Sarah helps newborns Lola and Henry feel comfortable on the ride hope from the hospital!
Sarah gets some love from Ted steer.
An honest-day’s work cleaning barns for our rescued residents.
No matter what the weather’s like, we can count on Sarah to keep everything running smoothly!
Sarah greets Reuben upon his return from the hospital.
Sarah and her sweet love Linda. Sarah spent lots of quality time with Linda at the end of her life.
Taking Summer to Cornell
Oh yes -she drives that!
Sarah and her goat pal Gloria
Taking pigs to Florida with Mario Ramirez and Dale West
Farm Assistant Sarah
Cody: Driven to Make a Difference for Farm Animals!
For the billions of farm animals slaughtered for food in the
U.S. each year, a ride in a transport trailer brings only fear and
heartbreak. Overcrowded, roughly handled, and lacking access to food and water, farm animals on their way to a stockyard or slaughterhouse are given less care and consideration than a truck full of inanimate objects. Whenever we arrive at the scene of a cruelty case, however, a ride in
a transport trailer means something entirely different: freedom. Here, these
sentient beings embark on a new journey, where they are finally given the care
and love they need to thrive.
Sarah giving water to a very overheated Julia pig immediately after she was removed from the factory farm where she had been severely beaten.
For the past nine years, Farm Assistant Sarah Cody has worked to keep these rescued individuals comfortable
— whether they’re on their way to safety following a rescue, en route to a new adoptive home, or living out their lives in peace at our New
York Shelter. When we take in new animals in need, one of our top priorities is helping them feel as safe and
comfortable as possible as they adjust to their newfound freedom — and today, we celebrate this incredible humanimal whose work is key to that transition. In her work at Farm Sanctuary, Sarah has escorted many farm animals from peril to safety, and with her at the wheel, our rescued
residents can ease into their new lives smoothly, hitting the road for greener
pastures ahead.
Carrying Paul goat to the van and off to Cornell during the Hudson Valley Rescue.
“The most memorable day I’ve had [at Farm Sanctuary] was the
day I was trained on the transport trailer,” Sarah says. “I was a natural at it
and I get to rescue animals and take them across the country to their new
homes. It’s truly amazing to see animals come from a terrible situation, and
when they get to their new homes the joy in their eyes is very rewarding.”
Hugging little goat Sarah
— named for our gal!
Sarah, who grew up on a farm, is a natural at allaying the
animals’ fears. For many rescued farm animals, hers is one of the first kind faces they see, and her strong, outgoing personality helps them
to feel more at ease and begin to realize that they are safe.
A once-frightened Aurora goat snuggling with her human friend Sarah.
This newfound security continues on the road to Farm
Sanctuary or to the adoptive families they are placed with through our Farm
Animal Adoption Network (FAAN). Sarah is a master at maneuvering our large trailer
with great care, ensuring that the animals
—
who, for the first time, are given
plenty of space, food and water for the journey, and straw bedding in which to rest
—
enjoy
a gentle transition to freedom.
Walking Marge off the trailer and to her destination: Farm Sanctuary!
A recent example occurred on the afternoon of the Cattaraugus
County rescue in March. Many of the animals rescued in this case had spent their entire lives confined indoors, and the goats, especially, were terrified of exploring the outside world. When we arrived at our New York Shelter after the rescue, Sarah carefully backed the trailer into the goats’ new
pasture and helped to coax the boys outside. While it took a few months for Halbert,
Earl, and friends to adjust to their new surroundings, Sarah’s love and guidance were instrumental in helping them learn to trust their new human friends, allowing them to start to
heal.
Thanks to Sarah and the Farm Sanctuary team, these boys can finally enjoy the freedom, care, and happiness they deserve!
Similarly, Sarah was on hand to help a terrified bull named Frank feel more secure on his way to safety. Frank’s previous experience in a transport trailer had been eventful to say the least; when the cattle he was traveling with were unloaded at a live market in Queens, Frank instead seized the opportunity and ran for his life.
A team of animal advocates
—
including staffers at the Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), Farm Sanctuary Board Member Tracey Stewart and her husband Jon, and our friend and fellow rescuer Mike Stura —
leapt into action to help Frank. Meanwhile, Sarah and a group from Farm Sanctuary set out for Stura’s New Jersey farm, Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue
, where they would meet Frank and bring him to the Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell University for treatment
—
and from there, home to Farm Sanctuary for good.
Frank at Cornell after his capture in NYC.
For Frank, this trip went much more smoothly than the one that ended in his escape
—
this time, he was finally
seen as a unique individual and treated with the utmost care and compassion by Sarah and her colleagues.
Frank, enjoying the Farm Sanctuary life!
When Sarah isn’t assisting with rescues, she’s contributing to
the general upkeep of our New York Shelter, maintaining clean, safe, and comfortable living
spaces for our more than 500 residents. Whether she’s mucking barns,
assisting with maintenance projects, or even helping National Shelter Director Susie Coston conduct health
checks on our rescued residents, Sarah approaches each task with humor and
grace, adding a lively spirit to the often- difficult tasks at hand.
Holding a very frightened sheep for shearing after the Hudson Valley rescue last October.
Sarah is a natural with animals — especially with the larger kids, including the cattle. She is a part of every cattle hoof-trimming session and helps guide (or, should I say, push) our giant 2,500-pound boys into the chute for a trim. This is no easy task for a few reasons; for starters, the work involves attempting to use your smaller human body to push (from the backside) the large, ton-plus bodies of our bovine friends. Next, consider the location of your back and shoulders when you are pushing, and you can imagine what is constantly raining down on you during this very difficult day on the farm. And Sarah does this with laughter and grace and a kindness to each individual animal, making what can be a very stressful day go better for everyone.
Sarah and Ben after a long day of moving the cattle through the chute. No — that is not mud.
Sarah’s easy camaraderie
with her co-workers and positive attitude come as no surprise, since we spotted something
special in Sarah from the moment we met her. When she was just 17, Sarah
answered an ad for a farm assistant position, participated in a four-hour working
interview, and got the job right away. And while no two days on the farm are
the same, Sarah and her team approach each shift with joy and a strong sense of purpose, happy to be doing work that they care about and that matters so much to the animals they love.
A “typical” day on the farm for Sarah includes cleaning the animals’ barns to create a comfortable living environment for all!
“I sometimes prefer animals to people because they aren’t
judgmental about the little things in life, nor do they take the little things
for granted,” Sarah reflects. “That’s why I love them all. Farm Sanctuary has
really opened my eyes to how cruel the world can be. I now see farms
differently because of it.”
Sarah helps caregivers greet Lola and Henry as they begin their new lives at sanctuary!
We are so grateful for Sarah’s dedication, hard work, and kindness, which make a positive difference for farm animals each and every day she’s on the job. We can learn so much from one
another when we strive to live as kindly as possible, and Sarah is a wonderful
example of the good we can put into the world when we choose to put compassion first.
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