New farm north of Reno offers sanctuary to chickens, donkeys, goats

By Karen Wright

There are a lot of animal rescue organizations and animal sanctuaries out there, all doing great work, but CockadoodleMoo Farm Animal Sanctuary is a unique breed.

Mark and Dianne Robison incorporated the sanctuary in 2007 with the hope of providing enriching, active, lifetime care for abused and rescued farm animals.

Their farm, located just north of Reno on the way to Pyramid Lake, offers a home for chickens, donkeys and goats, with room planned feral cats, turkeys and pigs.

Here are a few of their latest success stories. “We rescued eight chickens from a cruelty case in Sun Valley and nursed them back to health so that their feathers returned. We also rescued an ornery, disabled goat from death row and rehabilitated him.”

A Loving Home for Rescues
“After learning of the immense suffering of farm animals,” Mark explains, “we decided to create a loving, life-long home for rescued ones. No animals should be hurt or killed for our pleasure, including food and clothing.”

The Robisons both work full-time in addition to caring for their menagerie of abused or abandoned farm animals and pets. They plan to improve the facilities and accommodations for the animals and pare down the arm-long list of projects on their “to do” list before taking in more boarders.

Volunteers Welcome
CockadoodleMoo loves volunteers, who can help with building facilities, cleaning, feeding animals, brushing animals, and health checks. Of course, donations are appreciated as well.

CockadoodleMoo Farm Animal Sanctuary is one of the many rescue organizations that will be on hand at the Reno-Sparks Super Adoption, Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center Exhibit Hall. The event is a highlight of the 1st Annual Nevada Week for Animals, April 3-14, 2008, a statewide celebration to build awareness and mobilize action on behalf of all animals in the Silver State and Lake Tahoe area.

What You Can Do
To arrange a tour, volunteer, adopt an animal, check out the farm’s wish list, meet some of the residents and find out more about the organization, visit the website.

Posted by Julie Snyder, Best Friends Network

Photo of sanctuary residents Tolstoy and his mother courtesy of CockledoodleMoo