The Gentle Barn, located 40 miles north of Los Angeles, offers unique treatments and therapies to help animals overcome trauma. Founder Ellie Laks, an animal communicator, has dedicated her life to returning the favor animals did to her in helping her overcome depression. Most animals that arrive at The Gentle Barn have never experienced human kindness, but therapies like music, sound, acupuncture, and massage help them relax and heal. Each animal at The Gentle Barn has a story of survival and resilience, with turkeys that were supposed to be eaten now showing affection and cuddling with people.
Visitors of all ages come to The Gentle Barn seeking comfort from emotional scars and are inspired by the animals to push on. One notable resident, John Lewis Thunderbolt, a cow born in a slaughterhouse, was saved by Laks, who moved downstairs to care for him when he was sick with pneumonia. Many of the animals at The Gentle Barn are genetically engineered to grow large and are killed when young, but they are given a new lease on life at the sanctuary, which offers therapies like cow hug therapy that help both animals and humans heal.
The experience of cow hugs has proven to be incredibly powerful for visitors like Hailey Bonus, who lost her 4-month-old son last year. Traditional therapy had provided some relief, but the warmth of cow hugs at The Gentle Barn has been transformative for her. Research indicates that hugs can lower blood pressure and soften feelings of anger and loneliness, and Bonus felt healing occur during her cow hug without consciously considering it. Laks has witnessed countless lives changed at The Gentle Barn and invites skeptics to visit and experience the connection with the animals for themselves to understand the impact it can have.
While bird flu has been detected in some dairy farms across nine states, it has not been found in California, and the cows at The Gentle Barn are all healthy, according to Laks. The sanctuary continues to provide care, therapies, and healing experiences for both animals and humans seeking comfort and connection. The combination of unique therapies, such as music, sound, acupuncture, and cow hug therapy, along with the resilience and stories of survival of the animals at The Gentle Barn, creates a space of profound healing and transformation for all who visit.
