Wisconsin Life

Nestled in the hills of west-central Dane County is a barn like no other. It can be a little exciting and chaotic.

chickens clucking

hog oinks

Lily came to us a couple of years ago. We had to bring her in on a sled because she was too heavy to walk herself. She was just so scared of everything and she was also blind. This is Dana Barre's dream project. I do remember growing up as a kid, I always had a soft spot for animals.

rooster crows

Since 2009, Heartland Farm Sanctuary has been welcoming with open arms injured, orphaned, abandoned, and abused farm animals. We're the largest shelter in Wisconsin for farm animals. Wisconsin is home to between 50 and 60 million farm animals. And yet, at the time Heartland was founded, we were the only farm animal sanctuary in the state. On this day, Dana welcomes visitors from Chicago. Well, I'm vegan and I love animals. We have a lot of animals here that really touch our hearts. Dana begins her tour with stories of heartache that evolve into heartwarming tales. This is our sweetie, Baine. Baine was born without the use of his back legs and with very limited use of his front legs. The University of Wisconsin Engineering Department worked with us over several months to design and build a special wheelchair cart for him. He gets a bath every day. Oh, my goodness. I tell you, it's like a spa day for him. Half the time, he falls asleep. So down here, we keep our large farm pigs. Good morning, Maxine. You are a big girl! So, they were found rooting up this woman's garden. And we got a call from the Animal Control in Milwaukee. We were very new at the time. We'd never taken pigs in. And I thought, "This sounds great. We can help a couple of tiny little pigs." So, I brought the pigs home in my minivan. And now, they're probably 800 pounds apiece. And the animals just kept coming. We're very much like Noah's Ark, two by two. Every couple of rescues, we'd have to learn to care for a whole new type of farm animal. The idea that animals and people could rescue each other really appealed to me. And that's really why Heartland was founded. She was convinced her idea could be life-changing. We help special needs youth, at-risk youth. We actually have programs for veterans and a lot of other people who could just find comfort in being with our animals. Animals and people really aren't so different from each other. We all have the same basic needs. We have needs to be fed and sheltered, and to feel safe and secure, and for love. The animals turn around and rescue us, in terms of whatever we might be dealing with. Dana just knew barnyard therapy could be good for both animals and humans. However, feeding her pet project would not be easy. There are days where we are wondering how we're going to get through to see the next day because it can be such a strain on our resources. Taking care of abused, neglected, and abandoned animals is hard work. We have 15 different species that all have different nutritional needs. We get our food donated from the public. They'll just bring bags of feed by, which is wonderful. And then we get a lot of produce donated by local supermarkets. I would say, for every animal we take in, we probably have to turn away at least 20 or 30 animals. Nearly all of these animals would probably have been euthanized at a shelter. At the core of this rescue mission are its volunteers. They are what make Heartland tick. You'll always see lots of volunteers. Heartland wouldn't exist without our volunteers. Come on, Winnie. Winnie, Winnie. She was a little piglet, and was found bloodied and bruised, wandering around on I-90, between here and Rockford. So, we took her in. And she grew from a 30-pound little piglet to almost 800 pounds now. And she loves people. It's been a super-happy, happy story ever since then. Winnie now has a safe haven and a place to call home. We live in a state where farming is so central to our culture, to our economy, to who we are as people. And I love it when people come out and they're fascinated, they're fulfilled, and there's something very deep inside that touches them about being at Heartland. It's incredibly personal. And I have to say, I don't know that I've given anything else so much effort in my life. At its core, Heartland, to me, is a safe place for anybody who needs help and comfort.

children doting

Hi, Buddy. - Hi, Baine-y, how're you doing?