Where Broken Animals and Broken Hearts Heal: Inside The Gentle Barn

Did anyone else have a beloved childhood pet they fully believed was sent to live on a farm, not realizing until years later that the animal was actually put down? It’s hard explaining to kids that their furry friend has to cross the Rainbow Bridge, so we don’t blame our parents. But now, a national nonprofit animal sanctuary is working to change the narrative. The Gentle Barn has built an actual farm for sick, old, injured, or scared farm animals that aren’t adoptable and have nowhere else to go, and it’s such a beautiful thing.

The Gentle Barn currently has two animal sanctuary locations: one near Los Angeles and one near Nashville. (A third location in Missouri closed in early 2025). The California-based location is on six acres, with large horse and cow pastures, a barnyard for smaller animals, an organic vegetable garden, and lots of shade trees surrounded by gorgeous mountain views.  

“Most of our animals live out their lives in our sanctuary because they need medical care for the rest of their lives,” Ellie Laks, founder of The Gentle Barn, says. The organization is open to the public on Sundays and offers private tours, field trips, birthday parties, and animal therapy during the week to spread awareness and help others. You can come to hug cows, feed horses, hold chickens, and find peace through the love of animals.

“Our goal is to partner with the animals if they are ready to help humans with the same stories of trauma and connect people to the love and magic of animals,” Laks says.

Dream Come True

Laks is living her real-life dream running The Gentle Barn.

“The Gentle Barn has been my dream since I was 7 years old,” she shares. “I always loved animals, and since I was 7 years old, I would say, ‘When I grow up, I’ll have a big place full of animals, and I’ll show the world how beautiful they are!’ It was the only thing I could think about.”

Laks grew up, still loving animals with a fierce passion. She went to college, majoring in special education and psychology, and wanted to find a way to bring all her passions together. “I didn’t know how to start The Gentle Barn, so for years I procrastinated, until I drove by an abusive petting zoo and went in,” she explains. “I found so much abuse and neglect there that I ended up bringing home sick and injured animals from there, healing them, and partnering with them to ultimately start my dream.”

The Gentle Barn officially opened in 1999, with its second location in Tennessee opening in 2015.

“At The Gentle Barn, we take in animals that have nowhere else to go because they’re too old, too sick, too lame, or too scared to be adoptable,” Laks explains. “If an animal is adoptable, we refer them to adoption agencies. If their only other alternative is to be euthanized, we try our best to make room and help them.”

The Gentle Barn is thriving, and Laks is overjoyed with how much they’ve been able to help animals and humans. “With two locations and almost 200 animals, I am ecstatic how it has grown, and proud of our global impact through social media, guests from around the world, and my books,” Laks says.

A Day in the Life

Laks — along with her husband Jay Weiner, who began volunteering at The Gentle Barn in 2002 and later married and had three children with Laks — stays busy working at the sanctuary with a handful of staff members and volunteers.

“The day starts with the sunrise, feeding 170 animals, filling water buckets, and cleaning up,” she explains. “Then we spend the rest of the day grooming and walking horses, brushing and hugging cows, rehabilitating and treating the newly rescued animals in quarantine, watering trees, raising funds, adopting out healthy animals, and making everyone comfortable.”

It’s a lot of work — and that’s just during the day. In the afternoons, The Gentle Barn hosts groups of inner-city, special needs, at-risk, and other schoolchildren, as well as private tours. They also have practitioners come in daily to treat the animals with acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic care, massage therapy, ultrasound, ice therapy, water therapy, energetic healing, nutritional supplements, and lots and lots of love.

By the end of the day, it’s time to feed the animals again, refill the water buckets, and do more cleaning. “Before bed, we check on the animals one last time, making sure they are all healthy, happy, and tucked into bed with treats and kisses,” she says. “During the night, we sleep with the windows open so we can hear the animals and be there for them should they need us. Hopefully, we get some sleep and start again the next day when the sun rises. We have many volunteers who come to help us each day, and we could not do this work without them!”

Laks has rescued many animals throughout the years, and she has many memories of meaningful relationships she’s built. “I think raising a cow in my house was the best!” she says, before going into several other amazing stories. “I also went on a cross-country road trip with a turkey. I once drove 20 hours straight to bring home a family of pigs,” she continues. “And there was a woman who came to thank me for saving her life 15 years after she first visited with a foster agency. She had been suicidal and ashamed of her own story, but after hearing so many of our animals’ stories, she realized she was not alone and decided to live.” The countless ways this animal sanctuary helps people can give you goosebumps!

Passion Project

“There are so many adoption agencies and rescue groups, but they typically take in the adoptable, healthy, desirable animals,” Laks says. “The animals with severe physical and emotional issues rarely have options.” That’s why she is deeply drawn to help the latter.

“I have seen the light come back into their eyes, the hope come back to their faces, and the play and pleasure come back to their bodies,” Laks explains. “I live for those moments and want to help as many animals get to that ‘happily ever after’ as possible.”

The Gentle Barn also helps at-risk kids and kids with special needs. “We work with kids who won’t talk to therapists and do not respond to traditional therapy because they are too angry and shut down,” Laks says. “Through the interaction and the stories of the animals, the kids learn kindness, compassion, and confidence and find themselves in the barnyard.”

Laks and others at The Gentle Barn will tell kids an animal’s story, which often mirrors the child’s own story. “All of a sudden, the kids know they are not alone and there is someone else who has suffered their pain,” she explains. “The kids are inspired by the animals because if the animals can heal, trust, forgive, and learn to love again, then they can, too.”

Laks continues, “The interactions at The Gentle Barn change their lives forever and help them reach for infinite possibilities.”

But it’s not just about altruism. Laks also finds healing for herself through helping animals. “I also think that in helping animals and assisting humans in opening their hearts to animals and nature, we are ultimately saving ourselves,” she shares. “Our apathy towards animals is driving us to destroy our own planet and our own extinction. If we can open our hearts and reconnect with animals, nature, and ourselves, then we can save this gorgeous environment and all thrive!”

Although Laks and her team work hard, it’s all worth it to see daily miracles. “It’s my childhood dream come true,” she says. “But if I had to pick one thing, it would be the magic and miracles that I get to see on a daily basis when we have healed an animal, and then they choose to give back by healing hurting humans, and the human gets a special brand of healing found nowhere else. Both human and animal connect with each other to find forgiveness, healing, and hope.”

Learn more about The Gentle Barn by reading the two books Laks has written: My Gentle Barn and Cow Hug Therapy. “These are both full of stories of resilience, wisdom, and animal love that I would love to share with everyone,” she says.

And be sure to visit gentlebarn.org.