Life Is Sweeter at Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary
By Susan Stone
Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary is a 501(c) charitable organization in operation since 2008,when Doctors Bill and Ellen Crain responded to the need to rescue, rehabilitate, and care for helpless animals saved from agriculture industries and abusive, violent, or frightening circumstances. As a Professor of Psychology at the City College of New York, Bill has written a book titled Emotional Lives of Children and Animals; Insights from a Farm Sanctuary, in which he draws similarities between the bonding processes among mothers and their young of all species. Ellen, a retired pediatrician at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, brings her years of nurturing compassion to their mission of providing protection, humane treatment, and thoughtful attention to animals that have experienced cruelty.
Nestled on 40 pastoral acres in Dutchess County, New York, Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary provides a lifelong home for farm animals rescued from slaughter and abuse. Horses, goats, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks all make their home within two large barns, with a special house designated specifically for pigs. Safe Haven offers five pastures for roaming, a duck pond for swimming, sheltered areas for exploring, and a special cottage for those animals requiring more intensive care.
Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary is located at 542 Gardner Hollow Road in Poughquag, NY. Tours can be arranged for Children, families, and groups. Contact the farm at (845) 724-5138 to find out about their volunteer program for both children and adults. Log onto their web site at SafeHavenFarmSanctuary.org to learn about supporting the animals, which includes opportunities to sponsor individual animals, like Astro (see photo).
Photo by Susan Hood.
