Blackberry came to us in November of 2019. Her original owner was retiring from farming and was looking for a forever home for Blackberry since he did not want to see her go to slaughter. We were more than happy to provide Blackberry a safe and loving home to live out the rest of her natural life. Blackberry is 8 years old and has had many calves who were taken away from her. We attempted to get the farmer to also surrender Blackberry’s daughter and granddaughter to us but were not successful. Blackberry’s favorite food was sweet feed and she loved to sunbathe and rub her head in dirt.
In October of 2021, Blackberry went down in the pasture and had a really hard time getting back up. We were able to help her get up and walk her into the barn. When the vet came out to see her, they did an ultrasound on her and found a very large tumor that was pushing on the nerves of her back legs and her bladder. She wan’s able to urinate normally and if she tried to turn or move too quickly she would fall down. The vet determined that she had a very aggressive form of Bovine Lymphosarcoma – end stage cancer. We decided that the best thing for her was to have her euthanized. We were able to be with her when she took her last breaths and a we were lucky enough to be able to have a company come pick up her body so that she could be cremated. She was my world, a piece of my heart will always be missing without my baby girl earth side.
Oh sweet, sweet CJ boy! When CJ first came to live on the sanctuary he reminded me so much of an old friend of mine that I met at a sanctuary I had interned at. The name CJ came naturally and he was named after a big Holstein boy named Caesar. CJ was a handsome, 9 year old Holstein steer who was over 6 feet tall. He was the biggest cow that I have personally ever been around. He was just massive! He had some arthritis pain and his hooves were extremely overgrown when he first came to us. One of the most interesting thing about CJ is that he had surgery performed when he was a calf, that re-routed his urethra from his penis to an “artificial vulva.” So essentially, he peed like a lady. To this day, I am amazed by the surgery that was done almost ten years ago by veterinarians at Cornell University. CJ did not have it easy and though he only lived with us in sanctuary for 9 months, we are so grateful that he was able to be loved and cared for the way he deserved. His brother, Andy, was his best friend and they were ALWAYS together. He was outgoing and charming. He was curious and spunky.
Zee is Ellie Mae’s first and only calf. She was born on September 16, 2018 (the day before Mackenzie’s birthday), while Mackenzie was interning at a farm sanctuary. Mackenzie’s friends at the sanctuary gave her the nickname “Zee” so it felt like a fitting name for Ellie’s new baby after the experience she had there.
Baby Zee is the most outgoing and curious little girl. She has the biggest heart and is extremely playful. She is a picky eater and loves to cuddle with her best friend Billy.
Rich is an accomplished Lawyer and is Sr. Vice President, Claims and Chief Counsel at HCC Global. He received his B.A. from Boston College and J.D. from Villanova Law School. He has always had a strong love for all animals and has two companion dogs, Maggie and Ruby. Rich has been a board member from day one and his experience is extremely valued. He also happens to be married to Mackenzie’s beautiful mother!
Billy has always loved animals and grew up surrounded by farm animals on his Mommom’s farm in PA. He is currently a student at Central Connecticut State University, working to obtain his bachelor’s in Management Information Systems. Billy has been involved in the administrative functions and managing the IT needs of the organization since its inception. He is knowledgeable in financial planning, programming, and fundraising. He has experience volunteering with local nonprofits as well as previous work with an emergency response team. He enjoys cooking delicious vegan food and is best friends with Zee.
Mackenzie has been an animal lover her entire life. She was surrounded with companion animals of all shapes and sizes at a young age and fell in love with farmed animals. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2018 where she studied Animal Science and Psychology. It was here where she met Ellie Mae, the beautiful cow who would change her entire life. Shortly after graduating she began working to develop Ellie Mae Farm Sanctuary. Mackenzie currently works as a Veterinary Assistant. She spends most of her time with her furry friends eating delicious vegan food and drinking iced coffee.
