A sanctuary for animals and people

Owner Jen Schurman said her family moved from Des Moines, Iowa.

“We lived in the Firth area at that time, and we had a Great Pyrenees rescue,” she said. “Our neighbor had a herd of goats and one of our dogs would sit on the hill and cry and cry and cry. They sold their goats and we were all very sad. They bought the herd back and one of them came home pregnant.”

When the baby goat was around 3 days old, Schurman and her daughter, about 10 years old at the time, visited the neighbor.

“The neighbor told my daughter she could have her and so it all started with a miniature fainting goat named Oreo and a lovely woman in Bennet, Jody Workman, who has mentored me for the last 16 years,” she said.

They eventually had around eight goats. Her daughter showed the goats in 4-H in the pet class. Shurman said she started to think about what would happen to the goats if she couldn’t care for them and knowing they would be sold was unacceptable to her.

After some research she found only two other rescues in the country.

“I had been praying about it and heard this old hymn called 'Here I am Lord.' About the third time I heard it, I was like, 'Oh, no, here I am.' Most sane 50-year-old women would say this was someone else’s problem, but I felt very strongly that it was my calling and this is what I was supposed to do. I’m honored and blessed,” she said.

She said her first rescue was a male goat named Juniper who had a compound fracture. He needed an amputation and the owners couldn’t pay for it. Juniper is still at the rescue.

“We’ve had a lot come to us because someone lost their farm or had to move because of health concerns. They come to us from all over the United States. We have a couple of special needs animals, too,” she said.

They also accept animals from abuse and neglect situations.

Around 115 goats and sheep of almost every breed are at the rescue.

“Our mission is to put animals and people together in a way that is healing to them both. A big part of what I’m trying to change is the mindset that they are just livestock, and they are worth saving,” Shurman said.

She told a story of a man that had lived at Goldcrest Nursing Home in Adams. He had worked at the farm where she lives when he was young.

“Before he passed away, I was able to bring him back here and he said it was just like he remembered. I knew I had done it right. A lot of healing happens here. It’s a sanctuary for the animals and the people,” she said.

With feed costs going up, it costs around $417 every month to feed the herd. Shurman said she has committed volunteers and donors but is always looking for funding.

Goat yoga is one of their best forms of fundraising. Classes are held twice a month at the farm.

“I open the gate and the herd comes out among the participants. We just lost Percy, who will be so missed at yoga. He was huge but would stealthily move behind someone who was standing and steal their mat,” she said.

Registration is open for yoga classes on the rescue’s Facebook page costing $20 for the hour. Updates and photos can be found on the Facebook page also.