BARN SANCTUARY

BARN

CHELSEA'S HAVEN FOR RESCUED ANIMALS

IF you love animals, you might recognize Dan McKernan from the Animal Planet series, Save the Barn. The Animal Planet film crew followed the team at Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea, Mich. eight hours a day, seven days a week for a year. Although a change in leadership brought the end of the series, snippets of the show’s first year are available on YouTube, and luckily you can experience the farm animal sanctuary up close and in person.

Many of us dream of an idyllic childhood summer on the farm, but McKernan got one. Though he moved around a lot when he was a kid, he spent his summers on the Chelsea farm that his grandparents owned – the farm has been in the family for over 140 years. McKernan had been working in the computer development field in Austin, Texas for four or five years and was getting bored when he picked up a copy of Living the Farm Sanctuary Life by Gene Baur and Gene Stone. He was inspired to “do this someday.” The universe conspired to make someday sooner than McKernan ever thought.

When his father and aunt inherited the farm a short time later, McKernan approached them with the idea of turning the family farm into a farm animal sanctuary. A sanctuary is a place where animals find their forever home – it’s different from an animal rescue because the animals at a sanctuary aren’t adopted back out.

Established in 2016, the Barn Sanctuary houses neglected and abused farm animals. They give each animal a high quality of care, doling out over 150 medications each day, growing fresh vegetables in the garden as nutrition support and treats, and making sure that all the animals have pasture to frolic in.

McKernan has even gone so far as to drive a calf all the way across the country for care. In 2018 he received a phone call from a farmer asking if he was open to taking in a 7-week-old calf. McKernan noticed that the calf’s eyes were a little cloudy and the veterinarian determined that his retinas were about 50% detached. McKernan asked what could be done to help the little guy, but the vet responded that there wasn’t much else to do for cows. McKernan wasn’t ready to take no for an answer though, saying, “an eye is an eye,” it didn’t matter what kind of animal belonged to it. He was determined

By Jennifer Carson

BESTIES, MIKE AND DAN MCKERNAN

to help this little calf, named Mike, before he went blind. He found one vet that was willing to give surgery a try – in Pasadena, California. It took them two weeks to travel, with McKernan camping out in the van overnight with Mike. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t work and Mike did go blind, but he is still being taken care of at the Barn Sanctuary and is happy to have his special friend visit him every day.

The crew of Barn Sanctuary treat each animal as an individual and love to share their unique stories with visitors. Many of the animals at Barn Sanctuary have special needs. Some need medicine daily, some have prosthetics, some need special care during the cold months. When I chatted with McKernan I asked what it costs to run such an organization and was shocked to learn that the costs can run from $100,000 to $125,000 a month, with a yearly medical bill upwards of $150,000.

Daunted by this number, I inquired about the biggest needs of the sanctuary right now. With the warmer weather coming, spring cleaning and starting the weekly tours is on the top of McKernan’s mind. Stalls need to be mucked, fences need to be mended, and fields need to be seeded – which means volunteers are needed, and even though McKernan hesitated to say it, donations are much needed, as well.

Thankfully, it is easy to do both. Volunteers are asked to commit to two volunteer days a month, but if they can’t commit to that there are days when the farm could use a lot of extra hands, like the Pig Barn Cleaning Party. Anyone is welcome to lend a hand on those days, without committing to more. McKernan said volunteering on one of the big cleaning days is a good way for someone to get a taste of the farm and find out if volunteering is right for them.

Recently McKernan wrote a children’s book to bring more visibility and awareness to the sanctuary and its mission. This Farm is a Family is about a young cow named Buttercup who is anxious about coming to her new home. The book is based on the real animals at the sanctuary and their experiences as seen through the author’s eyes and lived through his own familiarity of being the “new kid on the block.” Proceeds from the book will help to support the farm and McKernan will be giving readings and doing book signings in the area throughout the summer.

Donations for the upkeep of the animals and their barn home are always accepted via barnsactuary.com by clicking on the yellow donate button at the top right of the page. There are options to give monthly or as a one-time donation. Barn Sanctuary supporters can also sponsor a fundraiser to support the farm as an individual or a group, and even sponsor a specific animal. The sanctuary also holds an annual auction and special fundraisers for specific needs when they arise.

You can plan a trip to meet all the goats, over 30 pigs, cows, chickens, sheep, and donkeys during on-site visit weekends, request a private tour, schedule a youth visit or field trip, or even join the barn for a monthly virtual tour.