W hen we first decided to rescue farmed animals we were not sure how we would manage taking care of the cows with the work schedule we have, as Oscar and I both travel for our jobs. We knew that was not going to stop us from our mission, but how do we organize and manage daily feeding and care.

We were and are so lucky to have met wonderful people who love to work around animals and realize how amazing they are.

All I can say is thank goodness for family. Without Yvonne, my mother-in-law, we would not have been able to have our dogs or our cows or any of this. She has always been there for us and the furry kids. My brother-in law Michael, amazing how much he helped us with fencing and cow care along with his daughter Chelsea who has done video photography for our website. Tom, Yvonne’s partner has been available to help us so often and is the best cow brusher! And of course Britt, my sister-in-law and her husband Rob, moved from Holland to come and help us with our sanctuary. Rob set up the JP Farm Animal Sanctuary website and now manages it, Britt has taken on so much responsibility and her care for the cows is so special!

We have the best staff! Starting in Newtown the first person to help us was our neighbor Chris. She and my mother-in-law would feed and water the cows while they solved the problems of the world! Kelly was definitely the best dressed as she would show up in cute outfits and never looked dirty, but I knew she did all her chores. The cows immediately took to Madilyn as she is calm and they connected with her right away. They bring so much joy to people and it is fun to see how everyone reacts to them. We were and are so lucky to have met wonderful people who love to work around animals and realize how amazing they are. Our current staff, Grace and Tammy always show up with such a positive attitude and help to ensure that everyone is well taken care of. They help to improve our processes, find new tools to help make things easier and take amazing pictures.

We have many friends who have helped to get the word out about our sanctuary and our mission for change in rules and regulations concerning farmed animals, picked up poo and many who have given time and professional assistance. We could not have done it without all these awesome people and feel so grateful for all of them!

We were and are so lucky to have met wonderful people who love to work around animals and realize how amazing they are.

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 & community,
Lynn

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)

W hen the Hippy Kids first arrived, it took us awhile to get to know everyone’s personalities, their fears and what gave them joy. The little ones would stay by Cara and Belle, mostly Belle at that time as she was very sweet to all of them except Cody who was always with his Mom Cara. We would hang with them outside during the day bringing them food and hoping to interact with them more as they were apprehensive with us at first. But once they got comfortable in the barn and then with their space in the field they started to play and run. I did not know cows could run so fast! As they grew it was an amazing sight to see them so happy and feel the energy in the ground as they joyously ran around the pasture.

They responded to our touch and the attention they got.

We would bring them in for the night to feed them and keep them warm as it was one of the coldest winters Connecticut had in a long time. That is when we started to brush them. Their hair would be tangled sometimes they would have snow and ice on them, so we wanted to get the wetness off. It was then we realized we should start to check and feel their bodies for health purposes as well, like their hooves and legs. So, we would brush them each morning after they ate then at night when they came in. They responded to our touch and the attention they got. Now we brush them in their room separately because they will push each other out of the way to have their turn to be groomed.

One of the great things I noticed is how I feel when I am with them and brushing them. They become so calm and quiet. Sometimes they will continue to chew their cud or take a couple bites of hay but occasionally, you hit a spot that feels so good they freeze. They will look back at you if you stop to say, “hey keep going!!” as well. I like to do long strokes with two brushes as I am grooming them, like when you get a massage. I become relaxed and feel all the weight of the day leave my body, it is such a great sensation.

As they have gotten older you can see them wait in anticipation for their turn. Even when walking around in the barn or field if they see you, they will come over to get a rub.

Now that we are in Litchfield and Britt has joined us she has taken it a step further with the Hippy kids. Her connection to them is really strong and you can see how much they trust her. Here are some of Britt’s experiences below and check out the great pictures and video she has taken.

Thanks for the shout out Lynn! The hippy kids and I have indeed been spending a lot of time together so I have had the great privilege of experiencing many ‘brush hours’ with them. As Lynn remarked, they actually can’t wait and will position themselves with the part of their body that they want brushed in front of me (or anyone who has the brush). It is so cute to see that they love to be brushed inside their thighs and will lift their legs for you to get into the hard to reach places. They also love to get their heads rubbed and brushed, especially behind their ears and horns and under their chins. You can tell they are truly enjoying which makes it reciprocal joy!

One of the great things I noticed is how I feel when I am with them and brushing them. They become so calm and quiet. Sometimes they will continue to chew their cud or take a couple bites of hay but occasionally, you hit a spot that feels so good they freeze.

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Sign up for our newsletter, write us, share our sanctuary with others, volunteer or make a donation.

With loads of Brush Hour love,
Lynn & Britt

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)

H oly Moly, it has been a wild ride at JP Farm Animal Sanctuary over the past few months. So much action going on and everyday is an adventure with the hippy kids, visitors, the pig barn and the farm doggies keeping us entertained!

Here are some sights and sounds from this summer so far.

The hippy kids (Scottish Highland cows & steers) have been inspiring us to make their barn and daily routine better. Oscar & Lynn hung up fans to keep the barn cool and lessen the amount of flies. The fly situation is crazy, as those flies love to hang out on the cow’s ankles and noses. So we have been researching fly potions. We’ve been using ‘Pyranha Zero Bite All Natural Fly Spray’ but wanted to try to make our own. Our friend Gina donated home-made remedies using ‘DoTerra’ oils which we’re still exploring. We’re open to more suggestions for the right mix as those flies can be ceaseless (if you have a suggestion, please write us).

Aside from the fans to keep cool, Oscar gave haircuts to Brody, Grady, Ethan and Belle and what a difference that made! We also try to hose down all of their feet as often as we can. Scottish Highland cows are used to colder temperatures so keeping them cooler with water, hydration, shade and fans blowing is super helpful to keep them comfortable.

Our resident doggies: Oliver & Ace; new lettering for our truck
and t-shirts for staff and donors!!!

Tallulah, our newest resident at the farm, received her own fenced in area so that she can roam free while we are trying to integrate her with the original herd. She is super enthusiastic and the others still need to get used to the way she moves (which is a bit faster than they move)! She and the others do like to eat hay together so there is progress! As for her own integration with the humans, she went from ‘Shy to Hi’ with us. She absolutely loves to be brushed and hugged. We think she is pretty smart and shows us by opening the cookie bin on her own (we actually have a lock on it now! 😉

The pig barn ground-breaking was just one month ago when the first dig began. We are literally completing the structure frame today, thanks to Oscar’s direction, and the rest will be completed within a few weeks (it takes a little longer with full time jobs and doing the building ourselves, which is pretty cool in itself! Who knew we are builders too!). It was too crazy that during this building we had a heat wave as well so we became a little loopy in the sun. That was ok because we had good tunes and did a little silly dancing in between cutting and nailing wood together. We simply can’t wait for ‘Tofu-Beanie’ & ‘Dolphin’ (the female piggies) to join JP Farm.

We simply can’t wait for ‘Tofu-Beanie’ & ‘Dolphin’ to join JP Farm.

People are also becoming interested in JP Farm Animal Sanctuary whether it is through our own circles, on social media, website or strangers stopping us when we get out of our truck that we just had branded and or see our new t-shirts (we’d like to start selling t-shirts in the near future, let us know if you’d be interested by emailing us at info@jpfarm.org). We love that people are contacting us to visit, volunteer and learn more about the animals and the farm. It’s so much fun and humbling to share the lives of these beautiful beings. And we couldn’t do it without support. Thank you so much for those who help us daily, from afar and or on the internet.

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

PS: We are giving away JP Farm T-shirts to the first 5 people who donate $25 or more!!!

With loads of kindness and summer lovin’,
Britt

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)

O ur hearts break thinking about Brody and Grady crying out to be with the herd and knowing that their bodies are in pain. As many of you know, they have very significant health issues and we continue to research solutions for these sweet cows. They have trouble walking, getting up and moving around because of musculoskeletal pain and weakness. Today we had Nicole Finazzo DVM come to visit with technician Laura. They were able to provide both Brody and Grady with cold laser therapy and acupuncture. It is so sad for us to see that these two young steers are not able to run around and be frisky and just have fun being cows.

Grady getting Cold Laser Therapy

So to explain about these two therapies and other options for treatment I will quote Nicole directly:

“Palliative and cold laser therapy will treat the pain and discomfort, they do not treat the actual disease process (osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia in their cases).

Options for palliative therapy include acupuncture and laser therapy. Acupuncture involves placing small gauge needles into different acupoints in the body. These acupoints are neuromuscular and/or neurohormonal junctions - in layman's terms, this is where the body receives feedback that controls the release of various hormones and anti-inflammatory molecules. Stimulating the acupoint works directly to relax the muscles and release anti-inflammatory molecules in that area, and works indirectly by the release of neurohormones from the brain that lessen pain. There are a number of ways to stimulate the acupoint and the method will vary depending on the patient's reaction to the session. Dry needling involves the placement of the small gauge acupuncture needles into various acupoints and leaving them in place for 10-20 minutes.

Laser therapy also known as cold laser therapy, involves low level light therapy to stimulate healing and reduce inflammation. Laser therapy is working on a cellular level. Photons from the light reaction with the components of the cells to release anti-inflammatory molecules. The laser therapy also mildly increased the temperature of the tissues which causes an increase in blood flow to the area which improves healing. Laser therapy is non-painful and most patient’s enjoy it.”

Brody getting assessed by Nicole & Laura

Brody and Grady reacted positively to the treatment today. They did not like the needles going in to their hind end at first but then started to relax and we even noticed that Brody’s muscles were not as tight in one area at the end of the session. We will watch them over the next few weeks to see how the treatment affects them. As we continue to search for solutions we would like to ask for your support and ask you to sponsor Brody or Grady with their health care. We will continue to give them pain medicine so they have consistent pain relief as there is no cure for their disease.

Lynn, Oscar, Nicole & Laura

We will watch them over the next few weeks to see how the treatment affects them. As we continue to search for solutions we would like to ask for your support and ask you to sponsor Brody or Grady with their health care. We will continue to give them pain medicine so they have consistent pain relief as there is no cure for their disease.

Can you help these kind souls to be as happy as they can be. Please donate so they can continue with the therapy sessions and medicine.

Love Cows,
Lynn

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)

I t has been wonderful having our beautiful boys (steers) with us for the past 6 years! We knew very little about raising cows and how much our hearts would melt getting to know each one individually. They were very small when we brought them home to our house in Newtown. They were frisky and a little scared and so were we!

Belle & Brody

Amazing to see the dynamics of how this herd has grown ...

They have always loved each other and are inseparable. When they were young they played all the time. Cody, who was very connected to his Mom Cara, would cry out if he didn’t get his way or if someone was picking on him. Cara would come right over to check on him, she was an amazing Mother. Belle was always licking on Brody, he had wild hairdos from all her loving. The boys and the girls like to lick ears and eyes, grooming soothes them as it is a time for bonding. Belle also loved on Ethan quite often as well. It is amazing to see the dynamics of how this herd has grown and changed in many ways. Cody has past away, Brody and Grady struggle with health issues but we are working to provide them with the best health care we can.

Most of the time the cows are very quiet but you can see the excitement in them when it’s time for cookies as they start to move around in their stalls and watch with curiosity, who’s going to be the first to get treats. We will always make sure they get special treats every year on their birthday and encourage them to be who they are, a cow that gets to roam freely at JP Farm Animal Sanctuary.

When they were young

Each day I walk into the barn and greet them, they make me smile as they turn their heads. They inspire me to want to be a kinder more generous person. One who will advocate for those who don’t have a voice, encourage plant based food options that are healthier, really tasty and are better for our planet.

We want to wish the boys the Happiest Birthday and for them to live out their lives in peace and joy.

Would you like to get the boys a birthday gift? Any donation amount toward their food and medical expenses would be wonderful!

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)

Cody & Ethan

... We want to wish the boys the Happiest Birthday and for them to live out their lives in peace and joy. Would you like to get the boys a birthday gift? Any donation amount toward their food and medical expenses would be wonderful!

Love Cows,
Lynn