Safe Haven in Poughkeepsie Journal, March 22, 2017

Animals find “safe haven” on couple’s farm sanctuary

This article appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal on March 22, 2017

Here is an excerpt from the article.

When Maddie, a goat who lives at the Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary in Poughquag, laid her head on Bill Crain’s lap, he knew he had made a difference.

“Every time she saw a human it meant possible death,” said Crain, co-owner of the Sanctuary with his wife Ellen. “It took a long time, but it was one of the greatest moments for me. She finally trusted me.”

It’s exactly the kind of feel-good moment that Crain was going for ever since he and his wife decided to open Safe Haven.

Their desire to rescue farm animals came while the couple, living in Manhattan at the time, drove by a live meat market — otherwise known as a slaughterhouse — and saw two goats peeking their heads out.

“I thought that if I ever had a farm sanctuary, I was going to get those goats out of there,” said Crain, a professor of psychology at The City College of New York.

According to the Humane Society, approximately 9 billion cattle, chickens, ducks, hogs, sheep, lamb and turkeys are slaughtered every year. The Crains wanted to do their part to save the animals, so in 2006, they purchased a 40-acre farm in Poughquag that came with a barn and two houses.

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