BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — On a six-acre property in Brecksville you'll find your average farm animals like turkeys, pigs, goats, sheep and chickens. But the animals on that property live in above-average conditions, with above-average treatment thanks to Carly Keserich, their owner.
Keserich, who was once a fashion stylist, turned a farmer after meeting a pig named Poppy.
“Poppy is 10 years old. She's the one that started it all for us,” Keserich said. “She’s very sassy, we call her a Kardashian pig because she's moody. Sometimes she does not want her photograph taken.”
Keserich and her husband adopted Poppy in 2014 when living on a small lot in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. As Poppy grew, so did the number of people stopping by offering up their own animals.
“That kind of just started this whole niche of people coming up to us saying, hey, you have a pig. Do you want my chickens? Do you want my ducks,” Keserich said.
They quickly ran out of space and in 2019 moved to Brecksville to open the Homestead Animal Sanctuary, a vegan-farmed nonprofit that is currently home to more than 30 residents.
“The craziest animal we have had was a lemur that was left behind in an attic. I'm not sure where they came from. But we are farm focused. So my realm is farm animals. And that includes anything from pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, sheep,” Keserich said.
Keserich said she wants the animals to feel unconditional love.
“They have personalities, they're individuals and they matter and each one matters, and they deserve a great life,” she said.
Each year the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that each year, nearly 10 billion land animals are slaughtered for food. Most of the animals at the Homestead Animal Sanctuary were unwanted, deemed unuseful on a farm, and on track to be euthanized.
“Especially watching these animals that were deemed aggressive and unwanted. And you know, you put them in the right setting. And they're, they're wonderful,” Keserich said. “Farm animals are kind of left behind. And there's not a ton of regulations that advocate for them.”
Keserich and her husband are vegan and believe in peace for all beings, including farm animals, she said.
“Like I said, these animals don't know the difference. They don't know that they weren't going to experience love. They didn't know that they are used for certain purposes. They have no idea,” she said. “They just want to be loved just like a dog or a cat. They want to be held. They want treats. They want snuggles, they want to play.”
Keserich says all animals deserve to live a full life, even ones like Lami, who’s a prime example of a broken animal now thriving through patience and love.
“She came from what I would call production farmers out in Washington Courthouse, Ohio. And they called us and were like, ‘listen, she's a dwarf lamb, she's not usable, we can't show her, she doesn't stand. We're gonna euthanize her. Do you want to take a stab at this?’ And we were like, oh, yeah, bring her here,” Keserich said.
The Homestead isn’t the only animal sanctuary in the state, but it is one of the smallest, and Keserich has plans to expand.
“The goal for us this year would be to clear a little bit more land and put a second pasture in. So, we can take in, there are a lot of cows that need homes. So we would love to do that as well as swans that need rescuing,” Keserich said.
To the furry and feathered friends at the Homestead Animal Sanctuary, the size of their home doesn’t matter, because the size of their owner’s heart outnumbers all.
To adopt any animals available for adoption, to volunteer, or to surrender a farm animal, fill out a form on Homestead Animal Sanctuary website.
The Homestead Animal Sanctuary also hosts events on the farm like yoga, birthday parties, private tours, and photographic sceneries. To learn more, visit the sanctuary's website.