October Dream Animal Sanctuary

09/06/2026

Hard to believe it’s only been 3 months since Frankie arrived in a box, 4 lbs and barely able to stand. Now he’s making a run for king of the goat yard!

09/05/2026

Sadly our wordsmith has to take a hiatus for a while. We really appreciate Layne’s contributions and look forward to her return. In the meantime I’ll do my best to post a little now and then even if it’s just a little video clip like this one.
These 2 are just like long lost brothers. Always harassing each other. I love watching them!

08/31/2026

MONDAY, AUGUST 31 – LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER

September brings cooler mornings, shorter days, and the first real hints of fall — but the day-to-day rhythm here won't change much. Feeding times stay the same. Water troughs still get scrubbed. Fences still get walked and checked, rain or shine.

What does shift from month to month is everything happening around the animals. August brought some volunteers who donated their time, some donations to cover hay and supplies, and visitors who left having fallen for one animal or another. A few former owners stopped by too, just to see how their dear companion friends are doing.

None of that is flashy work. It's just steady, and it adds up. That's really how a sanctuary runs — not through big moments, but through people who keep choosing to show up for it, month after month.

Thanks for being part of August. We'll see you in September.

08/30/2026

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 – AUGUST GRATITUDE

As August comes to a close, it's worth pausing to reflect on all that has quietly changed over the past few months. Growth rarely happens all at once, and this summer has been full of new beginnings, deepening friendships, and countless moments of quiet joy. We can't thank you enough for being part of the October Dream Sanctuary journey.

Many of our newest residents have settled into their forever home, while longtime residents have welcomed them into the herd, flock, and family. Watching these animals build trust, form friendships, and grow closer to one another—and to the people who care for them—has been one of the greatest gifts of the season.

Because of this amazing community, we are able to provide a safe, loving forever home for every animal who comes through our gates—from hens and sheep to alpacas, cows, and so many more. Every life matters, and we are grateful to share this journey with each one of them.

If you've been thinking about visiting, we'd love to meet you! Come spend some time with the animals, experience the peace of the sanctuary, and see firsthand what your support makes possible. We're always looking for caring volunteers to join our community. Reach out—we'd love to welcome you.

08/29/2026

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 – THE SOUND OF LATE SUMMER

By the last Saturday of August, the pasture has a particular soundtrack — the steady hum of insects, birds, and breezes rising and falling through the heat of the afternoon, punctuated by the occasional soft nicker from the barn, the rustle of goats moving through dry grass, a rooster somewhere insisting the day isn't over yet.

It's a sound that will change soon.

September brings cooler mornings, quieter evenings, a shift in the whole rhythm of the property. But for now, this is still summer's sound, and every animal here seems determined to enjoy exactly what's left of it — horses dozing beneath full, leafy shade trees that will start thinning out before long, pigs stretched flat in patches of sun-warmed dirt, ducks making the most of water that will grow steadily colder in the weeks ahead.

There's a bittersweetness to watching a season near its end, even a wonderful one. But there's comfort in it too. Whatever September brings, whatever adjustments the animals will need to make as the weather turns, they'll make them here, together, cared for exactly the same way they have been all summer long.

For now, though, it's still late August, still warm, still humming with cicadas and full of animals who have absolutely nowhere else they'd rather be. We're doing our best to enjoy it right alongside them.

08/28/2026

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 — THE KIDDIE POOL THAT WON THEM OVER

A pair of lively ducks arrived together earlier this month (Frederick and Martha), and they've stuck close ever since. We set up a small kiddie pool near their enclosure, something low-key they could ease into. It worked quickly. Within days they were paddling around happily, dunking their heads and splashing without a second thought.

Now they are walking around like they've always lived there. Sometimes all it takes is a small pool to get somewhere bigger!

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08/27/2026

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 – THE FLY MASK THAT FINALLY GAVE OUT

A friend was caring for horses and had a fly mask that lasted three summers, which is honestly a pretty good run for a piece of equipment that gets worn daily through the buggiest months of the year. By late August, though, the mesh had worn thin enough that it wasn't doing its job anymore, and a new one had to go on order — a small, unremarkable expense that nonetheless matters enormously to the horse who wears it every single day.

At October Dream, we get it. We have many horses, a mini horse, alpaca, sheep, cows, goats... Flies aren't just an annoyance for horses -- they drive most creatures crazy (including humans!).

More importantly, persistent biting around the eyes and ears can lead to real irritation and stress for any animal, no matter how easygoing. It's easy to overlook something like a fly mask when you're picturing what a donation to a sanctuary actually funds.

Most people imagine hay, or vet bills, or fencing — all real, all important. Few people picture the smaller inventory of equipment that wears out steadily through the season: masks, halters, lead ropes, water hoses, the dozens of small tools that quietly break down from ordinary daily use and need replacing before they fail at the worst possible moment. None of it is exciting. All of it matters.

A worn-through fly mask left unreplaced means a horse spending his afternoons swatting and shaking his head in discomfort instead of grazing peacefully in the shade where he belongs. We are happy to provide this to our special friends here. They probably won't ever know to be grateful. But we are, on their behalf.

08/26/2026

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 – GETTING READY BEFORE WE HAVE TO

There's a particular kind of planning that happens in late August, even while summer is still technically in full swing. Hay needs to be secured now, before autumn demand drives prices up and availability down. Fencing that's held up fine through a mild summer needs inspecting before the first real fall storms test it properly. Bedding supplies need restocking before cold weather makes every outdoor task harder than it needs to be. It's easy to put off preparations like this when the current weather doesn't demand them yet. We've learned, the hard way, not to.

Scrambling for hay in October costs more, in every sense, than securing it calmly in August. A fence repaired now, on a dry, pleasant afternoon, is infinitely easier than the same repair attempted during a November downpour with animals waiting on the other side. This kind of forward planning rarely gets much attention, because by design, it's meant to prevent problems rather than solve dramatic ones. But it's exactly the kind of unglamorous groundwork that keeps a sanctuary running smoothly through every season, not just the easy ones.

If you'd like to help us get ahead of autumn instead of scrambling to catch up with it, this is a wonderful week to lend your support. Every contribution now becomes one less crisis to manage later — for us, and for the animals depending on us to think ahead on their behalf.

Donate to October Dream Sanctuary -

No Sarah McLachlan tugging at your heart strings to a back-drop of photos showing animals in desperate need of a warm home and a meal. As effective as that campaign must be we’re going to stick to just a straight forward, humble request for your support. 

08/25/2026

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 – FEEDING TIME, EVERY SINGLE DAY, THE SAME WAY

At exactly the same time each morning, the same feed cart rolls down the same path, and the same animals respond the same way they have for months, sometimes years. There's nothing accidental about that consistency. Every caregiver here understands that a schedule which feels boring to a human can feel, to an animal still getting used to a new home, like the single most reassuring part of the day.

The goats know the cart's particular squeak from a hundred yards away. The horses position themselves at the gate before it's even in sight. The hens abandon whatever they were doing the instant they hear it. It would be easy to change things up occasionally — vary the timing, mix up the route, keep things interesting.

We don't. Interesting isn't actually what most of these animals need. Predictable is.

An animal adjusting to a new place, after years of a different routine somewhere else, doesn't need novelty. She needs proof, delivered the same reliable way every single day, that her needs will always, always be met here too. Over time, that repetition does something remarkable. It stops being just a feeding schedule and starts being evidence — quiet, daily, undeniable evidence — that this place is now simply home.

The cart comes. The food arrives. Nothing goes wrong. Tomorrow, it happens again. Eventually, an animal stops watching so carefully for it. That's not carelessness. That's what settling in looks like once it's fully complete.

08/24/2026

MONDAY, AUGUST 24 – THE SENIOR WHO EARNED HIS SLOW MORNINGS

There's a 29-year old quarter horse on the property who has, by unanimous and unspoken agreement, earned the right to move at exactly the pace he chooses.

His mornings sometimes start later than the others. He takes his time getting up from the straw, working stiff joints loose before he's ready to greet the day, and nobody rushes him through it. Breakfast comes to him soft and easy to chew, tailored to teeth that have done their fair share of work over the years. He picks his grazing spots with obvious deliberateness now, choosing patches close to the barn rather than the far end of the pasture he might have wandered without a thought a decade ago.

Toby came to us because his owner had a change of circumstances. She searched everywhere to find the right landing place for Toby, wanting the very best care for his senior chapter. This was a hard decision for her, and one she made because she loved him enough to want better for his last years than she could give him alone. She is so happy that he has found joy and comfort at October Dream Sanctuary. She still calls and visits regularly to check on him.