All cows are candidates for The Gentle Barn's popular cow hug therapy program. It's just a matter of whether or not they want to do it.
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In the over 20 years she's been running the 6-acre animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, Calif., founder Ellie Laks discovered that what makes a great cow therapist is what makes a great human therapist. They've gone through trauma, they've learned to heal, and they're ready to pay it forward. Considering the abuse and neglect the animals in her care have faced at the hands of humans, Laks feels it's only right to allow the cows to decide when they're ready to trust us again.
Some are eager for an embrace. Others take years to warm up.
Athena — a petite, black cow with big, beautiful eyes — was rescued from a backyard butcher shut down by animal control. Her mistreatment left her "sick, riddled with parasites, covered in scars, and absolutely terrified of humans." After a long process of healing her body, The Gentle Barn team brought Athena to their primary location at their California farm so she could witness other animals being hugged, brushed, fed and loved on by humans.
"She watched, but she stayed away," Laks said. "Then, one day, she just walked up to a group of people, started licking their hands, and invited them to pet her. She chose it ... and she's been a cow hug therapist ever since."
Credit: The Gentle Barn
That literal and figurative space to heal is what makes The Gentle Barn so effective in its mission to rehabilitate animals and remind the world of the therapeutic power they possess. That's because the hug isn't just to benefit the cows. The humans on the receiving end of this barnyard affection often need it just as much, if not more.
Laks — along with her husband and business partner, Jay Weiner — works with therapists, probation camps, rehabilitation centers, domestic violence shelters, foster agencies and other organizations to bring children and adults to The Gentle Barn for therapy sessions. Though anyone can benefit from being hugged by a cow, Laks said she's seen some of the most transformational releases come from the kind of hurt that's difficult to talk about, such as grief and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"You can dissect it all you want, but those feelings are still in your body," she said. "Cow hug therapy eliminates the need for talking and allows you to feel the healing. I've seen people who wanted to commit suicide have their hope restored in a cow hug."
But you don't have to visit the nonprofit in any official capacity to snuggle up to one of these gentle giants. All three of The Gentle Barn's locations — Santa Clarita, Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis, Mo. — offer multiple hourlong cow hug therapy sessions throughout the week. And while Laks admits that there's something special about cuddling cattle, cows aren't the only animals willing to dish out a little therapeutic PDA.
The Gentle Barn's barnyard therapy gives anyone a chance to cradle a chicken, kiss a llama, flirt with an emu, caress a pig and cuddle a turkey. That last one is a lot easier than you think.
"Put one leg on either side of them and scootch up real close," Laks said. "You can put your hands under their wings and pet them. You can talk or sing or whisper in their ears, and they'll close their eyes and fall asleep. It's beautiful. They are notorious for bringing people to tears."
Why? Because it's unexpected.
Credit: The Gentle Barn
Animals being vehicles for healing is a not new concept. We adopt dogs, cats and other furry critters because we know their mere presence — and often unconditional affection — will make us feel better. But we tend to think that level of connection is limited to domesticated pets. While Laks has witnessed animal healing since she was a girl, one very social miniature cow named Buddha opened her eyes to a whole new world of therapy.
Buddha came to Laks when The Gentle Barn was just a half-acre backyard full of animals rescued from a local petting zoo. Despite her narrow escape from slaughter, it was clear upon her public debut that this cow loved people.
"I knew in that very first Sunday that she was no ordinary cow," Laks said. Instead of shying away from hordes of strangers as many abused animals might, Buddha inserted herself right in the middle and laid down. It wasn't until Laks made her nightly rounds to tuck everyone in that she learned for herself how powerful a cow hug can be.
"There was something about the way that she looked at me that stopped me. It was as if she was inviting me to sit with her. So I sat down at her shoulder, leaned my body into her, and she did the most miraculous thing that changed the course of the rest of The Gentle Barn's history — she wrapped her neck around and held me."
The Gentle Barn is open for tours every Sunday and offers multiple therapy sessions — including cow hugs — throughout the week. To learn more or to sponsor an animal, visit www.gentlebarn.org.
