2025 End of Year
17 lives in 2025
We have 17 new sanctuary residents… 2025 has been a very busy year full of growth, new ventures, and relationships. With the help of our sanctuary partners, we were able to help 30 animals find safety this year and 17 now call Saoirse Pastures home.
We have welcomed eight sheep total this year. Early spring we welcomed Moby and Grover and late October we helped a family grieving unexpected loss and financial hardship by taking some of the sheep from their herd. Aware that sanctuary was the only way to avoid an end at a slaughter house, the family contacted us for help.
We picked the “Spice Girls” up October 28th: Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove and Anise are rebuilding their herd and welcoming anew as they merge into one seamless family. You know they have settled when their movements together mimic a starling murmuration as they dance across their field. Each having a role, a place, all accepted and trusted to protect each other, they turn into one.
Avon, a young cow, also came to us in October. Avon was just weeks away from being sent to slaughter. A family member bonded with her and realized she was no different than her beloved dogs and stepped in to honor her life and give her sanctuary. Avon has been taking it all in. She went from being all alone to having nine family members, and pastures to roam surrounded by the beauty and curiosities of nature. She is on the reserved side except for when she decides to sing. Her operatic performances sound very similar to an elk or the reindeer scene in Polar Express. She has found companionship form an unlikely herdmate. Foxy, who prefers her male companions, stepped in and has been mothering Avon by grooming and ushering her into herd activities. It wasn’t a pair we expected, but that’s what is so beautiful about it we never know what is going on in their minds, in their herds. They are complex, sentient, smart, resourceful beings and it is an honor to be a fly on the wall. We cannot wait to watch Avon growup and see all of her relationships blossom.
Pigs! We welcomed eight pigs this year! Three potbellies and five larger agricultural breeds. Each of their stories different and dire, we worked hard to organize and prepare for not only their future, but the future of their herds as new members integrate. Mike! Our June rescue, Mike was actually an animal control case. We worked with our local Tompkins County animal control to remove Mike from his previous situation and give him sanctuary. Mike was an intact male and just under 400 pounds when we transported him to Cornell Nemo Hospital for his neuter, vaccines, health check, and a moderate dental procedure to right one of his growing tusks. Mike was on bed rest and then “hormonal quarantine” for almost two months before he was introduced to his herd. The introduction went very well. Mike has a very calming presence and even though he outweighs his new friends, he handled these interactions beautifully. He spent the summer and fall building huts out of pokeberry bush forests, mudding in the pond, and grazing in his pasture. He loves to get scratches from all of his volunteer family and continues to be a soothing energy for all of us.
Bring in the wrecking balls! Yin to Mike’s yang, Macavity and Hawkeye came all the way to us from Chicago via our wonderful friends at Chicagoland Pig Rescue. These giant babies arrived in July around seven months of age full of energy, personality, and dabbling in the art of button pushing. As they merged into the same herd as Mike they took the opposite approach and let everyone know they were there. Personal space was out the window, manners had to be learned, but nothing makes us happier than watching them sprint around the pasture every morning after breakfast working out their zoomies! With their curly tails and chatty personalities, we will have a blast watching these two grow up.
Ms. Althea! We were happy to work with Althea’s loving family of seven years and offer Althea sanctuary placement at Saoirse Pastures. Althea was rescued from a devastating hoarding situation in Kentucky in September 2018, when she was about 10 months old. Over 500 pigs were found in heartbreaking conditions, and through the work of incredible sanctuaries these animals were given a second chance. Althea was among the lucky ones. Without anyone knowing why, Althea became aggressive with her family and they felt like her current situation was not making her happy. Pigs are highly intelligent, emotional beings and trauma affects us all differently. Her emotional instability could be from lack of pig friends, or trauma from her early months causing neurological effects we cannot begin to understand.
When we get calls about animals in need, trying to understand their background helps us figure out the right placement. We have two other pigs at SP that express their trauma through aggressive behaviors toward people. Our approach with Gigs and Pherbs is to give them all the space they need by housing them as their own micro herd, offering pets over fences and giving them control over their space so they feel comfortable. With Althea we felt like a similar approach would work for her. We had space with this small herd and decided to welcome Althea in. The first thing we noticed about Althea is she doesn’t like to be constrained by people rules, like a bedtime curfew. She wants to come and go as she pleases and not answer to anyone. We tried to slowly introduce her to the boys, but she quickly made a mockery of our fence barrier skills and walked into their lives and reorganized, but with sparkle and grace. The three of them nest together, bicker over their water and snacks, but genuinely found family in their shared pain and journey to healing. We have named them the “spicy herd” and are overjoyed with their love for one another. Tina and Lacy, two potbellies who could be mistaken for giant hamsters—imagine a capybara, but a hamster version. After they were relinquished to our friends at Savannah Pig Rescue, we were asked to help. Every rescue and sanctuary we know has been fielding dozens of calls so the more we work together the more lives we can save. We had decided a few years back 18 was a max number for the larger potbelly herd based on their barn and pasture size. Once we moved Brick and Twig Into the larger pig herd (they came as babies of unknown breeds, but quickly outgrew everyone) we were down to 16 and able to usher in Lacy and Tina this summer.
Their size, age and personality fit this herd well and they have each other, which makes the introduction so much easier for everyone. We are working on healthy weights for both of them, but they have been doing well and seem unfazed by being the new kids.
Last, but at 1800 collective pounds of weight and personality, we have Benedict and Burt! We received a call from Savannah Pig Rescue (have I mentioned how much we love these guys) about these two giants. We had hours to say yes or no as the family of the deceased owner planned to “euthanize” the boys. The owner, who was in poverty and poor health, took the boys on as family rather than food, and had made a plea before his sudden death that if something were to happen to him, the pigs needed to be taken care of. The family didn’t see the need to honor this wish, but the awesome people at Spirit Sanctuary, who predominantly focus on unwanted dogs, stepped in and made sure these boys were not lost. Within a week Savannah was pulling in at Saoirse Pastures and unloading these two gentle giants into their quarantine pasture.
While these two had lived the last four years of their lives together they were never in contact, kept separate in small adjacent pens. Our first goal was to let them bond, which took about one week. They went from sleeping in separate nests and doing their own thing to sharing a nest, spending all of their time together and sharing food. These two are polar opposites, Ben is chatty, calm like Mike, a tad nosy, and a methodical thinker. Burt is easily swayed by a passing butterfly or really any change in his environment, however blissfully unaware when breakfast arrives. Wrapping this all up with a clown bow, he is a comic with real stage presence. A duo for the ages, a Burt and Ernie, R2D2 & C-3PO, peanut butter and jelly—it works and what an honor to be part of it.
Saoirse Charity Thrift
We are five months into our charity thrift shop in the Fall Creek neighborhood of downtown Ithaca and we could not be happier with the outcome. Not only is this venture helping to fund Saoirse Pastures, but we are staying with our mission of sustainability in keeping with the rhythms and balance of circularity. I cannot express to you all how this thrift shop has saved lives. It gave us the green light to gift sanctuary to seventeen amazing animals. We know financial contributions are hard, especially in today’s climate, but donating used goods, doing your shopping second-hand with us, and also spreading the word about our shop is crucial and a direct gift to these 67 beings.
We are open Fridays and Saturdays year round. Our winter hours are 10am–4pm and you can find us at 1201 N Tioga Steet, #6.
Infrastructure updates! Featured projects Horse and Donkey Barn We have been fortunate enough this year to complete three build projects! For half of the year we had all of our large animals in our main barn. Last winter we recognized the need for more space. We decided it would be easier to relocate the zebus and the horses, leaving the main barn open for our cow herd of 10. The horse and donkey barn, complete with added pasture space will hold them comfortably for the winter, but once the cows return to pasture, Linda, Orin, Stella, and Santiago will have the whole compound to explore.
Zebu Barn The Zebus are a more arid breed of cow and we like to keep their living quarters on the smaller size to ensure they have the warmth they need during the colder months. We had some flat ground next to the sheep barn, which also connects them to the pasture we put in for them last winter. We are very happy for them to have their own space that is specific to their needs and happiness.
Large Pig Lean-to Framing Last year we built a lean-to to add coverage for the pigs’ sheds, but with the addition of five new pigs who are all much larger, we need ample housing for nesting. We were lucky enough to receive some help from Visions Federal Credit Union that covered the cost of the materials needed to frame in the lean-to. The project was just finished and the pigs moved in the end of November.
In Memoriam Constance and Chance On a crisp sunny morning this fall, we said goodbye to our dear friends Constance and Chance. Going on 15 years old and the last two of their family of six, they had a beautiful life together. Constance, who was so mentally strong and resilient, kept on living life even though her body was saying otherwise. We have known for some months that Constance was transitioning to the end of her life with us. After we learned of Chance’s rapidly growing aggressive mouth cancer, we made the difficult decision to help them from suffering and we said goodbye. They lived most of their lives with a loving family who pulled them off a slaughter truck as babies. They roamed acres and acres with their dog friends and became the stewards of their land. Constance and Chance along with their sister Lady came to stay with us in July of 2024. I am forever grateful to their family for entrusting us with their geriatric and end-of-life care. It was an honor! They were surrounded by their family and their main caregivers at Saoirse Pastures when they passed. It is never easy, and an incredibly intense decision, but I find solace in knowing they were spared and given the incredibly rare chance to live as goats should, as family members and loved as equals. We love you girls (fat goats).
Porchfest and Bake Sale With our new thrift shop, we opened during Porchfest and had our annual vegan bake sale. We had an amazing time and a great success fundraising for the sanctuary. We look forward to next year!
Press Bay Alley Holiday Craft Market Saturday,
December 6 Thank you to everyone who came out in the beautifully cold December day to support our local community of crafters. A special thank you to Patti Maybee, Gary Rith, Helena Cooper, Diane Hect, Jane Hamilton and Tracy Petrofsky for donating their wonderful pieces to us so we could fundraise. You are all so talented and unique. We are honored to showcase your beautiful work and beneift the animals at the same time.
End-of-Year Giving Please consider donating to Saoirse Pastures this end of 2025 giving season. We are only as strong as your support allows.
Our December - May feed and daily supply bills run us around $3500 a month. This does not include any potential vet bills we might acquire. In 2026 we would love to purchase some sturdy scratching structures for the animals. We also have a list of emergency rescue items we woudl like to have on hand at the sanctuary to assist with some of our larger aniamls. These are all items our local fire department does not have and would be needed in such cases - down animals, etc.
Interested in making a donation? Venmo or PayPal at @saoirsepastures
Make a Donation — SAOIRSE PASTURES
Or mail a check to 1009 Perry City Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, or drop off at our charity thrift shop during business hours: Friday, Saturday 10am-4pm, 1201 N. Tioga Street #6
It takes a village... This past month I was honored to receive a James J. Byrne Award for Excellence, given by Tompkins Community Bank for outstanding community service. Many thanks to Tompkins Trust for recognizing the work of so many individuals and nonprofit organizations in Ithaca, as well as our many cherished volunteers! Just a few of them are pictured here. While I am so humbled by the recognition, it cannot go without sayign that this is not a one-person show and none of this would be possible without our board and our volunteers. As our Saoirse Pasture family grows, not a day goes by that I am not brought to tears by the willingness, generosity, grit, and love each person brings to the sanctuary. Your compassion and dedication is unmatched and you have all touched these 67 lives (68 counting me) and for that this award is for you. We are grateful that this grant was honored with a monetary donation and was given to Saoirse Pastures. Lastly, A huge thank you to Eleanor Henderson who nominated me for this award. I share this award with her and our fellow Saoirse Pastures family. We are all threads in this beautifully woven blanket that is growing from our community’s compassion and support. Thank you!
A Master Class in Animal Rights Activism Last month several of us were also able to attend a master class with journalist Will Potter at Ithaca College. His new book Little Red Barns is a ten-year investigation into factory farms and the frightening forces that seek to keep them out of sight. Far from the quaint red barns we’re taught to associate with farming, 99% of animal agriculture today operates on an industrial scale with almost no protections for animals. Instead, corporations’ bottom lines are protected. We highly recommend picking up the book, and we look forward to making more connections with other speakers and activists working to bring the lives of farm animals into the public eye. To that end, we are in the process of developing some educational materials for the thrift store and website. Stay tuned!
Thank you!
