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Animal Diaries

Do you ever wonder what life is like for the animals at Farm Sanctuary? Would you like to hear the stories of how they got here. . .in their own words? Here in our Diaries section of the website, you can get a sneak peek into the lives of a few of the rescued animals who live at Farm Sanctuary. Check back often for updates!

MARIO'S DIARY · BLEU'S DIARY

MARIO'S DIARY

October 25, 2009

Hi, friends! Mario Steer here! It's October now, which means our tour season is coming to a close for the year. This makes me a teensy bit sad, because I really like making new friends with people who visit the farm. But with November comes the Celebration FOR the Turkeys! For this very special event, hundreds of people visit the California and New York Shelters to spend their Thanksgiving with us. Actually, they come out the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year the Celebration is on Saturday, November 21.

During the Celebration, our sanctuary looks really festive with colorful pumpkins, gourds and other fall decorations scattered all around. Kids just like you get to feed Gideon turkey and his feathered friends pumpkin pie, squash, fresh cranberries, and other yummy Thanksgiving foods during the "Feeding of the Turkeys" ceremony. On factory farms turkeys are treated horribly even though they're just as sweet and loving as your dog or cat at home, but at Farm Sanctuary they get the royal treatment. I definitely think turkeys are friends, not food, and should be the guests of honor during Thanksgiving!

One very cool perk of the Turkey Celebrations is that tons of the pumpkins that were used to decorate the farm are leftover afterwards. I bet you didn't know that cows like to eat these yummy orange treats. It helps to have a caregiver break the pumpkins up before they give them to us. They're hard to open with hooves, but boy, oh boy, are they good!

Hope you have a wonderful, turkey-friendly Thanksgiving!

-Mario

P.S. To learn more about how turkeys are treated on factory farms, click here.

June 6, 2009
Hello everyone! Though I've only been President of the Pasture for half a year, I've already had the pleasure of welcoming many new farm animal residents to Farm Sanctuary's California Shelter.

A lovable little pig named Lucas joined us in mid-April, and is already winning over both people and pigs with his friendly personality. Lucas spent the first part of his life at the petting zoo of a summer day camp in Los Angeles, but even though this sweet pig got lots of attention from adoring kids, he wasn't being taken care of very well. His camp "caretakers" thought Lucas was just fine living in a roofless, fenced-in, cement-floored enclosure with a worn-out garden hose as a bed. That doesn't sound very comfortable, does it? The poor little pig was not even given enough food and water, and suffered from skin-cracking sunburn. Ouch! But now he is doing quite well as he happily roams the pig pasture here at Farm Sanctuary.

And thanks to the kindness of two young animal-loving siblings named Daniel (age 13) and Emma (age 10), a little hen who wandered into their suburban backyard in Carmichael, California is now safe and sound at our California Shelter. After naming her Wendy and convincing their dad to let them keep the friendly hen at their house, the brother and sister made and posted fliers around the neighborhood looking for whoever had lost the feathered fugitive, and even wound up being featured on a segment of CBS's "Good Day Sacramento."

After two weeks passed and no one came to claim Wendy, Daniel and Emma's family decided it would be best to find the chicken a permanent home where she could enjoy the company of other birds like her. When Farm Sanctuary heard from one of the kid's relatives that they were looking for someone to adopt Wendy and keep her out of harm's way, we were more than happy to help by bringing her to our California Shelter, where she is now making fine feathered friends with other chickens - and even some turkeys.

Well, it's time for me to get back to work helping the other rescued farm animals adjust to their new lives here. Thanks for stopping by!

November 25 , 2008
Hello, friends! I have great news today. The history of our pasture was changed on November 4, when the cattle voted on President of the Pasture and made their voices heard. I am proud and humbled to announce that I, Mario Steer, accept the pasture's election of me as President of the Pasture. For those of you who were not here to hear my acceptance speech, here it is!

Today, the cattle of the North pasture have spoken. You have elected, for the first time in Farm Sanctuary history, a Jersey steer to the office of President of the Pasture. This is a very special moment for all cattle, showing that all cattle are important to the whole herd. Your decision will have lasting effects not only for me, but for many generations . from Norman, Hank and Lester, our eldest members, to new members Casey and Phoenix, to incoming calves Whitaker and Harrison. May they know a herd free of mud holes, dry hay and injustice.

Yes, under my administration, the hay truck will come on time every day. Each cow, steer and calf can rest assured that they will have enough alfalfa to put on their mound every night. Every cow, steer and calf will feel heard in this herd! When meet with a pessimistic "Should we roam?" every cow, steer and calf will, respond, "Yes, we will!" When asked, "Will Whitaker and Harrison feel comfortable in the herd?" we will respond, "Yes, they will!" We will make room for them, listen to their small voices and ask for their opinions. Will they love it here? Yes, they will! When we are asked if the opinions of cattle - Holstein and Jersey, female and male, young and old, big and small - whether all our opinions matter, we will moo in unison, "Yes, they dooooooooo!"

I must thank my campaign manager, Chrissie Cow, for her tireless efforts on behalf of my campaign. Though unopposed, our campaign nonetheless went forth unceasingly, to show you that we will be the best administration that this pasture has ever seen. And I must thank my wonderful Vice President, Dawn Cow, who is the brains behind all that I do. Dawn, would you come up here please? Dawn, thank you for your devotion to this campaign, and to this herd. Thank you for being a mother to all incoming cows and truly being the heart of this herd. You will be the best vice president we have yet seen. Thank you.

Thank you, all of you, for being an amazing family. Thank you for voting with your hearts, your brains.and all four chambers of your stomachs.

Thank you. Do your opinions matter? Yes, they dooooo!

September 12 , 2008
Woo! Can you believe summer is almost over? Before long, it's going to be fall, and you know what that means: election season! Yep, it's been a long road to the Red Barn (that's our version of the White House), but it's been worth it! I have so many animals to thank for their support on my way to victory, so I want to take a second and say thanks to all of them:

Dawn Cow, for being the best vice presidential nominee ever. Dawn has spent the last several months campaigning with me, and boy, can she talk! She never tires of talking about her dreams for the herd: more hay, new committees and a surprise party for the caregivers. I tell you, she's full of good ideas!

Chrissie Cow, my campaign manager. Chrissie is a tough girl, and she can handle all the rough stuff that I'm a little too shy to take care of. Thanks, Chrissie!

Fritz Steer, for showing me where the secret patch of grass is, and meeting me there every day for a little down-time between campaigning.

Jamie Human and Leanne Human, for being excellent caregivers. You can imagine that running for President of the Pasture can be stressful on the ol’ joints. These two make sure everything’s in working order before I go out on the pasture to shake hooves and kiss calves.

Bonnie Donkey, for her quiet wisdom and calm attitude. Without her yoga and meditation classes, I don't know where I'd be!

Thanks to all my friends for your support! And thanks to all my readers for following my journey on the campaign trail! Be sure to e-mail me if you get a chance! I'd love to hear your campaign suggestions. Happy summer! And, of course, vote for Mario!.

April 15, 2008
Hi friends! I want to thank you all for your support. I took a little break from campaigning to enjoy spring and spend some quality time with friends. The Vote-for-Mario Campaign is still going strong, and it shouldn't be long until you see "Vote for Mario" on shirts and banners as you're walking down the street.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm still campaigning, since I found out a few months ago that I am running unopposed. Well, that's just the kind of steer I am! I wouldn't let tiny details like having no opponent spoil my plans to be the best candidate I can be. And by this fall, when I am inaugurated, I know I'll have the best presidential plan that this pasture has ever seen. Do you have any ideas for my campaign? Be sure to e-mail me and let me know about them!

In the meantime, I am enjoying this beautiful time on the farm. This is the perfect season to be a cow or steer, because the grass is high and GREEN! I could spend all day grazing in that delicious grass. Did you know that we cattle have four "chambers" in our stomachs? The chambers help us digest our food slowly and get the best nutrients out of it. It's a perfect system for eating grass, and boy do we love doing that! Just today, my friend Fritz found a secret patch of grass on the north part of the pasture, so we snuck off and had a quick snack, and no one was the wiser! I'm telling you, spring is the BEST!

Well, it's time to get back on the campaign trail. Don't forget to write me with your ideas. I need slogans, pictures and other ideas for how to get the word out about my presidential plans. Have a great day, and vote for Mario!

November 20th, 2007
Hello, readers! Sorry to keep you in the dark, wondering what's happening with my campaign for President of the Pasture. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how much work campaigning would be! I hardly have any time to sit down and write in my diary. But I had a few minutes today, so I thought I should catch you up to speed.

Today, we had our first presidential debate. That's when the candidates get together and answer the other cattle's questions about what we would do if we were president. I collected a lot of my thoughts before the big day. I knew I wanted to emphasize the need for a welcoming committee for new cattle, and how we should focus on convincing our visitors to become vegetarian (everyone in our herd is vegetarian, so everybody liked that).

Well, I got all my thoughts together and went up onto the west hill, where we were going to meet for the debate. I shook a lot of hooves, kissed some calves and told everyone what a good president I would be. Then I gave my opening speech (which was about being thankful for our home and the alfalfa we get every day) and when it was time for my opponent to speak, I realized something. no one else is running! Can you believe it?! I have spent so much time campaigning that I didn't even realize I was running unopposed! Now I am feeling a lot more confident about winning.

I also know that no matter what happens, I want to make big changes for our pasture, so I am still hard at work, letting everyone know how much I care about the herd. Chrissie, my campaign manager, says I will be the best President of the Pasture yet! She's probably right, since I will be the first.

Thanks for reading, everyone! And vote for Mario!

April 17th, 2007
What a great day! It's been a great spring here at Farm Sanctuary's California Shelter. Today is my friend Leanne's birthday. She is one of the special humans who comes and gives me hay every day. I think Leanne is in charge here, and keeps things running smoothly for all us animals. I love my caregiver friends because they always bring me good treats to eat, like hay, carrots and apples. Mmmm. I could go for some carrots right now.

Well, my devoted readers, you're probably wondering how my campaign for President of the Pasture is going! Phew! I don't think I have ever shaken so many hooves in my whole life. I have been campaigning in every part of the pasture, trying to get other cattle to vote for me. Chrissie (my campaign manager) and I have a couple new slogans: "Little Steer, Big Changes!" and "Mario Will STEER You on the Right Course!" Sure, I'm a small steer, and some of the other cattle tend to follow the big cows and steers around, but just because I am little doesn't mean I won't make a great president! If you come visit the shelter any time soon, be sure to spread the word and tell other cattle to vote for me!

Other than the campaign trail, I don't have much big news. The shelter is just beautiful this time of year, with green grass, golden fields and sparkling blue sky. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the cattle or moo-oo-oo-ing! I love the Spring! You should come visit and take a tour! The California Shelter has opened for tours, and lots of people are coming in and saying hello. I just love visitors. Well, I better get back to work and play. Talk to you soon. And vote for Mario!

February 28, 2007
Hi, everyone! Remember my New Year's resolutions? Well, I am sticking to them! I am working on my campaign for President of the Pasture, and things are going very well. As you can see from my picture, I am a pretty small steer, so sometimes the other cows and steers don't take me as seriously as some of the bigger cattle. But I am trying! This is my platform (that means the things I want to do if I am president):

• Get more hay every day
• Form a welcoming committee for new cattle
• Elect Dawn as Vice President
• Throw a party for Phoenix, Billy and Casey when they come to join our herd
• Persuade more kids to go vegetarian when they come to visit us

That's mostly what I have been up to, but I am also enjoying the sun coming out lately! It's been raining a lot lately, and that means I get really muddy. The morning after it rains, I ask my friends to groom me and get the mud off of me, and we have a big grooming party. And at night we all huddle in the barn to get out of the rain. But now that it's nice and sunny, we can stay out in the pasture all night and appreciate the sunshine! Now everything is nice and green, and I have a lot of grass to eat, which is even better than hay! I hope you come and visit me in April, when the California Farm Sanctuary tours start again. But if not, I'll always be here, writing my diary. You can even write in and ask me questions! Just click here and e-mail me. Talk to you soon!

January 1, 2007
Happy New Year! It's 2007, and I am excited! Every new year, Dawn (one of my friends here at the Sanctuary) asks us all what our "New Years Resolutions" are. That means stuff that we want to do better next year! So here's my list:

• Eat more hay
• Tell my friends how much I love them
• Form a welcoming committee for any new cattle
• Run for President of the Pasture
• Eat more hay
• Grow a few inches
• Write a Get Well card for Mateo
• Eat more hay
• Get to know Bonnie and Waylon Donkeys better
• Meet my sponsors
• Convince ten people to go vegetarian
• Eat more hay

Tonight, we are going to have a big party. All the cows are invited, and we're hoping the donkeys stop by the lake to mingle. Don't tell Dawn, but I got her a New Years present-it's some extra hay from my lunch! I guess I'll have to wait on that "eat more hay" resolution. Anyway, I better go get brushed so I look nice for the party. Happy New Year, everyone!

November 11, 2006
Boy, everything sure has been busy here at Farm Sanctuary! The turkeys are about to have their big Celebration for the Turkeys, and they get to eat all kinds of good food! I am excited about celebrating the turkeys too, because they are special, just like me. All of us at the Farm have sad memories about how things were before we got here, but everyone's very happy now!
Ever since the older cows started talking about the Celebration for the Turkeys, they've also been telling me about something called "Thanksgiving." I hear it's a human holiday when everyone thinks about what they're thankful for. Well I'm thankful for a whole lot, so I made a list! I am thankful for:

• The caregivers. They bring me food every day. They drive a tractor around our pasture and give us big bales of hay.
• My friend Moo. He's a Holstein cow, which means he's black and white. He is super friendly, and sometimes he shares his leftover hay with me. Plus, his name is easy for me to pronounce.
• Not being at the farm where I was before! I don't remember it very well now, but what I remember was horrible! • The people there didn't even care about whether I lived or died. I am really glad I never have to see that place again.
• My sponsor. Some of the animals here have sponsors-people who help pay for our food, shelter, and doctor's bills. They are very special people who care a lot about us. I am really thankful that people care about me!
• Vegetarians. They are people who don't eat animals. I am a vegetarian myself. I eat lots of hay and vegetables, but I never eat other animals. After living at Farm Sanctuary, I can't imagine how anyone could eat the animals who live here.
• That's my list so far. Can you think of anything I should add? Well, I should go be with my friends. We're getting our hooves trimmed soon, and everyone's standing around the lake and talking about it, so I want to join in. I'll write again soon. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

August 17, 2006
Just when I think life can't get any better, our farm opens up to visitors and lots and lots of friendly people come to give me hugs and kisses. As you can imagine, it's been a very busy summer for me so far. I've not only been working hard to show people that cattle are special and in need of protection, but I've also been trying to put a smile on the face of everyone I meet. Thankfully, I have a lot of irresistible charm, so this really isn't that hard to do. If people don't fall in love with me immediately, I just chew on their clothes or hair, give them a slobbery kiss or nudge their tummies until they do. I don't mean to brag, but I also know for a fact that I'm well-loved because I've had my photograph taken more times than I could ever count. Fortunately, I don't mind and I always take a moment to pose for a quick snapshot with a new friend. Well, it looks like some nice people are coming right now, so I've got to run and greet them. Talk to you more later.

April 1, 2006
Spring is here now, I can feel it! The grass is still really green so my friends and I in the herd have plenty to eat - and we don't even need the caregivers to give us extra hay. Today we wandered all over the place grazing and playing. We even decided to run a little. That's fun, because it gets out your extra energy and makes you feel happy afterwards. I really feel like I'm part of the family here now. I'm especially grateful for my adopted mom, Dawn. She always looks out for me and makes me feel special. Well, I guess I'm getting sappy, so I'll stop for now and write again soon!

June 3, 2005
Big news! Big news! Today, the little herd I've been living in for a while got integrated into the main herd of cattle that lives at the sanctuary. This was a big deal because I had never met all of the other cows who live here before - mainly because I was so small and my caregivers were worried about my leg. But today I got to meet ALL of them. I was kind of anxious at first, because I wasn't sure how I'd fit in with everybody, but I guess you could say I found my place. Here's a picture of me with La Nina, one of the biggest, bravest, and most beautiful cows I have ever seen. This picture was taken right after I met her for the first time. She wasn't too into me then, I had to be persistent! Isn't she beautiful?

November 7, 2004
Hi again, everyone! Today is a beautiful day. I'm just hanging out with my friends Linus, and with my adopted mom, Dawn. I moved in with them a little while back. It's so much fun, because now I have cow friends, but I live in pastures close to the shelter office, so I get to see my people friends all the time too! Today it's very sunny out and we're all feeling lazy. I just ate a big lunch of hay and now I'm basking in the sun. Life is so good, I just had to tell you about it!

Spring 2004
It's spring now, and I am feeling very healthy. My cast came off a long time ago and now it feels almost like I never had a broken leg at all. I'm still too small and fragile to hang out with the whole herd of cows that lives here at the sanctuary - although I have gotten to see them and rub noses with them quite a lot - so for now I'm living in my own private section of the cattle barn. I spend most of my days roaming around the shelter - I have the run of the whole place, seriously! - meeting visitors and dozing off in the sun. Here I am with one of my good friends, Dillon. I really love it here!

September 15, 2003
Hi! Welcome to my diary. My friends here call me Mario, so you can call me that too. I'm just a young calf - about 1 month old - so I'm not sure I have that much to say. . . but hopefully you'll enjoy reading my diary anyway.

I arrived at Farm Sanctuary on August 26, 2003, so as you can see, I haven't been here very long. But, boy, am I glad to be here! Things were awful before I came here - it's all a blur really. I don't remember everything. But I know that my leg got hurt really badly somehow on the farm I used to live at. It hurt so much that I cried out a lot. Then, the next thing I remember, I was lying next to a pile of garbage down by the road. There were - this is the worst part - there were other cows lying there with me, but they were dead. I'm not sure, but I think they just left me down there because they wanted me to die too. I called out for my mom because I was SO hungry, but she wasn't there. No one even came to give me water, even though it was pretty hot outside.
Well, a long time passed and I just stayed there by the road because I was too weak to stand up, and I knew my leg was really messed up. Eventually a man showed up in a big truck. He got out of the truck and picked up the dead cows that were with me and put them in the back of the truck. Then he came back and just stared at me. I thought he was going to hurt me, but then I noticed that he looked sad. I guess he must have been a very nice man after all, because the next thing I knew he was picking me up and putting me gently into the cab of his truck. Soon, I was at Farm Sanctuary.

I was only at the sanctuary for a short time, though, and then I had to go to the hospital. The doctors at the hospital fixed my leg - they said it was badly broken. After they fixed me, they put a big cast on my leg to help it heal. I think it looks kind of funny on me, don't you? Anyway, I've been wearing the cast for two weeks now - and it's not very fun! But my caregivers at Farm Sanctuary are helping me learn How To walk and they carefully exercise with me at least two times each day. Hopefully I'll be totally healthy soon!

BLEU'S DIARY

December 1, 2009
Hi everyone! I decided to take a break from my peaceful pasture grazing to update you on what has been going on here at the sanctuary! 

Some new ducks came to live with us here in California. I haven't had a chance to get to know them very well, but I'm sure they are very kind! Their feathers are very soft-looking, just like my fleece! Fleece is what the hair on my body is called. I'm glad my fleece is so full and ready for these cold winter months. I don't know what I'd do without it!

Some of you kind readers may not know how people take wool from sheep like me. I thought maybe this diary entry would be a good way to explain why wearing wool hurts animals.

Most sheep are treated quite poorly on farms. Many farmers hire people (called shearers) who cut the fleece off of sheep. They don't even ask the sheep for permission!

And shearing is not like getting a haircut, because the shearers are usually very rough. Shearers try to shear as many sheep as possible and they go so fast that they often cut the sheep’s skin, making them bleed. They don't give sheep pain relievers, band-aids or anything else to help them feel better. It can be very painful and stressful, and the scared sheep don't like it at ALL.

This is just one of the reasons why I think people shouldn’t wear wool. I can't imagine ever wanting to wear someone else's coat, when we all have our own to wear. I'll bet you have one that you like that isn't made out of wool. Maybe you can tell people to let me keep my coat, and they can keep theirs! Many people think wool is itchy anyway, and I think that's a sign that only sheep should wear wool. I don’t think it's itchy, because my wooly coat is made especially for me!

Thanks for reading my diary and caring about how sheep like me are treated!

Until next time,

Your Friend Bleu

August 23, 2009
Howdy, friends! I'm sorry I haven't written in a while: I'm not very good at typing with my hooves yet. But do you know who is? Susie and her friend Leanne! These two women run Farm Sanctuary's New York and California Shelters, and boy do they have a lot to say about what they do and all the animals they take care of! Check out their blog called "Sanctuary Tails". Get it? They tell tales, or stories, about farm animals and farm animals have tails. Ha ha!

So much has happened with the sheep and goat gang since my last entry. Remember those little lambs I was telling you about back in March? Well, Ady and Colvin have grown up really fast and have now joined us big sheep in the main herd. I'm kind of like their cool older brother, showing them the ropes around the farm. Since they're still pretty young they can be rather rowdy. When that happens, I just go look for a quieter spot, like under our new jungle gym!

Earlier this summer a very gifted group of teenagers from the First Congregational Church of Berkeley came out to build a playground for us, with all sorts of different levels and stairs to climb. Goats and sheep love to climb on almost everything, including rocky terrain, jungle gyms, and sometimes each other. Everyone's had a blast exploring the new playground and taking turns being "King of the Hill." It's still pretty hot in California, so we're using the underside of the playground for shade these days.

That's it for now!

Your friend,
-Bleu

March 15, 2009
Hi, friends! Life has been great at the California Shelter. Did you hear about the new lambs who were born here? They are sooo cute! It's very rare that animals are born here at the shelter, so I am excited to have the new twins come and live in our flock when they're ready. I'm going to give them some advice, like: the more you run up to the visitors and baaaaa, the more they'll pet you! Also, goats make great friends. Just get out of their way if someone comes in with apples or carrots, because boy do they go crazy for treats!

Take a look at this picture of the babies! And come visit them soon!

April 1, 2008
Hi, everyone! It's my favorite time of year again: Spring! Spring is the best time of year to be at the California Shelter. The trees are blooming, the grass is green and delicious, and all the birds are singing beautiful songs. When Spring rolls around, I can't help but feel thankful for the life I have at Farm Sanctuary. It's a much different place from where I started out.

When I was born, my mom didn't have enough milk to feed me. It would have been nice if the people who owned the farm where I lived had fed me, but they didn't. Instead, they let me get sick and skinny. If it weren't for a kind person who rescued me and took me to Farm Sanctuary, I probably would have died! Just imagine how many other sheep and animals aren't taken care of the way they should be. They don't get to enjoy the warm sun, the green grass or the beautiful sounds of Spring. What a lucky little lamb I was!

When I talk to the other animals at the sanctuary, many of them have sad stories too. Some of my pig friends lived in metal crates for their whole lives until they were rescued. And some of my goat friends lived in peoples' backyards, without food or shelter! I can't believe anyone would treat an animal that way. Can you?

Well, it's feeding time, so I need to go down to the barn and grab some fresh alfalfa. But be sure to stop by this visitor season at the California Shelter and say hello. I'd love to meet my readers! Until then, have a good month, and be kind to animals!

October 3, 2007
Hi, Everybody! It's your old friend, Bleu. Can you believe it's already October? Today is my friend Kerrie's birthday. She's one of the caregivers who brings me food every day and knows the perfect way to scratch me behind the ear. And it's almost time for Halloween, one of my favorite holidays! It's a great time to hang out with friends, have fun and even pretend you're someone else. This year for Halloween, I am going to pretend to be my friend Ramona goat. She kind of looks like me, with a black head and a white body, so I think I might fool people pretty well!

So, here's my plan: I'm going to get up early and watch the goats milling around. You know, study their moves. See what makes them "tick." I'm going to watch them eat, drink and take naps. And I am going to carefully study how they butt heads to play. I still don't get that! Why not just go and find your own alfalfa instead of play-fighting over the same portion of alfalfa? Okay, so maybe there are some things about goats that I'll never understand, but I love them anyway!

So, after all that studying, I think I can pull off a convincing "goat." What do you think? If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! Until then, you can find me hanging out on the hill at the California Shelter—and sometimes hiding behind a barn door so I can take notes on those mysterious goats.

Here's me, au natural.

And here's Ramona Goat. Don't we look like we could be related?

Happy Halloween, everyone!

May 12, 2007
Woo hoo! Guess what, everybody! Some nice people came and gave me a haircut and now I am nice and cool. I asked my caregiver friend Jamie what they're going to do with my fur, and she said they'll put it on the mountains behind my pasture, and birds will come and use it for nests. Isn't that nice? One of the hens who lives at the sanctuary told me that she loves to make nests. She lives in the chicken barn, and she builds a nest with the straw Jamie gives her, and then she lays in it and keeps all warm and cozy while she lays eggs. I am glad my fur is going to help some nice bird be warm and cozy!

And that's not all I have to tell you. Today was a very special day at Farm Sanctuary California. We had a big party called the Hoe Down, and lots of people visited! There were even some kids (my favorite kind of visitors) and they gave me lots of scratches and rubs. There was a very friendly man named Gene who came and met me and told me how friendly and handsome I am. I asked Persia who he is, and she said he's one of the people who started Farm Sanctuary. I feel like I've met a star! It turns out, Gene helped start Farm Sanctuary by finding a sheep who needed rescuing, just like me! And he's not the only neat person I met at the Hoe Down. There were people who sponsor animals here, vegetarians, vegans, and lots of people who just love animals! But the best part was meeting the kids. Kids love me and I love them. They like putting their hands on my soft fur and petting me behind my ears. Have you thought about coming to visit me? I would love that! But if you're too far away, you can always send me an e-mail and say hello!

Until then, I'm off to hang out with Ian. He's an older sheep sort of a philosopher around here. Have you ever heard of Socrates? We call Ian "Baaaaaaa-crates." I can't wait to hear what smart things he has to say today.

Thanks for reading my diary. I'll talk to you soon!

March 17, 2007
Wow! I forgot how warm it gets here in California during the spring! This winter has been really chilly, but it looks like we're going to have a hot summer this year! Well, you're probably wondering what's been happening since I last wrote. We moved pastures, which is great! I love the new scenery. We're now in the Cow Barn. I know, I know. It sounds confusing to have the sheep and goats in the Cow Barn, but the cows wanted a change of scenery, too, so they're out in a new pasture! Everyone really likes being out here. The field is huge and we can run and play whenever we want. Just today, Chili the goat was running and kicking up his heels-he was practically doing cartwheels, he was having such a good time! If you look at the picture of our new pasture, you can see Chili off to the left, doing his happy dance.

Like I said, it's getting pretty hot here. I hope we get a nice trim soon. Did you know that sheep in nature wouldn't even have to get trimmed? Humans have used breeding to make us have a lot more wool than we are supposed to! Well, at least I am taken care of here, and I always get a nice hair cut every spring so I can keep cool. It makes me very thankful that I don't live on a big factory farm!

Thanks for reading my updates. If you ever have any questions for me, you can e-mail me and I'll try to answer! Have a happy Spring!

February 1, 2007
Guess what, everybody! I have a Valentine! I just learned that a Valentine is someone who is very special to you, and you can celebrate him or her in February. Well, I have someone who's very special to me. Her name is Persia. She is the prettiest sheep I have ever seen. You probably know all about Persia from my diary. We both had sad lives before we came here, but now we're as happy as can be! I always talk to her about how nice it is here and how happy I am, but she's a lot less talkative than I am, so she usually just listens. When I gaze up into those pretty brown eyes, I just can't help but baaaaa on and on. I hope you get to come and visit Farm Sanctuary and meet Persia. She loves guests. Come to think of it, so do I! I guess we're made for each other.

December 1, 2006
Boy! It is getting a lot colder around here! I am glad I have my warm wool coat to keep me nice and toasty this winter. I heard that some sheep don't even get to keep their wool during the winter! Some mean people take their wool away and sell it! That doesn't seem fair to me.

Anyway, it's been a pretty nice Autumn here at Farm Sanctuary. We had our last tour on Saturday, so I made sure I got to be petted by lots of people before they all go away for the winter. Guess what happened in November! A bunch of people came for something called the Celebration FOR the Turkeys, and all these people came in to say hi to me! People of all sizes and shapes came in and petted me and asked where I came from. Some really nice volunteers told them all about my life before I came here, and about where the other sheep and goats came from. At first, it was a little scary (I mean, there were over 200 people!), but after a while, I started to think it was pretty nice, so I nuzzled up to some of the visitors for pets and good long scratches behind my ear.

Then, guess what happened today! One of the caregivers told me I am in Farm Sanctuary's new calendar! I don't know what exactly that means, but I know that lots of people are going to see pictures of me and hear how I came to Farm Sanctuary. I'm a star! Anyway, I want to go tell the others, so I'll write again later. Happy holidays!


August 17, 2006
Today has really been going great so far! One of my favorite human friends, Sarah, came up to the pasture to visit me this morning and spent lots of time scratching all those itchy, hard-to-reach places behind my ears. Sarah also likes to sing silly songs to me and always fills the barn with the happy sounds of music and laughter. I always know when she calls my name and because she is very kind to sheep, I always let her give me a hug. Since Sarah left, my afternoon has been pretty lazy. Summer days are pretty warm here, especially when you're wearing wool like mine, so it's nice to just stretch out and take long naps on the cool, straw-covered barn floor. The afternoon is my favorite time to rest and save up energy for my early evening romps with my fellow sheep and mischievous barn mates, the goats. Soon enough, it will be time for all of us to chase after our caregivers as they drive around the pasture and drop hay for all us of us to eat. What fun! Anyway, I guess I'll get back to day-dreamin' now, but I'll write again soon.

April 3, 2006
Hey, guess what? I've been here at Farm Sanctuary now for just over one year! I can't believe it. (Look at this picture of me - it's pretty recent! Haven't I gotten huge?) Time has gone by so fast. Persia and I are best friends and life couldn't be better! Nowadays, we spend most of our time wandering the green pastures here and nibbling on grass. We hang out with the other sheep and goats everyday and run around whenever we get the chance. Persia and I are definitely the youngest members of the flock, so the others aren't as crazy and active as we are. . .but that's okay. We learn a lot from them. Tomorrow, if it's not raining, I think we're going to go take a turn standing on top of the rock pile the caregivers made for us. Usually the goats are up there playing "king of the world," but maybe we'll get our chance tomorrow.

May 2005
Hi again, everyone! It's your friend Bleu again! I just wanted to share with you all how much I am enjoying hanging out with my new friend, Persia. I was introduced to her recently, and I was so excited to see her that I almost wiggled out of my skin! Persia is the first sheep I've had the pleasure of knowing since I was taken away from my mom. She is so much fun. She's a lamb like me, but she's a little bit older than I am. I really look up to her. And even though I annoy her sometimes, I think she likes me anyway. Our human friends tell us that soon will be moving in with the rest of the sheep who live on the farm. We just have to wait a bit longer until they know that we don't have any infections that will get the other sheep sick.

March 30, 2005
Hi, my name is Bleu. I just arrived here at Farm Sanctuary four days ago. I am a five-week-old lamb. I was born at a farm that raises sheep for meat, but I was a twin. My mom couldn't take care of both me and the other baby. . .and I guess the farmer man couldn't take care of me either, or didn't want to. He was going to sell me at auction, I think, but then a kind couple saved me. I lived with them for a while, but they told me they wanted me to live somewhere where I could have other sheep friends. That sounded great to me! They drove many long hours to get me here to Orland, California. And here I am now. I miss my old people friends who saved me, but I am learning to love the people here, too. They are so kind to me!

Some people think I'm weird, and you might too, but I like to sleep in strange places. I don't just want to sleep in the straw they give me here. I prefer to sleep in my food bowl. Hey, don't knock it 'till you try it! It's actually very comfortable.