Ellie Laks, the founder of The Gentle Barn, had the dream of creating a safe place for abused animals and children to heal each other since she was seven. After college where she studied psychology and special education, supporting herself by working with special needs children and feral dogs and cats, she began to give her vision wings, opening the first Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita, California in 1999. The third refuge recently opened in Christiana as their Tennessee forever home.
“There is nothing more fulfilling to me than looking into the eyes of animals and children who have no chance, [and tell] them with certainty that they will be okay,” said Laks on the Gentle Barn website, “then watch them go through the healing and growing process and coming out the other side [then becoming] ambassadors helping others who are in their old shoes. It is what I live for each and every day.”
New Tennessee Gentle Barn in Christiana
The Tennessee Gentle Barn is dedicated to a cow named Dudley. In 2015, he was a very sick young cow from the Nashville area who ended up having to have his leg amputated. He learned to walk after a long rehabilitation with a prosthetic foot, becoming a hit at their first Tennessee location in Knoxville.
“When Dudley came home to The Gentle Barn,” said a representative of the organization, “he mesmerized the world with his joyfulness, playfulness, and sense of humor. During his time with us, Dudley worked with children in foster care, adult amputees, children with physical challenges, and war veterans. When Dudley passed away, we received thousands of letters from people all over the world who were inspired by Dudley. Dudley gave people strength to overcome illnesses, adversity, depression, drug addiction, and suicide. Because of Dudley, millions of people learned to love animals more, to see their intelligence, and make more gentle choices to help them.”
What They Do for Animals
The Gentle Barn rescues animals from severe abuse and neglect who are too old, sick, lame, or scared to be adopted into homes. It is a sanctuary for horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, llamas, peacocks, emus, cats and dogs. Once rehabilitated, the animals help the organization give hope and inspiration to children with the same stories.
General Admission and Private Tours
On Saturdays, they are open to the general public from 11:00 am until 1:00 p.m. There is an admission charge, and tickets must be reserved in advance. Tickets may be purchased online or by telephone. Season passes are also available.
Two types of private group tours are available by appointment. There is a two-hour tour and an all-day tour. The Two-Hour VIP Tour costs $400 and is good for up to 20 people. The All-Day VIP costs $1,000 and is for six people. Both tours allow up close and personal interaction with the animals, with lunch provided during the All-Day Tour. Private tours are offered Saturday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Field Trips and Birthday Parties
“You will get an intimate VIP experience as we share the history of The Gentle Barn,” noted a local representative, “[and we will] personally introduce you to all of our animals, and share their stories of rescue and recovery.”
Field trips and birthday parties are the best way for kids to meet the animals and have time to give love to them and get love from them.
“Your group will get an intimate two-hour experience [where] we share the history of The Gentle Barn,” said their local representative, “personally introduce you to all of our animals, and share their stories of rescue and recovery. You will also get to feed our cows cookies, feed our horses carrots, give our pig’s belly rubs, and feed the chickens. It is an experience unlike any other.”
Working with At-Risk Youth
Interactions with animals make children feel safe. The Gentle Barn uses this knowledge to work with at-risk children to teach them how to behave towards other people. Often when children are abused, they turn their hurt around to abuse others. By teaching empathy and uniting kids with all life, their At-Risk Youth Program helps turn these kids from the inner city into protectors instead of abusers.
“We believe that our animals are particularly helpful with these children,” says The Gentle Barn’s website. “First, the animals at The Gentle Barn all have histories of abuse, neglect, abandonment or worse. Often the children share similar pasts, and hearing the stories of the animals helps them see that change is possible. Second, as they see that the animals are safe here with us, the children begin to open up, as they too feel safe. Finally, we believe that animals, with their unconditional love and non-judgmental attitude, can often reach kids more deeply and effectively than people can. As the children learn to love the animals, they simultaneously learn to love a part of themselves. As they learn to understand the animals, they learn to understand a part of themselves.”
Funding Their Program
Funding comes from entrée fees and donations. The Gentle Barn has one of the most successful Go Fund Me Programs online.
Reconnecting to the Earth
“We have lost our connection to animals, to nature, and most of all, to ourselves,” says Laks and her husband and partner, Jay Weiner. “But by having reverence for all life and by reconnecting with Mother Earth we each can change all that. At the Gentle Barn we stand up for the innocent, and we help animals and children alike remember that they matter. We open people’s hearts to the connections with nature.”
The Gentle Barn
9295 Christiana Fosterville Road
Christiana, TN 37037
Facebook: facebook.com/TheGentleBarn
Cost: $20 adults, $10 kids 12 and under
Private Parties and Birthday Party Cost: $200 to $1,000
Hours: Saturday 11:30 am until 1:00 pm
Food: Plant based food is available on site for purchase
Child Friendly
