She Was Born With Half a Heart. Her Animals Made it Complete.

The bond between humans and animals often transcends logic, weaving together profound bonding moments that science simply cannot explain. From Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking observations of Tanzanian chimpanzees to Dian Fossey’s enduring kinship with mountain gorillas, history is rich with stories of these remarkable friendships. For Christi Walker, this connection isn’t just compelling — it’s transformative, life-saving, and deeply personal.

Cristi founded The Happy Heart Haven, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Valley Center, California, where rescued animals and visitors can enjoy a safe space to interact and heal. This is Cristi’s dream come true. Read long as she shares with us the moving story behind the founding of The Happy Heart Haven.

The Backstory

Cristi’s story begins at birth when she was essentially born with only half her heart. By the time she was a young adult, she’d already undergone four open-heart surgeries to try to keep her heart beating. She then had a pacemaker installed.

In 2017, things took another difficult turn when Cristi’s doctors informed her that she needed a new pulmonary valve, which she’d be receiving from either a pig or a cow. The irony of these options is that Cristi had always had a special connection to cows. “Growing up, I was obsessed with them,” she admits. “I had a collection of over 175 stuffed cows. They’re in every picture I have. I was a cow almost every year for Halloween.”

Cows always brought Cristi comfort, even though she’d never met one in person. “I always had one in my hospital bed as a child,” she remembers. “It must have been the invisible string theory; I was just meant to have cows as part of my life.”

When Cristi woke up from her surgery, she learned that she’d received the valve she’d hoped for. “I had a pig onesie and a cow onesie, and whichever one I got was what I was leaving the hospital in,” she says. “I ended up leaving in a cow onesie.”

The Gift of Cow Cuddles

Cristi turned 30 that same year, so she decided to fulfill a birthday wish: to meet a cow in person. “If people have cows here, they’re inaccessible,” she says of where she lives in California. “They’re not saying, ‘Come and cuddle!’ So, I found a cute little dairy, and I got to meet my first cow. There was a little calf born that morning. They had it in the cab of a truck, and I got to hug and hold it. It was the sweetest, and I was so grateful.”

The experience was nothing short of magical. “I was crying tears of joy,” she says. “I felt so good in that moment and wanted to share that with others.”

Fueled by this powerful experience, Cristi turned to her husband and suggested a bold idea: “What if we moved to the country, rescued some animals, and brought people to meet them?” With her husband in agreement, the couple promptly relocated to Valley Center, California, and got to work creating The Happy Heart Haven.

Building a Sanctuary

Spread across two-and-a-half lush acres, The Happy Heart Haven is currently home to 47 rescued animals. And while cows are certainly one of the highlights, they aren’t the only creatures you can bond with during a visit. In fact, you’ll find a menagerie of farm animals — pigs, ducks, horses, a tortoise, goats, sheep, cattle, and two very enthusiastic farm dogs.

The sanctuary is open to the public Friday through Sunday by appointment only, and visitors are invited to interact with the animals in a safe and nurturing environment. “Here, all animals have a choice to interact with us,” Cristi explains. “There’s a part of their enclosure where they can go to get away from visitors. But in the five years we’ve been open, I’ve never had an animal not choose to interact with the visitors. I think that’s such a testament to the love they have to give. These animals are from all different situations. Some have been rescued from slaughter, some have been rescued from cattle ranches, and some were ill when they came to us. They all have their own stories about how they got here. But once they’re here, they spend the rest of their lives here in paradise.”

A Place for Breakthroughs

Cristi ensures that each animal gets the care and love it needs, and in return, they offer their affection to visitors seeking a moment of peace. The sanctuary’s power to heal is perhaps best seen through the experiences of its visitors. Cristi has even fulfilled one of her bucket list items — helping facilitate a marriage proposal among the cows. Amid the stories of rescued animals are equally poignant stories of rescued humans. “I’ve had everything from engagements to a woman whose husband was in his final days, and his wish was to meet a cow,” she explains. “We had a 5-month-old calf, and we all sat down together. We were crying. It was incredible.”

Other memorable stories come from young people inspired by the sanctuary. “There was a 13-year-old girl named Scout who found out what happens to steer in the dairy industry,” explains Cristi. “They usually go to the butcher. So, she went to her mom about rescuing a steer calf from a dairy. Her mom said, ‘We live in the suburbs. We don’t have a place to put a calf.’ The girl asked, ‘If I find a dairy to sell me a calf and a sanctuary where we can put it, can we make it happen?’ So this 13-year-old girl saved up $600 of her own money. She had bake sales. She saved her birthday and Christmas money. And then, on her own, she called around and found a dairy to sell her a calf. She randomly emailed me one night, and my husband was asleep, so I made the choice. I said we’d take him. They brought him here in their Suburban. And as if the story isn’t cool enough, she handed me the receipt for the calf purchase … it’s from the dairy where I met my first cow. It came full circle.”

Scout is now a young activist herself, saving horses from slaughter in Texas and even authoring a book titled Dear Child Who Wants to Change the World, which is sold at The Happy Heart Haven’s “Mootique.”

Healing Beyond the Animals

Cristi is devoted to creating a safe, inclusive, loving space for humans and animals. Whether it’s a visitor dealing with grief, seeking solace, or simply looking for serenity, Cristi is passionate about making sure that everyone who steps foot on the property feels loved and accepted.

“My son is autistic,” Cristi shares, “and I think my tour would be really hard for him to focus the whole time. I want parents to know they don’t have to force their children to be quiet during this tour. If their experience is climbing the granite rocks and touching the mud and grass, then that’s their experience. I’m passionate about that. This isn’t a place where you have to come and be perfect.”

Cristi’s cardiologist is also grateful she owns a sanctuary since it allows her to balance her health challenges with plenty of exercise and a supportive animal community. “The animals keep me healthy like I keep them healthy,” she says, noting how the physical demands of caring for the animals help her stay active. “I limit myself, so if I feel uncomfortable doing something, I can stop. We have the ability to make a choice to do what we want, and I think I’m a testament to that. I dropped out of college after two years. I thought I would have to grow within a company to be successful, and here I am, running a fully sustainable nonprofit. We’re able to care for all of our animals with the money we bring in from tours and donations. That’s living the dream … doing what you love.”

Cristi’s ultimate goal is simple: “My goal is for everyone to leave with a happier heart,” she says. “Of the thousands of people who have visited, I can say we have accomplished that. Even the old, grumpy mother-in-law leaves with a smile. It’s just a happy place for everyone, no matter their age.”

Visit The Happy Heart Haven’s website to learn more or donate.