September 6, 2024
Timothy, a 6-year-old Hereford, calls Farmaste Animal Sanctuary his home. Though he now enjoys a peaceful life, his journey was a difficult one. Timothy was rescued from a neglectful situation where his previous owner failed to treat his herd for pink eye. This easily treatable condition then led to severe damage to Timothy’s eyes, which ruptured. To save him, Timothy’s eyes had to be removed immediately, but that was just the beginning of his recovery.
After multiple infections and a long healing process, Timothy was finally ready to join his new family at Farmaste. Despite his blindness, Timothy quickly adapted to his new surroundings and formed a special bond with another rescue, Mags. The two lived in neighboring stalls at first, gradually getting to know each other. Over time, they were introduced, and soon they became inseparable best friends.
Timothy uses his heightened senses, such as his hearing and smell, to locate Mags in their shared stall or out in the pasture. Mags, though fond of him, sometimes hides at the back of the pasture for a few moments of solitude, but she always returns to her loyal friend.
Timothy is a happy, gentle giant who loves to be brushed and enjoys sleeping outside at night, especially when the weather is cool. He may have lost his sight, but he navigates his surroundings with ease and has found happiness and friendship at Farmaste Animal Sanctuary (a Twin Cities Veg Fest sponsor!).
Timothy’s story is a reminder of the resilience of animals and the importance of giving them a second chance at life.
The work of Farmaste Animal Sanctuary
Farmaste Animal Sanctuary rescues abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals and provides them with a safe sanctuary. Residents are respected as someone, not treated as something.
Farmaste is located in Lindstrom, MN, less than an hour north of the Twin Cities, near Stacy and North Branch. Founder and volunteer Kelly Tope tells us that farm sanctuaries like Farmaste do important work for their residents and raise awareness, but don’t have the capacity to care for even 1% of the animals slaughtered each year.
Farmaste currently serves as a home to five cows, seven goats, five sheep, five pigs and two donkeys! You can see more photos and find out more about their work and their residents on their website.
Farmaste: A caring farm animal rescue organization
This is how Farmaste describes their mission: “At Farmaste Animal Sanctuary we believe that all animals have inherent worth, and that farm animals are not an exception to that rule. We rescue abused, neglected and unwanted farm animals and bring them to our 30-acre farm in Lindstrom, MN. There they are allowed to roam in the pastures, and live out their days free from cruelty. Farmaste Animal Sanctuary also provides opportunities for people to connect with the animals and hear their stories through our scheduled tours and volunteer opportunities.”
They are a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fully funded through donations. Farmaste is verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
Other featured Farmaste residents
We have featured other Farmaste residents in past blogs, including:
Kristen the goat (in memoriam)
Our partner farm sanctuaries
There are several wonderful farm sanctuaries in the area including Chicken Run Rescue, Herbivorous Acres, Spring Farm, Farmaste, and Soulspace. All of these sanctuaries do wonderful work for farmed animals. Each month, we feature one sanctuary resident from one of these rescue organizations in our blog and newsletter.
Love reading about rescue animals? Check our blog page regularly and sign up for our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss any of the endearing stories of local rescue animals.