they explore their new environment and make new memories, these sweet souls are already bringing so much joy and energy to our sanctuary. We can’t wait to share more updates as they continue to settle into their new home!

As we welcome so many animals to our Tennessee and California locations, we’re also in need of extra hands to help us care for them! If you’re looking to care for and love rescued animals, and are wanting to make a difference in the community, we’d love to have you join our volunteer teams! Your support will make all the difference as we work to ensure these sweet souls feel loved and cherished every day. Please click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer 💚 https://www.gentlebarn.org/volunteer

02/11/2024

Audrey is so excited to announce Pacifica as our Gentle 12 sponsor for the month of November! Vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand Pacifica is a longtime supporter of The Gentle Barn and our animals, with shared values of compassion and empathy.

This month, our Sunday visitors at either of The Gentle Barn's sanctuary locations will receive free Pacifica samples (while supplies last) plus, we’ll be doing giveaways each Sunday at our 2 locations in California and Tennessee 💚 You can also use code GENTLE20 to get 20% off your purchase at pacificabeauty.com

30/10/2024

The Gentle Barn is excited to welcome four new members to our California family- horses Bernard and Moose, and donkeys Remi and Chance! We're thrilled that their transport from Missouri was smooth, and they have arrived safely 💚

From the moment Bernard, Moose, Remi, and Chance stepped into The Gentle Barn's California location, they were excited and ready to explore. Remi and Chance have already formed a special bond with our other donkeys, while Bernard and Moose are connecting with their new equine family. It's heartwarming to see them all together!

We understand that transitioning to a new home can be a big adjustment for animals, which is why we take all the necessary steps to help them adapt. We let them familiarize themselves with their surroundings, give them extra treats, room to run around, plenty of fresh organic hay, and lots of love to make them feel at home.

As they explore their new surroundings, Moose, Bernard, Chance, and Remi are already bringing so much joy to our California barnyard. We can't wait to share more updates as they settle into their new home!

25/10/2024

We have some very big news to announce, while our California and Tennessee sanctuaries are thriving and continuing on, we must close our Missouri location, and the animals who live there will be joining our animal families in our CA and TN sanctuaries.

Every animal who comes into The Gentle Barn is met with a promise: we will love them, care for them, and provide for them for the rest of their lives. With numerous rescued animals under our care, we must work strategically to ensure they're getting everything they deserve, while also serving our local communities.

We love and care deeply about our MO staff, volunteers, visitors, and community, and we are very proud of all the work we've done there over the past 8 years. We have been working hard to stay open there, but through the pandemic, extreme weather, the economy, and diminished financial support, we have no choice but to move forward with this plan.

For 25 years, The Gentle Barn has rescued, healed, and rehabilitated animals with nowhere else to go, and we will continue. We will always be a home to animals who need it. But to ensure stability in our other locations, we must make this difficult decision.

This is a big undertaking, and we don’t take any of this lightly. Our rescued animals, under the close supervision of our founders, will be traveling to their new homes soon. When they arrive, we’ll be celebrating their new homecoming and making sure they feel as safe, secure, and loved as they have been since they were rescued.

These are really difficult times for everyone, including The Gentle Barn. It’s thanks to your support that we’re able to do this work, keep rescuing animals, and continue giving them the lives they all deserve.

We need your help now more than ever to see us through the transport of these amazing animals, who have given so much to the community, to reach their new homes in CA and TN. We need help to cover essential expenses like transport fees, building new spaces in their new locations, hay, water, gas, and bedding during the animals’ journey. Please donate today!

14/10/2024

SAVE THE DATE: Celebrate turkeys at The Gentle Barn's Santa Clarita, California sanctuary this Thanksgiving on November 28, from 10am-1pm ✨🦃✨

We can't wait to share sweet vegan baked goods, hot autumn drinks, crafts, and of course– visiting time with our majestic rescued turkeys! Learn their stories, relax with them, and enjoy the barnyard in a more intimate setting with friends and family.

Keep an eye out, tickets go on sale soon!
https://www.gentlebarn.org/events/upcoming-events/a-gentle-thanksgiving-24-california

04/10/2024

On , we're celebrating friendships & special connections between animals of different species. They all share something in common: These gentle, resilient rescued animals all wanted to live, and deserved to live beyond their traumatic pasts. Now at The Gentle Barm, they get to build relationships in peace, knowing they're forever safe and loved.

27/09/2024

We have some sad news to share: our incredible mother cow Rosita has passed, leaving her now-grown son Eugene in our precious care at our Sun Chlorella USA Healing Center. We will always be grateful to her for showing us what true strength and determination look like after trauma.

Rosita had been impregnated and had babies taken from her for many years before we rescued her. We don't know exactly how old she was when The Gentle Barn saved her and her tiny son, Eugene, but we do know that she seemed older already and had trouble maintaining weight. Rosita was terrified of humans when she arrived from the slaughterhouse to our Sun Chlorella Healing Center, but in time realized that we would never take her son away from her—and she eventually even ate cookies out of our hands.

Eugene was raised at The Gentle Barn and therefore always curious, happy, playful, surrounded by friends, and treated with kindness and respect. As Rosita made her transition we promised her that we would always and forever care for her son and keep him safe.

Thank you for loving her with us and helping us care for her. She was a fantastic mom, a good friend, and a resilient angel who we were all lucky to have known ❤️‍🩹

23/09/2024

PROGRESS: Thanks to urgent and now around-the-clock care and support, our newly rescued baby goat Bria is starting to walk on her front legs with assistance from splints! She has a long way to go, and we're not out of the woods yet, but this is a momentous first step 💚

Bria was suffering terribly at a backyard farm before someone found her and brought her to our attention. Since she came to us, she's been getting physical therapy three times a day with the splints and other stretching treatments, along with massage therapy, weekly chiropractic care, acupuncture, cold laser, and red light therapy.

Along with healthy, organic hay, she's getting daily vitamins including Sun Chlorella USA, and her anti-inflammatory medication and pain medication while she works to gain the use of her front legs after crawling on them for an unknown amount of time. We're also in the process of purchasing her a wheelchair so she can be in the braces even longer to help her heal.

We need your ongoing support to help us so we can continue to rescue, rehabilitate and heal animals with disabilities like Bria and help them live long, happy lives in sanctuary after experiencing untold trauma. Thank you for your support as we work to get Bria running in the barnyard!

18/09/2024

These rescued animals all needs sponsors! 👉Meet the animals at The Gentle Barn who currently do not have sponsors, then learn more about their unique personalities and rescue stories: https://bit.ly/3XP8v47

Animals recovering from abuse and neglect need something to live for—medical attention alone is not enough. For the animals at The Gentle Barn, love and companionship complements the highest quality vet care, therapies like massage and acupuncture, music, story time, organic food, cookies and so much more.

What happens when you sponsor animals at The Gentle Barn? You're sending much-needed gentle care directly to the animal, along with supporting our work and mission on the whole. In return, you receive updates on the animal of your choosing, including special exclusive photos and their new favorite things, budding friendships, and more 💚

Already a sponsor? Tell us about the animal you sponsor 🫶

14/09/2024

We are saddened to share that our beloved and magnificent horse Aslan has passed. Kind and gentle despite his past trauma, Aslan was a huge presence, always beautifully trotting across the barnyard.

Aslan was rescued with his brother Moose from an auction house after both had been used to pull carriages for years, and brought to our sanctuary by cofounder Jay L Weiner. Our incredible staff at The Gentle Barn Missouri has been caring for Aslan ever since he arrived, giving him daily stretches and hand-walking him, making sure our therapists and practitioners were working on his tired, sore body frequently, and always giving him the best foods, love, and care.

Aslan loved interacting with guests, especially special groups like elderly people, small children, and people with disabilities. He loved his brother Moose and would call for him whenever he was out of sight, and was always proud to be watching over the donkeys and fellow former carriage horse Bernard.

After years of pulling heavy carriages, he'd been struggling with his mobility more and more lately and we would find him lying down, unable to stand. We had the vet out several times and worked to get him back up on his feet in a variety of ways, along with giving him pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, acupuncture, and chiropractic, but the vet found additional medical issues and he was clearly in pain and discomfort.

He has left a hole in all of our hearts and we will remember him forever, along with giving his brother Moose all the love and attention he needs in this difficult time. We are grateful Moose has Bernard, and they will both share the memories of Aslan for the rest of their lives. Thank you for loving Aslan with us ❤️‍🩹

10/09/2024

"I want readers to connect with our farm animals like never before and know who they truly are when loved and safe." The Gentle Barn founder Ellie Laks shares why she wrote her book "Cow Hug Therapy" 📚 plus how to better communicate with your own animals, and more in an interview with Women's Business Daily:

Discover the power of animal communication with Ellie Laks, founder of The Gentle Barn and bestselling author of 'Cow Hug Therapy.'

03/09/2024

For those who need a moment of joy 😍

You can visit the farmed animals we rescue at The Gentle Barn at our sanctuaries outside Los Angeles CA, Nashville TN, or St. Louis MO any Sunday by making reservations for a self-guided tour HERE: https://bit.ly/3Smf6Ro

You’ll learn their inspiring stories, spend time with them, brush them, give them belly rubs, and experience the healing effects of simply being in their presence in nature 💚

In addition to our weekly open-to-the-public Sundays, we also host guided private tours, Cow Hug Therapy, Equine Therapy, field trips, and more throughout the week.

30/08/2024

URGENT: We just rescued a baby goat who needs immediate and ongoing veterinary attention, around the clock care, and rigorous physical therapy. This scared baby, now named Bria, cannot walk on her front legs and was nearly starving to death in the backyard farm where she was living.

While The Gentle Barn just last week rescued another goat from a testing facility (Tina), Bria needed immediate assistance, so now both of these babies are in our Healing Center, quarantining in their own stalls.

Bria is only around seven months old and is guarded and nervous. The vet has run tests to pinpoint her specific issues but we know her front legs are atrophied and we've begun doing physical therapy 4x a day, along with giving her medical attention and boosting her immune system with Sun Chlorella because of her vitamin deficiencies. She's going to need long-term rehabilitation and time will tell if she needs braces or a front-loaded wheelchair, depending on how she does with physical therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, chiropractic work, and acupuncture. She's emaciated, malnourished, and will need to be on a special diet.

All of this work comes at a high cost to the organization, but we will do everything in our power to help her survive and thrive. Your support is needed now—we can't do this work without you!

28/08/2024

"They have found a way to forgive and trust and now they want to pay it forward to help others." KSDK News tried Cow Hug Therapy at The Gentle Barn and talked to founder Ellie Laks about the St. Louis Six cows, her new book, and so much more:

"They have found a way to forgive and trust and now they want to pay it forward to help others," said The Gentle Barn founder Ellie Laks

25/08/2024

NEW RESCUE: This baby goat was in a testing facility for nearly a year, but now she's starting her new life in sanctuary at The Gentle Barn!

As today we're celebrating 25 years of animal rescue, this sweet goat, now named Tina is our very first rescue of the next chapter for our sanctuary. We collaborated with another sanctuary to secure her freedom, and now, at just nine months old, she's on her way to healing.

Tina will be in quarantine our Sun Chlorella USA Healing Center for the next month, where she's getting organic food, fresh water, a soft bed, and so much love. We'll be reading to her and singing to her. And when she's ready, she'll join our beloved flock of fellow rescued goats and sheep.

Thank you for your support these past 25 years so we can say yes to rescues like these. You can sponsor her new life in sanctuary here: https://bit.ly/4cBHgix 💚 There's much more to come!

21/08/2024

Our 25th anniversary merch is here! We're celebrating 25 years of rescuing and healing animals with new limited edition shirts, hoodies, mugs, traveler tumblers and more. Showcase your love for animals and give back when you shop—all proceeds support The Gentle Barn's work 💚

ORDER HERE: https://bit.ly/3yXpeJP

👉EXCITING NEWS: The Gentle Barn eStore now also offers shipping to Australia, Canada, and the UK! (Please note that international shipping is not available for food products)

20/08/2024

Mercy loves cookie time 😍 Every day at The Gentle Barn, we are touched by the kindness and gentle spirits of our animals, reminding us of the deep connections we share with all beings. This we're sharing how you can plan for your future with your favorite nonprofit animal sanctuary in mind: https://frwill.link/gentlebarn12