After visiting Farm Sanctuary, many people are inspired to carry the good they experience here into their everyday lives, in honor of the animals who call our shelters home. And some, inspired by our rescued residents’ tales of triumph over adversity, see the level of love, care, and recognition they receive at Farm Sanctuary and want to extend it themselves to other animals in need. Such was the case with Shelter Manager Jill Tedeschi, who first visited our New York Shelter in 2009 with the hope of interning and potentially starting a sanctuary of her own someday.
“Visiting the property, meeting the animals, and witnessing Farm Sanctuary’s animal advocacy firsthand cemented my desire to pursue this line of work,” Jill recalls.
Jill and Smudge, one of her best friends on the farm.
Jill and Tracey welcome baby Hazelton into the world.
Jill cares for a chicken following a transport accident last May.
Maggie’s first moments: Jill helps this sweet baby latch on to mom Olive to nurse.
Rescue in progress: Jill carries chickens to safety during our recent rescue in Cattaraugus County.
Jill helps Mouse adjust to his prosthesis.
Jill and Susie treat little Josie-Mae goat for her foot issues.
Jill escorts a goat to safety during the Hudson Valley rescue.
Jill makes sure animals like Michael and Ari stay safe and healthy throughout all weather conditions!
Jill hangs out with Jake and Peanut goats.
In 2011, Jill took the first step in making this dream a reality by participating in Farm Sanctuary’s internship program, spending the next three months learning all she could from National Shelter Director Susie Coston. About halfway through the internship, Jill applied and was hired for a full-time position, and officially started as a staff member that December. In this role, Jill hoped to continue learning
under Susie until she had the knowledge and skills to branch out on her own.
Jill’s intern photo, from September 2011. She’s pictured with partner and fellow humanimal Ben Araya, who also interned during this time.
While these aspirations are noble, Jill soon discovered the amount of work it takes to
start and sustain a sanctuary long-term. At our annual Farm Animal Care Conference, for example, workshops range from animal care needs and caretaker techniques to visitor and volunteer program
management to fundraising. Jill realized that the animal-care component of sanctuary life was her true calling, and she decided to stay at Farm Sanctuary to focus on the work she found so deeply rewarding. Since 2013, she has worked with and mentored others in her role as a Shelter Manager.
Jill and caregiver Brooke Belanger teach Farm Animal Care Conference attendees about chicken care.
Jill and Brooke introduce conference attendees to Olaf, and explain how to monitor turkeys for health issues.
Jill not only possesses incredible love for and knowledge about every animal she works with, but she also serves as a shining example of care and compassion to the various people she works with as well – whether here at Farm Sanctuary (among visitors, volunteers, interns, and staff members) or offsite. Jill’s work has brought her to the sites of many rescues – including recent large-scale rescues in Cattaraugus County and the Hudson Valley – and these experiences often involve interaction with others who hold very different views about our relationships with farm animals. Still, Jill always meets these differences with respect, recognizing the importance of meeting people where they are on their own journeys, and understanding that when we treat people with compassion – even when we strongly disagree with them – we can change hearts and minds to improve conditions for farm animals everywhere.
Jill talks about her caregiving experiences during a special VIP tour with Susie last year.
Jill helps the newly rescued sheep from Cattaraugus County feel at home!
Caregivers Abbie Rogers, Amy Gaetz, and Jill celebrate the Cattaraugus County sheep’s first moments on pasture.
Such was the case with Jill’s own journey. She became a vegan in 2008 (after going vegetarian a few months earlier), but it took some time for her to align her actions with her compassionate values. “I always knew that eating animals did not align with my ethics and love of animals, but I pushed those images and feelings
aside for years,” Jill says. “Once I accepted vegetarianism into my life, I began researching animal agriculture practices as well as intersectional relationships with veganism, particularly with feminism through Carol Adams’ The Sexual Politics of Meat. For me, it was an easy decision: to live my life by causing the least harm, as well as align my values against sexism, speciesism, racism, and ecocide, I had to go vegan.”
Jill and Valentino, a dairy-industry survivor who has gone on to be an amazing ambassador for other animals like him.
Jill’s chosen line of work reinforces this decision every day, and she feels incredibly fulfilled helping our rescued residents receive the love, respect, and level of care that they – and all beings – deserve. While the nature of sanctuary work means that her job is never predictable – rescues or emergency healthcare situations may arise at any time, and she puts in long hours to ensure that everyone’s needs are being met – she generally works healthcare shifts, in which she provides medications and specialty feeds to hundreds of residents. Other days are spent creating and maintaining spreadsheets to track our spending on medications, supplies, and feed purchases for the entire New York Shelter. Jill also helps organize and maintain our individualized sheep and goat parasite-reduction program, which is no simple feat. On the East Coast, sheep and goat parasites, especially in our sickest rescued residents, are often resistant to typical treatments. A famacha scoring system for our 140 small ruminant residents is performed by Jill monthly, and all follow-up medications are set up based not only on their current status, but also past treatments. To say that Jill is organized would be an understatement. She is an integral part of sanctuary operations. And, of course, there are plenty of days when she takes on all of these roles and more – all out of a deep love and respect for these animals who, prior to their rescues, received precious little love or respect.
Farm Sanctuary life is always busy after a rescue! Here, Jill completes health checks/triage following the Franklinville rescue in Cattaraugus County. Polly hen, perched on Jill’s shoulder, was Jill’s faithful assistant!
Jill gives some medicine to June Bug goat to help manage her chronic pain.
And some days, Jill takes her work home with her! This past winter, when we had two days of -35° windchill, we had to move the animals around to ensure that everyone stayed warm and safe. Nate and Bob lambs wound up having a sleepover at Jill and Ben’s house, taking up residence in one of their bedrooms!
Julia’s arrival, and the birth of her 16 piglets, was one of Jill’s most memorable moments – not only for the amount of work that was involved in their care, but because of the sheer joy that Jill and her coworkers experienced from helping this family heal and grow together. “I would complete a ‘Julia’ shift
from 3:30-6:30 a.m., switching sleeping piglets off her teats with hungry, awake piglets and closely monitoring everyone’s health,” Jill remembers. “Then, at 6:30 a.m., my usual almost-never-only-eight-hours-AM Healthcare shift would start. I look back on these very exhausting, tense weeks as some of my favorite to date.” Staff members and volunteers cared for this fragile family 24/7 for more than two weeks, and their recovery is true testament to the transformative power of love, kindness, and care.
Jill spent a lot of time ensuring that Julia’s babies were well-fed and healthy!
Sadly, Julia’s past experiences as a gestation sow on a factory farm have led to post-rescue health challenges, but thanks to the efforts of compassionate friends like Jill, she has recovered and continues to spend much-deserved quality time with her kids to this day. “During the winter of 2014, Julia’s spleen ruptured; she was bleeding out internally in the middle of an ice storm,” Jill recalls. “We could not drive her safely to Cornell without running off the road. As the night progressed, her body temperature dropped to
approximately 90 degrees (normal is 101-102.5). Susie and I covered her in straw and warm blankets and nestled her in for the long night ahead. Since I live onsite, every few hours I would wake up, reheat the blankets as needed, and adjust her bedding. Julia pulled through, and as soon as the roads were plowed in the morning, she was rushed to Cornell, where emergency surgery saved her life.”
Jill visiting Julia following a surgery Julia had undergone to repair fused intestines.
While these long, hard hours on the job can be immensely rewarding, it’s also vital that our staff members practice proper self-care to avoid “compassion fatigue” – in which helping others to the point at which one’s personal needs are compromised can lead to burnout. This is something we take very seriously at
Farm Sanctuary. Our caregivers put so much heart into all they do – from administering lifelong care to responding to emergencies such as our recent evacuation in Acton due to wildfire – so it is important
that they step back and care for themselves so they can continue to give their time and talents to their beloved sanctuary friends.
Spending lighthearted moments with animal friends like Olive and Maggie goats helps our caregivers approach the more challenging aspects of their jobs with the strength they need to care for our rescued residents.
Jill leads the Cornwall goats to a new pasture this spring. A little sunshine and fresh air does everybody good!
Jill, for example, is an avid gardener and rock climber, and uses these hobbies to help combat the draining aspects of her job. “My partner and I cultivate a vegetable garden every season,” Jill says. “Researching different varieties of vegetables and starting seedlings during March helps propel me through the dreary last weeks of winter. I’ve had to create a mini grow-light operation in our basement since our cat Noodle will stop at nothing to eat the seedlings! I also enjoy rock climbing and being in water. Rock climbing is active meditation that greatly helps me recharge from the emotionally exhausting work on shelter.”
Jill and Ben’s seedling flats.
Rock climbing helps Jill recharge after tough days on the job, allowing her to face whatever challenges come her way!
And of course, it always helps to spend some quality time with her animal friends once the day’s work is through. One of Jill’s favorite places to unwind is the sheep barn, where friends Smudge and Dinah provide her with immeasurable love and inspire her each day. “It’s no secret that I have two best friends on the
sanctuary – Smudge and Dinah sheep,” Jill says. “These two sheep are my very best friends. They have shown me love and support during my toughest days, and I am beyond grateful to be their ‘sheeple.’ Both were rescued from Red Barn Farm in 2008: Smudge was a young adult at the time of rescue; Dinah was born
at Farm Sanctuary post-rescue to her mother Alex.
Smudge (top) and Dinah: Jill’s best friends on the farm.
“I connected with Smudge early on in my time at the shelter. Every so often, a few of the shyer sheep decide today’s their day to be friendly. Smudge is one of those sheep. I would be completing a Feeds shift, and Smudge would pop out of the woodwork and follow me around the barn. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I instantly bonded with her. Every time I would enter the barn, I would look for Smudge, and even if she was having a shyer day, I would make eye contact, smile, and say hello to her. Slowly, she started coming up to me more and our friendship grew.
Smudge approaches!
“A few years ago, I was away from Watkins Glen for a month and a half. When I returned, usually-shy Smudge bolted across the pasture to say hello. Sheep are usually more skittish on pasture, and this act of recognition and love nearly brought me to tears.
Beautiful Smudge on pasture.
Jill and Smudge, best friends forever.
“I fell in love with Dinah when I was a new caregiver learning the sheep’s names. Again, for some reason this very short sheep’s cuteness resonated with me, and I fell in love. I started looking for Dinah each time I entered the sheep barn as well. After a few weeks of making consistent eye contact and smiling at her,
she started approaching me. Now we’re at the point that if I don’t go into the barn and look for her, she’ll find me and lovingly butt the back of my legs! It amazes me that if I go into the sheep barn on a night shift during the winter – coveralls, jackets, hood, hat, and headlamp on – that Dinah still recognizes me
and comes running over.”
Sweet Dinah, coming over to say hello!
Jill spends some quality time with Dinah.
Jill is an incredible asset to the Farm Sanctuary team, creating a loving, welcome environment for each and every animal and humanimal. Whether she’s helping to introduce the world to animals like Frank steer – highlighting how farm animals just like him are someone, not something – or providing gentle, individualized care to a frightened newcomer, Jill is a hero for farm animals everywhere.
Jill tends to a “spent” hen who had recently been freed from an egg factory and flown across the country from California.
“My life has become increasingly more enriched since working at Farm Sanctuary,” Jill explains. “I am so proud to care for the animal ambassadors for the billions of farmed animals killed for food each year.” And we are just as proud to have Jill on our team, as we work to create a more compassionate world for all.
Jill and Stella cow share a tender moment as Senior Shelter Manager Tara Hess looks on.
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