It all started in 2008, when Dr. Karen Phillips, a spay/neuter veterinary surgeon, was working with an animal shelter to help combat pet populations. Isaac, a pot-bellied pig, was dropped off at the shelter.
“He came in as a piglet and didn’t have a place to go, so I took him home and it snowballed from there,” she said.
“It really opened my eyes to more and more farm animals being rescued and needing homes.”
It was the catalyst that led to the founding of Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary in 2013, a nonprofit farm animal sanctuary, on seven acres in the North Hills. It now is home to about 120 farm animals, mostly flocks of birds, that have been dropped off at animal shelters, confiscated by humane agencies or saved from factory farms.
Admittedly a labor of love for Dr. Phillips, she tends to the animals day and night, heading off to work six days a week as a relief veterinarian in between. She works continuously to raise awareness about the plight of poorly treated, abandoned farm animals.
The sanctuary is funded through donations, grants, farm tours and workshop events at the sanctuary where attendees can mingle with the animals, some of which roam freely about the farm.
“What’s really special about Hope Haven is that people can meet and interact with the animals, learn more about them and just watch the animals interact with each other,” she said. “All the animals get along together really well.”
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First Published: June 13, 2021, 12:51 p.m.
Updated: June 13, 2021, 1:10 p.m.
