A visit to the ‘birthday barn’

Charleswood

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This article was published 08/05/2024 (750 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Little Red Barn Sanctuary, an animal rescue in Charleswood, is celebrating a collection of notable birthdays this year.

First, the sanctuary itself, which was founded by Jessica Walker, is turning five years old, a milestone that’s echoed by the birthdays of George and Lucy, two 1,000-pound pigs.

George and Lucy were the sanctuary’s first rescues, a visual representation of the Little Red Barn’s mission. Pigs rarely live to be five years old, as they’re bred to be slaughtered at just a couple of months. However, these two have found their home nestled in a barn, often sleeping alongside chickens, horses, cats, cows, and a donkey.

“Growing up, I realized people don’t have the same beliefs towards animals that I do, and that compassion is really important,” said Walker, 18. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to start Little Red Barn, to educate people.”

The initial idea for the sanctuary came from two research projects Walker undertook in her early teens. Her first, eight-week project first attempted to answer if working with animals on a regular basis increased empathy in people, with successful results. The second focused on the nutrition aspect, proving that people were more likely to become vegetarian or vegan after working and caring for animals. The idea to start rescuing animals as a family was spawned soon after.

“When we first heard the idea, we knew it was something special,” Walker said. “It was life-changing for my family, but even now, looking back, it’s amazing how much it’s changed how I see the world and interact with animals.

“Every time we rescue an animal, it strengthens my motivation to protect them, that they’re someone, not something, and that the work we do is really important,” she said.

Walker runs Little Red Barn with the rest of her family — her mom, dad, and brother — as well as volunteers, in a spot of land containing a pasture, several outdoor pens, a barn, and an indoor arena full of hay. Over the last five years, the family has rescued over 6,000 animals — primarily egg-laying hens, which they have been purchasing from industrial farms that would have slaughtered them instead. After buying the birds, Little Red Barn assesses their needs and eventually re-homes them as companions. They do the same with other animals, such as horses.

Animals who come into care at the sanctuary are usually re-homed, Walker said. The barn only keeps permanent residents who need extra time and care.

A notable example is Tucker, a rescue horse, who celebrated his 30th birthday in April.

There’s not too much known about Tucker’s life prior to the auction from which he was purchased, Walker said, as horses often go through 10 homes throughout their lives. Tucker came into care subdued and sore, having been a riding horse most of his life, but he quickly opened up after bonding with another horse, Scotty, and is now Little Red Barn’s resident grumpy old man — a title he deserves.

“The elder residents we have, they’ve worked so hard their whole life. They’ve given so much of their time and energy, and they deserve people who will give it back,” Walker said.

Tucker received a new halter for his birthday, and spent the party greeting everyone in attendance individually, despite not really knowing what was going on. Little Red Barn is active on social media, where it posts about animals, announcements, and fundraisers: @littleredbarnsanctuary

More information, and a place to book tours, can also be found on its website: thelittleredbarn.org