Originally part of a homestead where she was used for milk production, Rosebud’s life was at risk when the family keeping her decided to give up “hobby” farming.

She was destined to be sold directly into slaughter or at auction. In either case, the outcome is the same.

For most cows, being displaced by such situations leads to suffering and death. Luckily, Rosebud became one of the rare few who found asylum in rescue.

And lucky for us, too! We are so richly rewarded by being able to provide her with a protected, safe, and loving environment for the rest of her days.

Rosebud enjoys frolicking in the fields with her biological offspring, Cassidy, and loves to pass the time sunning herself and seeking out fresh patches of grass and low-hanging leaves from our pecan trees.

Cassidy is Rosebud’s only offspring from her former life on a hobby farm who was allowed to remain with his mother and continue nursing until a natural cessation.

Sadly, it’s standard practice when producing milk for human consumption to remove the young from their mothers shortly after birth—a deeply traumatizing event for both mother and child.

Fortunately, Cassidy never had to endure this painful experience, which may partially account for his amiable nature. He’s the most outspoken member of the bovine crew here at CHF and has been dubbed our official greeter!

As he grows and matures here in safety, we very much look forward to gaining greater insight into his unique and winning personality.

As one of our “big cows,” most everyone who encounters Zeek is usually taken aback by his size and stature.

As a castoff from the dairy industry, he’s much larger than the cows we are used to seeing in fields. Because male offspring, being of no value in dairy production, are rarely allowed to live much more than one year, a fully grown Holstein bull is an uncommon sight to see.

Zeek was lucky enough to escape the otherwise certain fate of either being shot shortly after birth or sold off to be raised for veal or cheap beef. And for that we are glad!

Zeek exudes character, and his crazy antics are a source of never-ending entertainment. We like to think it’s because he enjoys perfect contentment here amongst friends and family at Changing Hearts Farm.

Prior to making Changing Hearts Farm his forever home, Zephyr was united with Zeek in rescue from the dairy industry.

Zephyr was born into this world strictly as a means to an end—to force his mother to continue to lactate.

Just as with his buddy Zeek, Zephyr escaped the certain fate of immediate or early death for males born in an industry with no use for him.

Now, Zephyr spends his days romping in the fields and nuzzling his best buddy.

We are honored to provide him with a safe haven where he can live out his days free of the threats he unknowingly faced early on in his precious life.

On the day that Joey was liberated from being stranded in a river in rural North Carolina, we rushed to retrieve him from the local county shelter.

At that time, it was abundantly clear that he was in danger of losing his life without immediate and intensive care. Once in our care, Joey was stabilized by a nearby vet before being taken to the University of Georgia.

We didn’t know if he was going to make it, but he turned out to be a fighter.

Joseph may have lost his sight, but he’s found a beautiful home at Changing Hearts.

We’ve promised him all of the love in the world, and while we wish he was still with his cow family, we will fill in as best as we can.

Lilly and her mom came out of a sad situation in which they were not receiving proper care.

Since the property they lived at lacked appropriate fencing, both had been hobbled, meaning their legs were tied together to prevent them from running away.

Fortunately, a concerned neighbor convinced the owner to surrender them so they could receive much-needed medical treatment.

As it turned out, Lily’s mother had developed a ligament disease and did not survive.

And so, when Lily first came to us, she was very depressed, which is not unusual when a horse loses their closest companion.

Lilly and her mom came out of a sad situation in which they were not receiving proper care.

Since the property they lived at lacked appropriate fencing, both had been hobbled, meaning their legs were tied together to prevent them from running away.

Fortunately, a concerned neighbor convinced the owner to surrender them so they could receive much-needed medical treatment.

As it turned out, Lily’s mother had developed a ligament disease and did not survive.

And so, when Lily first came to us, she was very depressed, which is not unusual when a horse loses their closest companion.

But, in a stunning display of resilience, Lily bonded with Stella Blue almost immediately upon her arrival at Changing Hearts Farm. Her rehabilitation from the hobbling and regaining her ability to trust humans were not as swift, requiring a year and a half of loving care.

Now Lily, with her huge personality, is quick to charm anyone and everyone!

If you visit the sanctuary, chances are, our little social butterfly may be the first to greet you!!

Song is the most recent addition to our rescued resident family. She is one of the rare few who escape from the racehorse industry, alive and healthy. Too many others’ stories do not end so happily.

The many racehorse deaths from injury, exhaustion, drug overdose, heart attacks, etc., are conveniently kept hidden from public view.

But the sad truth is, between 700-800 of these magnificent creatures die every year. And, as horrifying as it may be, many who survive the racetrack ultimately cross borders to the slaughterhouse.

We are grateful to be able to offer asylum to Song. Providing her with every amenity to ensure the rest of her life is peaceful and comfortable.

Jimmy was CHF’s first resident, joining us when he was just 5-months old.

Since the sanctuary was still being built, Jimmy lived in the house with Rick and Carolyn. At first, it was a little tricky with the cats and dogs. But once he showed them how he could open the pantry and refrigerator—it was love.

Poor Jimmy was discovered in some woods where a passerby found him lying near his dead mother and littermates. He was the sole survivor.

We believe he is part factory farm pig and part wild boar. Jimmy now lives in a luxury piggie townhouse with a beautiful pasture and a large mud pool where he spends his days grazing and his nights snuggled up with his best friend, Willie.

Found abandoned and suffering from a broken leg that had never been set, Willie spent time in foster care before arriving at CHF.

The plan was for Willie to undergo swim therapy to heal his broken leg, but…

This little buster boy wasn’t all that interested in cooperating, so he opted out 😉

Fortunately, his leg healed very well on its own, and he can run and play with the best of them!

You’ll now see Willie romping around or lounging in the mud pit together with his pasture mate and lifelong pal Jimmy.

Yep, Willie has got it made here at CHF, and we are no less than truly blessed to have him as part of our family!

In yet another backyard operation, sweet Sunshine was being used as a “breeder” pig.

Sadly, after so many cycles of birth, she fell victim to uterine prolapse, a not uncommon effect of being forced to breed repeatedly.

Sunshine desperately needed medical intervention, but the folks who were keeping her could not afford the surgery. That’s when we stepped in and whisked her to the University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine, where she received the top-notch care she deserved.

Sunshine has since returned three times for follow-up procedures and still battles some ongoing issues due to the unfortunate consequences of the abuse she suffered.

Today, she is one of the happiest members of our family and expresses her bliss most unabashedly at mealtime! You should see her grin and eat!

Dear Willow (formerly Wilbur) came to us from a teaching school that included activities related to farming.

When this charter school lost its funding, it had to send the animals elsewhere.

A young student named Ben had come to love Willow. He wanted to see that she had the chance to live out her life with care and in safety.

And so, after a long journey from Indiana (in the back of a minivan no less!), 400-pound Willow found her way to Changing Hearts Farm, where she now serves as somewhat of a mascot.

Willow wanders the property freely and loves to interact with all who come to visit, especially if they’re willing to indulge her in one of her favorite activities—the belly rub ????.

Buckey belongs to the breed that is commonly known as fainting goats.

These goats suffer from a genetic condition called myotonia congenita which causes their legs to seize or stiffen when startled or excited.

Unfortunately, this condition means that they are one of the most desirable breeds for “meat” farmers because the process of repeated stiffening of the legs builds up more muscle tissue than in other types of goats.

Luckily, we were able to rescue this uniquely precious boy from that fate. And, can we just say…Buckey might better have been named “Buster”?

He has the uncanny knack for finding endless ways to tinker with everything he can manage to get into—and it’s a lot! But we must also admit, it is one of his most endearing qualities!

Our other resident goat, Baker, is also a myotonic or fainting goat.

He is differentiated from most others by his cashmere coat, which is quite a rarity. If used commercially, Baker’s coat would raise his value. But, to us, he is valued simply for being a member of our treasured extended family.

Along with his partner in crime, Buckey, Baker likes to pursue mischief as his primary activity! But we don’t hold it against him.

He is very social and especially good around and friendly towards children. Visitors to the sanctuary enjoy interacting with the goats and feeding them their favorite treats—animal crackers!

When it comes to their interactions with visitors to the property, they truly are more like a couple of puppies than goats.

Daffodil the little lamb…
has one of the most horrific stories of all our rescues.

After a good Samaritan found a lost dog on the road and returned him home, she spotted poor Daffodil lying in the backyard with what would otherwise have been mortal wounds to her body from a dog attack.

The homeowners were uninterested in providing the care she desperately needed to save her life. Thankfully they surrendered her.

The good Samaritan contacted one of our top volunteers who saw that Daffodil was rushed to an emergency veterinarian and subsequently transferred to the N.C. State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Despite the emergency care, it wasn’t at first clear whether or not Daffodil would make it. But, after a long and difficult two weeks of waiting, we finally received word that she was out of the woods and would be coming home!

We love our precious Daffodil (affectionately known as Daffy), and we’re so pleased to be able to offer her forever care here at the sanctuary.

Our flock of hens—Anastasia, Bella, Adeline, Julia Simon, & Abigail—was liberated from what had otherwise been billed as a humane meat farm.

These ladies, like all birds bred for meat, were genetically manipulated. This genetic manipulation causes them to become grotesquely large in a very short period.

Understandably, this creates undue demands on their bodies, often rendering them unable to walk or even support their weight—to the point that their legs break.

Their organs and systems become so stressed that they cannot handle the demands put upon them.