Greener Pastures Farm Sanctuary

If animals could talk – at least in a way where humans would understand them – there’s no doubt that the 40 or so who currently live at Greener Pastures Farm Sanctuary would never stop sharing sentiments of gratitude. That’s because they’re among the nearly 100 animals that have been rescued and rehabilitated at the sanctuary situated on five peaceful acres in Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County. 

Saved from a certain early death resulting from abuse, neglect or being sent to a slaughterhouse, the assorted horses, goats, pigs, donkeys, sheep, and fowl are the beneficiaries of lifelong love and care at the sanctuary, where all of the animals enjoy healthy food, clean shelter, and lots of room to roam every day. 

Executive Director Diane Dieterich began by housing the animals at her own home in 2014, but with the help of co-founder and partner – retired tax accountant Joe Kennedy – expanded to the current site on the sanctuary. Many animals come from private situations where their owners can’t take care of them and are ready to have them euthanized – or even worse, in a state of constant mistreatment. 

We take the ones whose lives are in danger, who may be slaughtered or killed just because they’re in the way or they’re inconvenient or what have you,” Dieterich explained. 

Take Kiko the goat.

“She came to us from where she had been suffering horrific abuse,” Dieterich said. “She was very fearful and would not come near us. Over time as we took care of her, she learned that she was safe and began to trust us. Soon she started to take treats directly from us. Now, we get to see her silly personality blossom.”

Dinky had an even more heartbreaking story. The potbellied pig, whose owner never came to claim her from an animal shelter in Los Angeles after she’d been evacuated during a wildfire. Greener Pastures took her in, sight unseen, five years ago. They were shocked to discover she was morbidly obese.

“Dinky was so overweight she couldn’t see because rolls of fat completely covered her eyes.” Kennedy said. “In a year and a half, she lost at least 150 pounds, and then got her surgery, a brow lift, and now she can see again after being in the dark for years. She roams around all day long. Eventually one of our feral cats took a liking to her and now they’re best friends and live together in her stall in the barn.”

It might seem like a drop in the bucket to only be helping 40 animals at this moment. Modern agribusiness, after all, sees millions of animals mishandled, kept in confinement, mutilated, and deprived of basic necessities because profit margins trump everything else. But there is no denying that Greener Pastures makes a life-changing difference to each of the sentient creatures in their care. 

Perhaps even more importantly, the animals are returning the gifts they’ve been given by serving as living and breathing lessons for the people who visit Greener Pastures. Once rehabilitated, they teach about kindness and reverence for all life through hands-on time, and let visitors experience the unconditional acceptance and healing that animals give naturally. 

“Our goal is to educate,” Dieterich said. “Most people don’t think of farm animals as needing to be rescued or helped, but we let people spend time with them so that they see the animals have the emotions and the feelings of any dog or cat, and are just as responsive and loving. When people meet the animals and they hear their backstory and look into their eyes, it changes how they think about them, and they reconsider what they’re eating and how they’re treating animals in general.”

The sanctuary has more than a dozen volunteers, and at least 10 docents on hand for open houses or tour days, when 50-100 people come through.

“It might be surprising, but lots of our visitors have never even been on a farm, so it’s a real eye-opener,” Kennedy explained. “The docents can share the backstory of each animal, what they went through and how we rehabilitated them. The visitors are able to pet the animals and connect with them, and you can see them light up.” 

It’s a very different situation than a petting zoo, as the spacious grounds allow the animals to live as close to a life in the wild as possible, able to visit different pastures, nibble on natural grass, and get exercise. 

Greener Pastures also runs an internship program that provides animal science students from Cal Poly valuable hands-on experience, an opportunity that often can inform their future career paths.

What’s astonishing is that the sanctuary does all this on an annual budget of just $80,000. Which is why donations can make a huge difference in all of its endeavors. While Greener Pastures is currently raising $10,000 for a new horse trailer, any amount matters and can be turned into food for horses and donkeys, shearing for sheep, bedding for ducks, and medical care for animals in need. Donors become an essential part of an animal’s journey toward a brighter future.  

Visit www.GreenerPasturesSanctuary.org