The Gentle Barn

Last updated
The Gentle Barn
Founded1999
FounderEllie Laks
Focus Animal welfare, animal rights
Location
Key people
Jay Weiner
Volunteers
900
Website www.gentlebarn.org

The Gentle Barn is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal sanctuary organization located in Santa Clarita, California; Dittmer, Missouri; and Christiana, Tennessee. Founded by Ellie Laks in 1999, The Gentle Barn's mission is to provide sanctuary for abused animals who would not otherwise be able to find homes. [1]

Contents

History

The Gentle Barn was founded in 1999 on a half-acre property in Tarzana, California. Jay Weiner, who is also Laks' husband, joined the organization in 2002. [2] In 2003, the organization moved to a six-acre property at its current location in Santa Clarita. [3] Laks cites a childhood love for animals as the inspiration for creating the sanctuary. She also credits animals with helping her heal after an abusive childhood. [4]

The organization began allowing visitors the same year it opened, and later added animal-assisted therapy programs for disabled and special-needs children and at-risk youth, [5] including inner-city gang members, drug addicts, and abused children. [4]

In 2012, The Gentle Barn took in 51 animals from the property of Roberto Celedon, a "backyard butcher" who was charged on 13 counts, including three felonies related to cruelty to animals. [6] For its work in the case, The Gentle Barn was honored by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich of the Fifth District of Los Angeles County. [7]

In 2015, a second Gentle Barn was opened in Knoxville, Tennessee, but relocated to Christiana, Tennessee, in 2018. [8] In 2017, a third Gentle Barn was opened in Dittmer, Missouri. [9] The Gentle Barn hopes to eventually open a location in every state in America. [10]

The sanctuary

A cow at the Gentle Barn Missouri GentleBarnCow.jpg
A cow at the Gentle Barn Missouri

The current six-acre property in Santa Clarita, California has horsed and cow pastures, a barnyard for the smaller animals, and an organic vegetable garden. [3] It currently houses 170 animals, [11] including cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, llamas, emus, cats, dogs, and birds. [4] The first cow rescued, Buddha, is often used for therapy sessions with quadriplegic children. [12] Animals at The Gentle Barn are treated with a holistic approach, including acupuncture and veterinary chiropractic methods. [6] The property is completely vegan and does not allow any food products derived from animals. [13] The property is open for tours on Sundays. [14] A separate facility, the Sun Chlorella Healing Center, is not open to the public and is used to treat the sickest and most traumatized animals. [15] The Gentle Barn requires $50,000 a month to operate. Most of the funds come through the website, from individual donors, corporate grants, and foundations. Major donors include Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Hilary Swank, [5] Kirstie Alley, [5] Toyota, CBS, William Morris Endeavor, and Princess Cruises. [4] Actress and animal activist Pamela Anderson has also visited The Gentle Barn to feed turkeys on Thanksgiving. [1] In 2011, a lock of hair given by Justin Bieber to Ellen DeGeneres was auctioned for over $40,000, with all proceeds going to The Gentle Barn. [16]

Cow Hug Therapy

The Gentle Barn saves animals who are in dire situations such as cows who are about to be sent to the slaughter house. The owner of the Gentle Barn would bring the animals to the sanctuary and after healing and bonding with the animals she would cuddle with them. She found that hugging and snuggling up with the cows helped relieve stress so she started providing a cow cuddle therapy program at her sanctuaries. Now, visitors can pay for time to snuggle up with the animals to relieve their own stress and anxiety. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hug</span> Form of endearment

A hug is a form of endearment, found in virtually all human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referred to as a group hug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portia de Rossi</span> Australian-American actress

Portia Lee James DeGeneres, known professionally as Portia de Rossi, is an Australian-American retired actress. She played Nelle Porter on the American drama series Ally McBeal (1998–2002), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award, Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the American television sitcom Arrested Development, and Elizabeth North on the American political thriller series Scandal (2014–2017). She is the founder and CEO of the art company General Public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clarita Valley</span> Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,673 ha) Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County, its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita which includes the neighborhoods of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia. Adjacent unincorporated communities include Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Val Verde, and Valencia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Therapy dog</span> Dog with specific therapy training

A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.

<i>The Ellen Show</i> American television sitcom

The Ellen Show is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ellen DeGeneres that was broadcast during the 2001–02 season on CBS, airing from September 24, 2001, to January 11, 2002. It also starred Cloris Leachman, Martin Mull, Kerri Kenney, Jim Gaffigan, and Emily Rutherfurd, with Diane Delano recurring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoo Knoxville</span> Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the Knoxville Zoo or Knoxville Zoological Gardens, is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and welcomes over 585,000 visitors each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHTS (AM)</span> Radio station in Santa Clarita, California

KHTS is a commercial AM radio station that is licensed to the Canyon Country neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Los Angeles. The station is owned by Jeri Lyn Broadcasting. KHTS broadcasts with 1,000 watts during the daytime and 500 watts at night. The station is nicknamed "Your Hometown Station". KHTS is rebroadcast on FM translator K251CF in Santa Clarita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clarita, California</span> City in California, United States

Santa Clarita is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populous in California, and the 103rd-most populous city in the United States. It is located about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies 70.75 square miles (183.2 km2) of land in the Santa Clarita Valley, along the Santa Clara River. It is a classic example of a U.S. edge city, satellite city, or boomburb.

Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization based in Kanab, Utah with satellite offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Bentonville, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, New York City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. It also has a partnership network with shelters, rescue groups and members in all 50 states and Washington, DC, to promote pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter practices. Best Friends has a 3-star 'Give With Confidence' rating from Charity Navigator.

<i>Paws and Claws: Pet Vet</i> 2006 video game

Paws and Claws: Pet Vet is a pet-raising simulation video game by German studio Radon Labs in which players can nurse dogs, cats, horses, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits back to health. The game features 20 ailments. Players can design their own clinic, choose which kennels to build and expand existing buildings to provide further services to their patients.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is a 459-acre wildlife refuge for abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen DeGeneres</span> American television host (born 1958)

Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actress, and writer. She starred in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for "The Puppy Episode". She also hosted the syndicated television talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 to 2022, for which she received 33 Daytime Emmy Awards.

DogTown is a National Geographic Channel series set at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a 33,000-acre (130 km2) animal facility in southern Utah. It is a documentary-style program that profiles staff and volunteers as they care for dogs in need of homes. Many animals featured are severely abused or neglected or in need of specialized medical treatment. The goal is usually to secure each dog an adoptive home but if this is not possible, animals are cared for at the sanctuary for the remainder of their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valencia, California</span> Community in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The area, west of Interstate 5, is expanding with residential development and already includes major commercial and industrial parks. It straddles State Route 126 and the Santa Clara River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Niemietz</span> American singer-songwriter and actress

Sara Anne Niemietz is an American singer-songwriter and actress based in Los Angeles, California. She has performed on Broadway, at Radio City Music Hall, and the Grand Ole Opry. A substantial portion of her YouTube offerings are live performance music-videos and her channel has surpassed 25 million views. Her regular co-writer and long-time accompanist is W. G. Snuffy Walden, and she has also co-written with Melissa Manchester. Niemietz is a regular cast-member with Postmodern Jukebox, appearing on a dozen albums, a PBS television special, and an MTV music video. She is a featured artist on Richard Marx's A Night Out with Friends (2012) (PBS), Christmas Spirit (2012), and B. J. Thomas's The Living Room Sessions (2013).

The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Writing is an Emmy award honoring writing in special television programming. Both series and specials are eligible for this category.

Samantha Hess is an American former professional cuddler and author. Her business, Cuddle up to Me, gained national attention when she appeared on America's Got Talent in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miyoko Schinner</span> Japanese-American vegan activist

Miyoko Schinner is an American - Japanese vegan chef, cookbook author, cooking show host, vegan activist, and social entrepreneur, who appears in the 2024 documentary, You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment. She is currently the host of the YouTube cooking show, The Vegan Good Life with Miyoko, and is working on her next cookbook, The Vegan Creamery, which will be released in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumlin Farm</span>

Drumlin Farm is a 291 acre farm and wildlife sanctuary which is also the site of the headquarters of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It is located at 208 South Great Road in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

References

  1. 1 2 Worden, Leon (2011-11-24). "Gentle Barn Turkeys Get Thanksgiving Treat from Pamela Anderson". SCVTV News. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  2. ↑ "The Gentle Barn". LookToTheStars.com. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  3. 1 2 "A Brief History". The Gentle Barn. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Karen (2011-11-01). "In the Company of Animals, Healing for Humans". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  5. 1 2 3 Dodd, Johnny (2011-07-04). "Gentle Barn: Stable of Friends". People Magazine. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  6. 1 2 Drake, Megan (2012-04-14). "California Backyard Butcher Charged". Care2.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  7. ↑ "Supervisors to Honor Gentle Barn on Tuesday". SCVTV News. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Kristi L. (July 22, 2018), "The Gentle Barn holds last public tour at its Knoxville location", Knoxville News Sentinel , retrieved March 10, 2022
  9. ↑ Buelt, Melissa. "At the Gentle Barn, Famous Slaughterhouse Escapees Find Rest". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  10. ↑ "The Gentle Barn About Us". TheGentleBarn.org. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ Grau, Deborah (2013-07-02). "Rescued Animals Make a Difference in the Lives of Kids". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  12. ↑ "Turning Point: The Gentle Barn". ByuTV. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  13. ↑ McQuade, Julia (2014-01-29). "Seek stress relief with 'The Gentle Barn'". The Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  14. ↑ Cormier, Nicole (2013-08-07). "Share An Educational And Compassionate Experience At The Gentle Barn". CBS Los Angeles. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  15. ↑ McCarthy, Michelle (2013-12-25). "The Gentle Barn's Kyle DiFulvio Rescues Animals and People". FrontiersLA.com. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  16. ↑ Gracely, Joe (2011-03-03). "Justin Bieber's hair sells for over $40K in Ellen DeGeneres charity auction". Daily News. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  17. ↑ "Santa Clarita's Gentle Barn taps the healing power of cow hugs". Daily News. 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.