Star Gazing Farm is a farm animal sanctuary in Maryland. We run a work program for youth, in which they learn hands-on humane care of farm animals.
Star Gazing Farm is a small farm animal sanctuary located in the Agricultural Reserve of Montgomery County, Maryland. We take in animals in need of rehabilitation and permanent homes and work closely with animal control on abuse and neglect issues. We also have an active network through which we help to place animals at hobby farms and animal sanctuaries where they will be well cared for. We are a
501(c)3 and donations are tax deductible. Please visit our web site www.stargazingfarm.org to learn more and to donate. Thank you for caring!
Operating as usual
George and Billly are best buddies. George came to us from the Arlington welfare league after he had been returned twice for “too much work”! Billy came to us because his owner developed an allergy and we thought George would love to have a friend. And he does! These guys get to run around the bunny room and they zoom from corner to corner. No matter how your day might be going, if you see these guys run you will laugh and smile. 💕
Please tell me, is the grass greener on the other side of the fence?
Sweetest sheep ever. Ok, no, actually most sheep are really sweet. But Sarah May is extra special and she got some extra special therapy today.
Anyone who has visited the farm has experienced George. George the goose. George the goose is not nice and is often called many different names by those whom he has bitten. Yet here is Milo, absolutely comfortable having a long conversation with George. And it occurred to me that George really only has two friends: Louise the goose (nearly as offensive as George)… and Milo. That’s amazing.
We have many very, very old animals here on the farm. With age comes arthritis, aches and pains, creaks, and even falling and being unable to get up. Thankfully we have hooked up with Starry Night's Equine Bodywork who have given much relief to our sweet Salvo, Sarah, and Rhoda. You should see how Salvo's little lips twitch and his ears go back and forth as he enjoys his massage and other types of bodywork. Sarah had her first treatment today and put her head right into Dani's lap!
Sweetie face Saul. He’s old as the hills and as gentle as can be.
Maria and Sport are apparently now an item.
Very special animals.
Let’s be better as a species. It starts with you.
Lounging around on a cool Tuesday. The stone absorbs the sun and the goats are taking advantage of that.
Such astounding flexibility. Forget “goat yoga.” We all need some “cat yoga.”
Now, what do you suppose is going on between Marty and Louie?
My truck. Mine. In fact, I am king of all trucks. - Falkor
Success on part II of mat insulation of our animals’ living spaces. Today the crew, led by Handyman Dave, put in rubber mats in the infirmary area- super important for our older guys. Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who made this happen and the donor who provided the mats! These mats weigh 90 pounds each and have to be cut to size so it’s no small feat.
If you would like to sponsor the next Matt project please let us know! The mats cost approximately $54 each and they are 4‘ x 6‘. Right now we probably need another 18 for parts III and IV. 
Marvin and Falkor have formed a bond in the deep recesses of the run in shed. Goodness knows what mischief they are concocting together. 😳
I’m cute and I know it.
Milo, relaxing with Bart and Tony. He’s always with them. Such a beautiful, loyal dog.
Love comes in so many packages. 💕💕💕
Make sure you hug someone you love today. And every day.
It's Valentine's Day! OK, honestly, it's Valentine's week (or maybe year) for our animals. But they said, hey Farmer Anne, if you get to have flowers and chocolates (I replied that I was not receiving any such thing but they didn't believe me), then can we have little sweet things too!? How could I deny them. Here are just a few of our animals who have made special requests for this special day: https://www.stargazingfarm.org/be-my-valentine/
Would you like to be a special Valentine? The guys here have decided to ask for something they LOOOOVE. They said they will write you a special “billet doux” (love note) if you send them their version of a box of chocolates! Please make sure to let us know if you are sending a sweet gift so they can send you their love note!
Petey looooves his salt blocks. I mean, he really loves them. He said he could have more than one (that’s what HE says). But he does lick them up pretty fast. And anyone who has met Petey knows he loves to lick – your arms, your face, your hair… he’s a loving kind of a guy! Order Petey a Himalayan Salt Block! https://tinyurl.com/salt-block-petey
Stephanie loves to chew and chew and chew. And eat and eat and eat. Well, she is still a bit of a puppy, even if she does weigh 120 pounds. We do a bit of training with Stephanie every day and she LOOOOOVES that. She likes it when her mind is engaged (she is a super intelligent canine) and she especially likes the treats that go with the training. Her favorite is Milo’s Meatballs. Order Stephanie Milo’s Meatballs! https://tinyurl.com/meatballs-for-stephanie
Ernie and Ruth are a loving couple. They met last year at a Friends of Rabbits speed dating event. Ruth took her time in deciding whom she would grace with her attention, but Ernie proved to be an even match for this spicy girl. They love to snuggle, and they LOOOOVE these garden sticks as treats – they are healthy and crunchy, and goodness knows. rabbits love to chew. Order Ruth and Ernie some Garden Sticks! https://tinyurl.com/garden-sticks-for-ruth-ernie
Well, now you’d think Milo would like Milo’s meatballs. He says that is too obvious a connection and he’s a much more subtle dog than that. While Milo is out and about on the farm taking care of “his” animals, he does enjoy sitting down with a good chew. He likes bones, especially as they are good for his teeth. We asked him, how can you chew on a bone if you love your animals? Don’t you know the bones came from an animal? He had no good answer. He said a dog’s life is full of cognitive dissonance. Order Milo a bone to chew on! https://tinyurl.com/bone-for-milo-moo
Waldo LOOOVES to eat. I mean, he really loves eating. He would eat junk food all day if we let him – he said, please send leftover Chinese food, popcorn, and donuts. Please ignore his request! We give him potbellied pig feed (yawn, BOOOORING) mixed with vegetables (now we’re getting somewhere, but not far). OK, the truth is, that pigs are just like humans and they have advanced taste buds (YES!). They love sugar. Donuts are better, but fruit is also extremely yummy. Order Waldo Applesauce! https://tinyurl.com/apple-sauce-for-waldo
Tony (AKA “Angel Face”) is just a loving goat. He loves to snuggle with his best bud Vinnie the Squeak. He is also a health-conscious goat, which is why he has such a fantastic physique. Like all the goats, he loves anything that is edible (and many things are, don’t you know!). But he also has a hankering for something that helps his gut and that is ….. drum roll….. baking soda! Yes, it’s true. Goats love to lick baking soda becuase it makes their tummies feel good. Order Tony Baking Soda! https://tinyurl.com/baking-soda-for-tony
It’s breakfast time, it’s breakfast time! Come now, everyone come now!
Most loving dog with most loving neighbor. They have a beautiful bond.
Marguerite is "just plain sick and tired" of watching that "conceited, self-centered" llama get all the attention. Marguerite does not always have a good attitude.
"I can't believe Evelyn has taken over the good bed." -- Maria
This is an impossible puzzle. Petey and Carmen ended up in the infirmary area this morning. No gates were open and no fences were busted. All hay was eaten and all water drunk. Well there’s no mystery there. But how did they get in? The old sheep would like to know the same thing!
Gladys and Oliver are eating us out of house and home. It’s a good thing we like them. (They steal the cat food every morning).
No matter what you do at this farm there is always an audience and sometimes even offers to help. The offers increase exponentially when there is a feed sack involved.
It’s a well-worn tradition at this farm that a goat is posted as lookout at the door from which buckets of feed emanate. Looks like Vinnie AKA Vinnie The Squeak has been nominated. Lower in the Family’s echelons, he doesn’t inspire quite the shaking-in-the-boots response the goat gang is after, but he’ll do.
Star Gazing Farm is a farm animal sanctuary in Maryland that provides safe haven to abused, stray, and neglected farm animals. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. http://www.stargazingfarm.org/donate/
A creature of the night.
When you haven’t properly distracted Petey before you put up his new bale of hay …. Everyone is fine but we had a few “moments” under siege.
Sweet Pepper, enjoying her breakfast in her special pink feeder that she received from Santie Claus.
Virgil, our lookout duck. Virgie was dumped at someone’s farm, and they took him in but he proceeded to terrorize the geese. So he came here for remedial duck education. He’s made great progress and only occasionally chases the geese. Which, if it’s George he is chasing, is probably well earned.
Do you suppose the problem is that the sign is facing outwards so they can’t read it?
Jean-Claude posed for no fewer than 6 people, furiously snapping photos of his handsome self. Little did I know, all those years ago when we adopted him as a little dude, that we were creating a camelid GQ model.
Evelyn loves hanging out with the sheep. Here she is with the, ahem, slightly portly Sheila Louise.
Initially this seemed like rather bad news, but, truth be told, the percentage Amazon sends to charities is so teeny tiny that it won’t register as a much of a loss for us. Not to wade into waters too deep, but supporting local merchants is a really nice way to build community-and that reflects back to local charities (like us).
Another thing to think about: quite a few folks donate monthly - starting at $5/month (automatic payments from PayPal) and those donations REALLY make a difference to us. 💕
https://www.stargazingfarm.org/how-to-help/donate/ (scroll down to monthly options)
The service has raised over $377 million since it launched in 2013
Petey likes to get involved when we are putting up the round bales. I know Dave might’ve been a little nervous at first but Petey walked right up to him to tell him that he wasn’t going to tip over the tractor …. today. 
This is amazing if you really think about it. Marvin came from Harford county animal control in Maryland. He was part of a “bachelor flock”. They were more like a street gang as we found out. He is the only one left of the whole group and was very bonded to Leo the goat, who recently passed away.
Milo came from a New Jersey animal control agency and was taken in by the Animal Welfare Association. He was part of a hoarding case where they seized 12 Anatolian Shepherds.
So here are two dudes of different species, from different states, different circumstances and yet now they are buddies. I just think that’s very cool. 
A beautiful soul by the name of Leo took the train out last week, and has rejoined his beloved Ernie. Leo and Ernie, both Boer goats, came here about four and a half years ago after the household dogs got ahold of them. The goats had to be put back together at the hospital and were quite afraid of dogs for a while after that. The family, although they loved the goats, knew it was not safe and so asked us to take them in. At that time, Mr. Newman Goat was quite elderly and we thought he might appreciate some young company. Apparently, the jury is still out on that one.
Leo and Ernie had their “sides”. Ernie, while absolutely adoring to people (he’d lean his head against yours and rub and rub and rub), was quite the jerk with the sheep. And Leo, larger and more robust, made sure no one messed with Ernie and sometimes preemptively bashed an unsuspecting volunteer or visitor.
But time is an odd duck. It cures some things, and then when it seems like peace has been achieved, takes them away from us. Leo mellowed with age and became very sweet, particularly after Ernie died of complications from liver failure, just over a year ago. Actually, Leo was never the same. He and Ernie slept together, ate together, and followed each other around. After that he was inexplicably alone, the other goats really offering no comfort to his confused heart. He began to lose weight, was more prone to parasites, and sometimes didn’t even want to share meals with his compatriots. He became more human-oriented and while he tried to bond with Falkor (now that is quite a daunting task), in the end, his best friend was Marvin the white rooster. They slept together under the heat lamp every night.
Leo spent a bit over a week at the hospital, during which time they diagnosed him with “vagal indigestion”, apparently a common disturbance with cows but not so much with small ruminants. This meant that his body could not move his food from his esophagus to his rumen and he could not bring the food from his rumen back to his mouth for chewing his cud (a very very simplistic explanation from someone who just barely passed “Biology for poets” in college). We brought him home so he could spend one more night at his place, with his friends, and so he could cuddle one last time with Marvin (who was visibly distressed at Leo's passing). He was peacefully euthanized early in the morning with a half dozen volunteers there to kiss and hug him.
Every single soul matters. Every living being has a heart, a mind, a personality. If you see a large group of animals in a field, do not think they are all the same, or that they don’t matter because, by chance, they don’t have names. Leo, a Boer goat (bred largely for meat), got a winning lottery ticket. He was able to life a full life, attend parties, steal treats from others, and hang out with a multi-species gang. He was just shy of his 10th birthday when he died last week. Old by some standards, young by ours, as our animals tend to live well into their teens. He was loved every day of his life, and still is loved. Safe travels, my dear, dear friend.
Aaaand… another odd couple. Must be something in this bone-chilling January air.
16760 Whites Store Road
Boyds, MD
20841
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Summer heat is not a favorite here.
Marguerite knows that you never vote and tell.
Marguerite’s commentary on current affairs.
Marty gets a massage.
Marty knocks a knee.
Somebody loves the snow!!
When you’ve got to get the bed just so.
