animal rescue Archives - Compassionate Women

Stella’s Rescue Journey

March 3, 2019 by Jillian Leave a Comment

This is Stella. Do not be alarmed by her sad looking face. She is one happy lady! She just has what I call “resting sad face” but in reality she is a happy, sweet pit bull whose tail is constantly wagging. I wanted to share the story of how Stella came into my life (and the raucous she has caused!) in the hopes that it will not only dispel the stereotype of pit bulls being aggressive dogs, but also in the hopes that it will motivate people to adopt not shop. Stella also has outstanding medical fees for $975 that are due this month and we need help – you can visit her Gofundme page to learn more: https://www.gofundme.com/sweet-stella039s-tumor-fund

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Yaqui Animal Rescue

October 11, 2017 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I first heard about Yaqui Animal Rescue while walking through one of the buildings on my university’s campus. I noticed handmade signs directing people where they could drop off donations for the group. I soon found an event that Yaqui was having near campus and decided to go check it out. After meeting lots of cute dogs at this event, I learned that the group rescues all kinds of animals: horses, donkeys, bunnies, cat, pigs, chickens, geese, and more! When they invited me to visit the ranch, I immediately said yes!

The Yaqui ranch is located in Sullivan City, a small town in South Texas. The founder of Yaqui, Sonia Venecia, purchased the property in 2004 for the sole purpose of using it as a no-kill shelter for animals in need. It once belonged to her grandparents and was a working ranch. Sonia decided to name her new rescue group after her grandmother’s ancestors, the Yaqui Indians.

I brought my camera along to observe life at the Yaqui ranch. It’s pretty much an animal lover’s dream. For me, there’s nothing better than being able to watch animals be animals without the threat of harm or exploitation. I wish all animals could have such a peaceful experience on this planet.

Check out the photos from my recent visits to this awesome rescue ranch, plus a short video (directly below) detailing daily life for the beautiful creatures that reside at Yaqui Animal Rescue.

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2016 Wrap Up

December 20, 2016 by Jillian 2 Comments

This little guy was definitely one of my best memories from the past year.

And traveling.

And food of course!

Wow. 2016 has been an interesting year for me both personally and professionally. I spent most of it in Beaumont, a small town in southeast Texas near the Louisiana border. It provided me with a bit of culture shock to say the least. I’ve lived mainly in Austin and Dallas where people are very health conscious, animal friendly and open minded, so being thrown into a southern town where most people are behind in these areas was quite an adjustment.

But I survived! …and in the process, learned a lot about myself and others.

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The Quiet Consequences of Elephant Poaching

July 21, 2016 by Jillian 2 Comments

I’ve always loved elephants for as long as I can remember. The older I get, the more amazed I am by them. They are incredible and endearing. They are wrinkly and gorgeous. They are smart and feel many of the same emotions as humans. And they are disappearing at an alarming rate.

It’s pretty common knowledge that this tragedy is due largely to the ivory trade. Presently, eight out of ten elephants are killed for their ivory, rather than dying naturally. Despite recent efforts to ban the trade of ivory, elephants could be extinct in 10-15 years with the current rate of poaching.

What most people don’t think about, however, is the baby elephants that are left for dead when their families are killed for ivory, the poacher’s side of the story, and the entire ecosystem supported by the presence of these magnificent creatures.

I sat down and watched the critically acclaimed documentary Gardeners of Eden to learn more about the struggle behind poaching & the ivory trade, and the incredible organization in Africa fighting to save an entire species. The following are facts that everyone should know.

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My Visit to Rowdy Girl Sanctuary

November 5, 2015 by Jillian 8 Comments

Beautiful bovines! Magnificent moos! Chipper chickens! Purdy piggy! They all awaited me and more at the amazing Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Angleton, Texas. The interesting thing about this particular sanctuary is that up until recently it was a cattle ranch, and had been for many years. But Renee Sonnen couldn’t bear to watch the calves torn from their mamas and loaded up into the red trailer to be taken off to the sale barn for slaughter. After stints of being vegetarian and even having a raw diet at one point, she made the connection between these sentient animals and the food she was eating and decided that she’d had enough. She went vegan and bought the remaining cattle from her husband Tommy, and the Sonnen Ranch became Rowdy Girl Sanctuary.

Renee and Tommy (and Jolene the dachshund) were kind enough to take me on a tour of the sanctuary and introduce me to these wonderful animals and their personal stories. Along with the cattle from their ranch, they have also begun rescuing other farm animals and hope to expand the sanctuary so they can accommodate even more cute critters 🐮🐔 🐷

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