Forever in Our Hearts
No matter how much love we have to give, animals live much shorter lives than we do. We know there will be loss and grief throughout our journey, so we will continue to honor those sentient beings who have forever changed our lives.
Join us in keeping their memories alive.
Ziggy Stardust
Ziggy was a Holstein calf who came to us from a dairy farm in Massachusetts.
Luckily the dairy farmer agreed to relinquish ownership of Ziggy to us so that he could have the opportunity to grow up at our haven with dignity, with love, and with a big brother, Benny.
Ziggy came to us at 10 days old and joyfully frolicked his way through our pastures and hearts for a few months until a congenital illness became apparent. After weeks of care at Virginia Tech Veterinary Hospital - which included surgery and significant time in critical care - our boy came home, only to quickly become sick again and ultimately lose his life to this illness.
This was a particularly heart-wrenching loss, especially due to the acute and unexpected nature of how it all happened. We will forever see our boy in the stars sprinkled throughout the sky.
Our hope is to continue to honor Ziggy by enhancing and expanding our ability to rescue more male calves from the dairy and meat industry. Please consider honoring our boy with a donation to make this possible.
Big Red Mama
Big Red was a Rhode Island Red chicken who stopped producing eggs due to malnutrition, a depletion in calcium which is vital to hen health, and too much stress. We were happy that the community farmer who owned her brought her to our haven where we nurtured her back to health and learned all about her engaging personality.
From the beginning, we could always count on Mama greeting us at the gate first thing in the morning, following us around as we tended to her coop, and sitting with us at dusk while watching the sun go down. She loved to be pet and even allowed the littlest human on our farm carry her around as she is learning how to engage with all the animals.
We lost this gentle soul to an acute illness, our first loss at GAAH. She will forever hold a sacred space in our hearts.
Let’s continue to honor our favorite Mama by making a donation.
Fifi
Fifi was a Rhode Island Red hen who, along with the four other hens listed above, came to us from a neighborhood farmer once she ceased egg production. Since we value these hens for simply existing and not for a commodity that they produce, we were thrilled to have her join us here at the farm.
We came to find Fifi had passed one morning upon entering her coop. With heavy hearts after losing Big Red Mama a few weeks earlier, our grief became heavier adding our second loss at the farm. Though we know that this will continue to happen as we continue to rescue these animals, our hearts will always carry the burden of losing them, no matter how much or little time they are a part of our GAAH family.
Help us continue to honor our girl Fifi by considering a donation.
Rosie
Mama to little kid Yoda, Rosie came to us from a property in Pungoteague, VA where there was little to no care as well as interbreeding among the goats on site. Rosie’s owner was threatening to sell her at a flea market when Katie with The Little Farm Rescue stepped in and gave us a call.
We lost our girl after months of battling a disease process known as meningeal worms. When it was time to say farewell, she sent us the message loud and clear, to which we swiftly responded, honoring our commitment to do right by her no matter what the cost.
From week one Rosie was a love bug, quickly moving in for some quality nuzzles and chin scratches, her favorite a good hour of some therapeutic coat brushing.
Help us keep Rosie’s sweet nature alive by making a donation in her memory.
Greta
We had to say farewell to one of our sweet Peacemakers way too soon. Greta was one of the turkeys who came to us sick and weak from our local Tractor Supply.
We found our beautiful girl lifeless with no evidence of any obvious bodily harm - no marks, bruises, blood, or any signs of struggle were seen. Greta and our founder Jeanine had a deep connection - she followed Jeanine everywhere she went, looking to be held and have her beak and face stroked. Greta was calm, tender, and just lovely.
Help us keep this Peacemaker’s sweet nature alive by making a donation in her memory.
Henry
A Kaporos ritual survivor, Henry showed us strength and perseverance from the moment he joined our GAAH family.
We lost this handsome sir to congestive heart failure and cardiac ischemia. After taking him to the cardiac specialist, we learned that the right ventricle was enlarged an,d as a result, working too hard to pump blood and oxygenate his feet and toes. Henry’s kidneys and liver were enlarged as well. Also present was inflammatory fluid throughout his abdomen and septic fluid in his left hock. All of this was the result of the over breeding and unsanitary conditions these Cornish birds are kept in before and throughout the barbaric Kaporos ritual.
Bring awareness to the Kaporos ritual and keep Henry’s memory alive by making a donation.
Jane & Marie
In the span of 18 hours, we lost not one, but two loved ones. Our beautiful Jane and Marie collapsed and died within hours of one another without any warning signs that something was amiss. Our founder did everything possible to save them and to determine the possible causes for their sudden deaths.
Jane and Maddie were two of the gentlest creatures GAAH has had the honor of taking in. They left us far too soon.
Poquito
After years of living in a private home in Maryland, Poquito came to us once his owner realized he could not provide the appropriate care a pet duck needed. He had been alone for months after his partner passed away and was living in a dirty concrete enclosure, never having felt grass or water to swim in. Our handsome sir came to us in April 2023 and left us too soon, just shy of five months, due to issues with his vent.
We will always think of Poquito the first time he swam here. It was the most beautiful water ballet ever seen. In that moment, he was truly free.
Maddie
Maddie was the largest and the most affectionate of the six turkey poults that we rescued in March of 2022. The Tractor Supply staff found all six of them soaking wet, hypothermic and close to death. The first 24 hours were critical and sadly, the smallest poult passed away. Little by little, those other five babies began to thrive. Their favorite time was running to the apple tree and wildly competing to get the most apples that day. They grew & became stronger and more beautiful with each passing month. Then Greta, the only girl, passed away suddenly. She suffered sudden heart failure and we were devastated. Then over the summer, both Jane & Marie passed from Pulmonary Hypertension Syndrome or Water Belly. Now our sweet Maddie.
Sunny
Sunny was a stunning Buff Orpington chicken brought to us from a neighborhood farmer. Once Sunny stopped laying eggs there was no more use for her as she was no longer providing the desired product for which she was originally acquired. Luckily, rather than simply disposing of her, this farmer came to us to find her a forever loving home. Sunny ended up with cancer, her last moments on this earth nestled in Jeanine’s neck purring, a sound of sheer comfort and love we never knew a chicken even made.
Remember our Sunny girl with a one time or regular donation.
Goldie
Goldie was brought to us from a neighborhood farmer who was no longer interested in keeping her because she stopped laying eggs. Hens can stop egg production for a variety of reasons including stress, insufficient nutrition, and years of calcium depletion. Most hens at this point would be sold or killed for food. Luckily this farmer reached out to us so that she could live out the rest of her natural life at our haven. Like our other beautiful Buff Orpington Sunny, Goldie was diagnosed with cancer. We said farewell to this sweet girl May 2024.
Keep Goldie’s memory alive with a one time or regular donation.
Emmy
In April of 2023, Emmy was surrendered to Uncle Neil’s Home farm sanctuary from a “beef” farm after suffering from an infection in her hoof for 2-3 months. After discovering that she had a horrible infection that had destroyed the bones in her leg, the hospital staff recommended euthanasia. Before making any irreversible decisions, all possible options were explored.
Emmy underwent many treatments and stall rest for an extended period of time during which she became best friends with our piglet Clementine - the two of them developed a friendship for the ages. She was finally given the clear to be released into our first pasture where she experienced what it was like to truly be a cow, grazing at her leisure, carefully frolicking with the rest of her Gentle Acres family.
On Saturday, May 25, 2024 Emmy passed of a congenital disease known as Tetralogy of Fallot, a birth defect that affects the heart and prevents the body from its ability to oxygenate blood. There would have been no way of knowing this ailment afflicted her until it was too late and, after the miraculous healing of her leg, we could not have been more devastated by this loss. We can only be grateful that we were able to rescue Emmy, help her heal, show her what life should be like for a cow, and that Gentle Acres had the honor of being her home.