Our Mission
Our mission is simple - to give farmed animals the lifelong care they deserve and to help the people who meet them see just how much there is to love.
Critterville Farm Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to saving and healing animals in need, and inspiring compassion toward them.
When an animal arrives at Critterville, they're here to stay. Our approach is animal-led: every resident is given the time and space to settle in and feel safe at their own pace, with individualized care and attention along the way. We've found that this patience is often what makes the biggest difference.
Our Story
How It Started
Critterville Founder, Claire, was born loving animals. When she was four years old, she went to a friend's birthday party where a mobile petting zoo had been set up. Never one for socializing with people, she made her way straight to the animals and spent the entire party in a pen with a baby goat. She fell in love. Nothing, she decided, could ever be cuter or better than that goat.
For years afterward, she begged her mom for goats of her own. Then, in 2017, her mom finally said yes.
Claire pulled up Craigslist on her iPad and knew immediately when she saw them: Nigerian Dwarf goats, with photos of the cutest babies she'd ever seen. She responded to the ad, and a few weeks later, her family drove to New Jersey to bring them home. She had researched everything she could and was ready. Three perfect babies came home with her that day: Callie, Clover, and Finn. Her life changed, and began to revolve around them.
About a month later, a donkey rescue that knew the family through mutual friends reached out.
A young donkey needed help - she'd been separated from her mother and sister after her owner passed away and his son decided to sell off his animals. At an auction, frail and terrified, was a year-and-a-half-old donkey named Luna.
Claire's family stepped in to save her.
Luna was scared of everything and everyone. Claire spent hours every day sitting with her in her stall, just letting her get used to her presence and her voice. She read her a book about donkeys so Luna could grow accustomed to the sound of her talking. One page described how mother donkeys hug their babies - hooking their head over the baby's back and resting it there, so the baby feels safe and loved.
Claire decided to try it. She approached Luna calmly and laid herself gently across her back. Luna didn't pull away. She didn't even move. She just relaxed.
In that moment, Claire knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: make animals feel safe and loved, the way Luna had in that quiet moment in the stall.
Not long after, six chicks came home from a "chick bin" at a local farm - and meeting them made something click for Claire immediately.
She realized she could never eat another animal again. How could she? They were her best friends now.
That first summer, in 2017, was just the beginning. Critterville kept growing, welcoming animals from all kinds of backgrounds and circumstances. Nine years later, what started with one girl and three goats has become a true sanctuary for all - a place that has saved, rehabilitated, and provided forever homes for hundreds of animals in need, while inspiring thought, change, and compassion for farm animals everywhere.
Critterville Today
Today, Critterville is home to more than 90 permanent residents with diverse backgrounds and care needs. We're lucky to have an incredible team of caregivers, volunteers, supporters, and donors who make it all possible and allow us to provide round-the-clock care for every single one of them.
Critterville is not open to the public, because first and foremost, this is the animals' home. However, we do host tours and visiting days throughout the year, so you can come meet everyone in person.