Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary gives abused , neglected animals a second chance .
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
If there ’ s anything veterinarian Dr . Karen Phillips wants the public to know , it ’ s that neglected and abused farm animals need love too .
Phillips , a Vermont native who moved to Pittsburgh in 1998 , is the founder of Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary , a nonprofit organization dedicated to rehabilitating and caring for rescued pigs , goats , sheep , poultry and more .
Hope Haven provides
Dr . Karen Phillips a safe and nurturing environment for animals confiscated by local humane agents , surrendered at animal shelters or saved from factory farms .
The idea for Hope Haven was conceived when Phillips was working as a spay / neuter surgeon at a local animal shelter .
“ I was upset by the number of farm animals that were being surrendered at the shelter ,” she says . “ It absolutely broke my heart , because farm animals just can ’ t be properly cared for at a typical shelter .”
Frustrated , Phillips began taking the animals home and nurturing them back to health . One of the first animals she rehabilitated was Isaac , a pot-bellied piglet who was rescued from the streets of Pittsburgh . Isaac soon grew attached to her , much like a house pet would .
In 2008 while on a long drive back to Pittsburgh from Vermont , she was struck with a spark of inspiration : she would create a sanctuary where abandoned and abused farm animals would be loved and nurtured back to health . After four years of searching and planning , she purchased a property on Wexford-Bayne Road in Sewickley in 2011 . The property is close enough to the city to attract visitors , but rural enough to allow her animals to roam safely .
“ It was an abandoned property that had an old house attached to it . My plan was to live in the house for the first year , and then offer it to a caretaker who would live on the property . Yet , I ’ m still here . It might just be me being a control freak ,” she says with a laugh .
Phillips , a longtime vegan , is the farm ’ s sole caretaker . Formerly in private practice , she now works three jobs to pay the bills . Volunteers help periodically , but on a daily basis it ’ s a one-woman operation .
So far , she ’ s set up two pastures , a chicken coop and a small barn . Donations have helped , but more are always needed . Although she offers guided tours periodically , Phillips wants to make the farm more “ public-friendly ” and handicapped accessible . She also wants to
enhance the farm ’ s educational aspects so that visitors can understand the plight these animals face .
“ I want to make it magical , a child-like place ,” she says . “ In childhood , we have this innate , passionate love for animals , and we often lose that as adults . I want visitors to regain their compassion for these animals . I just want it to be a great experience for everyone .”
More than 100 animals have found shelter at Hope Haven including llamas , alpacas , peacocks , ducks , chickens and pigs . One of her favorite success stories involves Butters , a mini horse that came to her in 2014 after a long period of neglect .
“ He was a bone rack . His hooves had not been trimmed and were curled like elf shoes . He had parasites , and his constant neglect had made him distrustful of people ,” she says .
She nurtured Butters back to full health . “ He filled out like a Palomino and now runs around like a stallion ,” she adds .
Another success story involves Rigby , an emu Phillips took in from a farmer in Plum who had lost his job .
“ Rigby follows people around and acts like a person . She ’ s definitely the most entertaining animal of the bunch ,” she says .
She ’ s also seen huge physical transformations in many of the birds , including a hen named Phoenix who came to her through the Animal Rescue League . The hen had been attacked and barely had any feathers . Now she ’ s a “ great little bird ,” says Phillips . Many of the poultry come to the farm debeaked with infected feet and the bacterial disease pasteurella after living their lives in factory farms .
Hope Haven is the only farm sanctuary in Allegheny County , and Phillips says that founding it has been a dream come true for her .
“ It gets exhausting , and the winters are hard , but for me , it ’ s utopia . I love it ,” she says .
For more information about Hope Haven Farm Sanctuary , visit hopehavenfarm . org . n
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