Winter is coming. The cold is hard on all of us at Sentient Sanctuary. It takes a lot to keep our animals warm and safe. So, in celebration of #GivingTuesday, we hope you’ll help us to reach our 2025 Animal Care Goal (to give via PayPal or Venmo, see How To Help).

Our first full year as an animal sanctuary got off to a rocky start. First, our co-founder left to join SELC, which was great for Claire, but meant I had to go solo. Then, we lost our baby llama, Moab. It was heartbreaking. I have never cried so much in my life.

Thankfully, the rest of the year has been good. Our dog Asha keeps the hens safe from predators. The barn cats, Merlin and Ghost, are friendlier than ever. And our goats, roosters, donkeys, and llamas delight visitors who come for goat walks and farm yoga.

And we have a lovely team of volunteers (thank you Donna, Kate, Carissa, Devin, and Jane) and a wonderful community of people who show up each month for Animal Book Club.

One memorable event is the Great Llama Escape. One morning in August, after failing to latch a stall door properly, I watched helplessly as all four llamas ran out of the barn and off into the woods. I began to pursue, then heard the blaring of a truck horn. “Oh my God, they’re in the road,” I thought. But I soon realized the noise was actually the scream of a very angry donkey. Moments later four terrified llamas came racing up the hill making weird noises of their own. It was easy to lead them back into the pasture.

Now, as we transition to winter, our barn is stocked with hundreds of bales of hay and a month’s worth of grain and heated water bowls. It is your generosity that enables us to take such good care of all of our beautiful creatures, so thank you and happy holidays!