H aving heard about JP through a friend, I really wanted to show support for a local sanctuary so I messaged them about possibly volunteering. They promptly replied and before I knew it, I was on the phone to Britt. What I had expected to be a brief call about arranging a volunteer day, turned into a considerably longer conversation about various things pertaining to who we are and what we’re about. After the call and before I had even met her in person, I felt like I’d known Britt for years.

Jenny has recently joined our team of caregivers at the farm.

Flash forward to my arrival, I was blown away by JP’s staggering beauty and oddly overwhelmed by my immediate feeling of belonging. As I’m taking it all in, I’m greeted by the biggest hug from Britt and the loudest welcome from the resident dogs, Ace and Oliver. I was immediately made to feel right at home.

It’s safe to say I instantly fell in love with JP

It was time for the tour – I was excited as I had never met Scottish Highland Cows before! In keeping with what I had already seen, the barn itself was beautiful. Britt introduced me to each of the fluffy personalities; Brody, Grady, Ethan, Tallulah, Belle and Cara. Even on first impressions, I could tell how different they all were from one another but the one thing they all had in common was their hair. In true Highland cow fashion, their long, flowing locks put my hair to shame! They were just beautiful. Britt was sure to tell me exactly how to keep myself safe whilst in the presence of such large animals and avoid any accidental head butts with their massive horns, which made me feel comfortable enough to interact with the herd but cautious enough not to get myself into any trouble!

It’s safe to say I instantly fell in love with JP, its residents and the compassionate crew who work so hard to provide an idyllic life for these precious animals.

Over the next few weeks, resisting the urge to just pack up my suitcase and move right in, I took what I could get and visited once a week to help out. I got to meet Lynn and Oscar, the founders of JP, and they were every bit as welcoming as Britt had been. What struck me most was the unshakeable love they all had for both each other and the animals in their care. They all knew every little quirk of each of the cows and were so excited to share their stories.

Not long after I started volunteering, one of their trusted employees was moving on, leaving an opening for a new crew member. Obviously, I knew it had to be me and I immediately put my name in the hat but there were concerns… I lived over an hour away and in certain seasons, getting there might cause a problem in my tiny car and I already had a full time job. Staring this amazing opportunity in the eye, I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The commute, the car, the potential pay cut – none of that was going to deter me from doing whatever I could to become a part of this amazing sanctuary family. All I had to do was convince Lynn, Oscar and Britt that I wouldn’t let them down and after much deliberation, they finally all agreed to give me a shot and I couldn’t believe my luck!

As I counted down the days until I started, I was in constant contact with Britt. She would tell me exactly what I could expect from the job, whilst preparing me for the unexpected too. By this time, they had taken in 2 pigs, Dolphin and Beanie Tofu. Everyone was buzzing at the thought of getting to know these sweet souls and I couldn’t wait to get to know them either! They had prepared for months, building a pig barn from scratch and learning all there is to know about taking the best care of pigs. The sheer dedication and everyone’s instantaneous feeling of love for these pigs would make it hard for anyone to not want to be a part of this journey.

I am so in awe of what this family have built together and I cannot wait to continue to grow with them, learn from them and share in the ultimate beauty that is JP Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The sheer dedication and everyone’s instantaneous feeling of love for these pigs would make it hard for anyone to not want to be a part of this journey.

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Love from the farm,
Jenny

W e are so excited to let everyone know that “The Pink Girls” have arrived! Their names are Little Beanie Tofu and Dolphin, given to them by their first adoptive parents Madilyn and Zac.

Beanie Tofu is fully exploring her new grounds … and seemingly enjoying it!

We started to prepare for their transport and we were all a little nervous as we did not know if they would want to get on the trailer. As you know pigs are extremely smart and sensitive. Their sense of smell is so keen that they can smell something that is 25 feet underground! Their sense of smell can also help humans. Some pigs are trained to assist law enforcement officers. They can sniff out drugs, just like dogs. Pigs tend to be near-sighted and rely on their senses of smell and hearing.

Mama Kathleen and her ‘babies’ at their new forever home …

… the joy we felt

Kathleen their caretaker for the last two years, came up with a “food plan” to get them on the trailer, as they are very motivated by food. We put some fun things that they usually don’t get like donuts and ice cream in their food bowls and set them in the trailer as she carried a bucket of treats and had them follow her into the trailer!! It worked!! Yeah, the joy we felt as they got on because we did not want to traumatize them.

Once they arrived at the farm they were a little warm and not so happy so we cooled them down with a hose and got their pool out so they could get comfortable. They explored their new surroundings once they settled in, had some nice fresh greens and grain then went to their new room full of soft dry hay and slept till morning. They are not early risers, they like to sleep till 8 or 9 then have a delicious breakfast full of lettuce, kale, carrots, peaches (no pits) radishes, berries and grain. This will vary with the seasons.

“Don’t I look gorgeous!!?” 🐷

They have been here for almost a week now and are looking at everything. They have a hill in their area so they have been trying to go up and down it, they love the fresh green grass and weeds. They are digging up the rocks and look so cute with their dirty brown noses when you call their names. They have checked out the fencing but we hope they like staying in their area.

It is a joy to hang with them in the hay and listen to them “talk”. Dolphin is the most vocal and I can’t wait to understand everything she is saying. As we spend time with them I think we will create our own vocabulary and will be able to communicate in a wonderful way that provides a better understanding between us.

Thank you to all the people who have helped us prepare for the pigs arrival we could not have done it without you!!

Love pigs and all farm animals,
Lynn

I ncredible! Summer is just about over and we’ve had so many fun highlights. The best part is what we’ve encountered, on a daily basis, right here on the hill.

So much wildlife at the Sanctuary, too!

You know you live in the country when every day you not only see your resident rescued farm animals but so much wildlife. Deer, turkeys, and bears ‘oh my’! And that is not all, our rescued doggies have also come back home with porcupine quills in their snouts, chased the bumblebees and have also been chased by mama sparrows guarding their babies! But what amazed us were all the various types of frogs and toads we found living on the sanctuary. Who knew there were so many sizes and patterns? We found a chubby salamander and her tiny babies, prehistoric looking insects, psychedelic looking spiders and well the list goes on. The sounds of summer have been pretty neato as well, like a mini concert of insects, birds and even coyotes. One of our favorite parts was watching the summer sunsets with the hippy kids grazing and resting. What peace and joy!

“Hay Hay” says Tallulah!

Spreading the word ….

As we enjoyed the sights and sounds, so did many others. We are so excited that the stories of the hippy kids and pink girls spread and continues to thanks to our volunteers, family and friends! We had about 50 people at first open volunteer day. It was a big success. Some of our main supporters raised donations – so grateful as every donation helps so much! We were also interviewed for Sanctuary Tour’s podcast to help spread the word! Please listen to it here: sanctuarytour.org/podcast/episode-5-jp-farm-animal-sanctuary

The pig barn is almost finished! 🐷

The pig barn for the pink girls is almost done. We had the groundbreaking in June, built most of it by ourselves and then had a professional crew finish the roof this past weekend. We had volunteers help begin the fencing and hope to get another day of volunteers to help complete the fence. As we approach their arrival in mid September, we continue to prepare!

We got a hay elevator a few months ago (can you imagine Oscar would toss up each bail every time after he picked up the order)! Now we get it delivered and use the elevator…so much better. We also stocked up on second cutting hay which the cows love.

One highlight the cows did not love was how hot it got…thank goodness for the summer haircuts to keep them cool. So now the weather change is great for them. The cool breezes that have come in the last week have had the hippy kids moving a little quicker and even running and doing happy hind leg kicks in the air! Even Brody, who moves slowly because of his hip dysplasia, was ready to get out to the field to smell and feel the breeze.

Volunteer highlights

We hope to keep the momentum of JP Farm Animal Sanctuary getting noticed as we grow so that the stories will help more animals in need and inspire compassionate living for all.

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Love from the farm,
Britt

O ur passion is to help animals that have no way of escaping the cruelty and harm that are done to millions of them each day on this planet. That is one of the reasons we started JP Farm Animal Sanctuary. We know we can’t rescue them all but would like to be able to help those that we can. We have also learned that it is hard to do everything on your own. Building barns and fences cost a lot of money as well as buying hay and grain. It takes time to manage a farm, always something to do!

There was such a great turnout of beautiful spirits!

We have seen other sanctuaries talk about volunteers and have gone to conferences to learn how to organize but you never know how things will work out. So when we planned our first volunteer day we really didn’t know what to expect. Were we going to get engaged people to come to our farm in Litchfield on a beautiful Summer day; when they could be going to the beach or having a picnic with family and friends. It was almost ten thirty and we started to see this caravan of cars coming up the driveway. We were so excited to meet everyone as they got out of their cars. We had professionals on hand, they brought tools, water and sunscreen and most of all a passion for saving animals. We had an amazing day as we started the fencing for the ‘Pink Girls’ and then we were able to clear two of the cow pasture from rocks and sticks so the cows could walk in the fields much easier. As some of you know Brody and Grady have hip dysplasia so it is very difficult for them to walk and they can’t always lift their back legs to move over the rocks or sticks.

Smiles and kind faces in every direction ….

Meet and greet with the cows

There was a meet and greet with the cows and I think the ‘Hippy Kids’ enjoyed the attention. They probably would have liked more brushing but soft spoken words to tell them how beautiful they are is always special.

Making a connection 😀

Everyone brought something for the pot-luck lunch, we had a delicious variety of foods to choose from. All food was vegan, colorful and satisfying for the hard work everyone was doing. It is quite fun to share recipes that are easy, tasty and are made with kindness!

We had an amazing day as we started the fencing for the ‘Pink Girls’ and then we were able to clear two of the cow pasture from rocks and sticks so the cows could walk in the fields much easier.

Well then it was back to work for a few more hours and finish up the task at hand. Thanks to the kitchen crew who cleaned up and took care of the food and dishes. It was an amazing day getting to know new friends. Oscar and I want everyone to know how grateful we are for their generous offer to come and help us with our Sanctuary. The ‘Furry Kids’ are grateful too!

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Love cows, pigs and volunteers,
Lynn

D o you remember when my mom and I met all those inspiring people at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in June at their Jamboree? Well Kim Beller was one of them who has now become a new and dear friend of JP Farm Animal Sanctuary and all the residents here.

Kim Beller playing the harmonium for the cows!

It was divine timing when we met Kim as she was just embarking on her own journey with her new Sanctuary Tour podcast series. After hearing our story of rescuing the cows, she wanted to interview us! So a couple of visits later, Kim recorded Oscar, Lynn, me, and the hippy kids’ story which will be available to listen to on August 28 on her website.

Kim interviewing Oscar, Lynn & Britt for her Sanctuary Tour podcast series.

One of the commonalities we share is that we would love to see all beings happy and free. In fact, we share a favorite Sanskrit mantra, ‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’ which translates “May all beings be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute to that happiness and freedom for all.” Kim was so excited that she found this on our website as well since it is her daily practice to chant this mantra. During her first visit she brought her harmonium instrument and sang this for the cows…and they definitely were attracted to the music, especially Ethan!

Not only did we relate to Kim in so many ways but also her mission resonated with us: “..to connect humans with animals by sharing and highlighting the work of animal sanctuaries around the globe, cultivating a more compassionate, awake world one sanctuary at a time.” So it seemed apropos that she met all the Scottish Highland cows and steers that are here, highlight their rescues and discuss the joy and peace we get with the opportunity to take care of them.

Making a connection 😀

Something that we often speak about here at JP Farm, is how we would love to educate ourselves and those we meet to make the connection between all sentient beings. We all want to live. So how wonderful if we could inspire each other to live compassionately! As Oscar and Lynn say so so often, when speaking about the cows, “it is a privilege to be able to be around these beautiful beings.” “They are so calming.” So we invite you to keep in touch with us, learn more about the furry residents here but also animals in other sanctuaries and those who have not yet made it to a sanctuary. Let’s help each other make the connections.

Something that we often speak about here at JP Farm, is how we would love to educate ourselves and those we meet to make the connection between all sentient beings. So how wonderful if we could inspire each other to live compassionately!

Would you like to be a part of the sanctuary community? Sign up for our newsletter, write us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

Love all beings,
Britt

PS: read Kim’s blog from her first visit at JP Farm:
http://sanctuarytour.org/2019/07/04/placeholders-2/

Listen to our interview on her podcast series on August 28 here: http://sanctuarytour.org