Heather O'Brien
Keeva and Finn posing for a picture after their hair has grown back.
Lucky Farms Animal Rescue, located in Gatlin, TN, are involved in the recovery and rehabilitation of some special St. Bernard dogs. Owner and founder, Heather O’Brien, and her husband discuss the most recent animal neglect case in Hendersonville, NC, and their role in helping these neglected and abused animals. The goal of Lucky Farms is to help rebuild the lives of the animals and prevent similar cases from happening. On March 20th, the Hendersonville, NC Sherrif’s department released a statement about a woman charged with 15 counts of felony animal cruelty, seven misdemeanors, and one charge for resisting an officer.
It is also known that there were seven dogs found deceased in the trash cans outside of the home, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office social media release statement. It is unknown how long the animals were held in the conditions with the accused owner. It took them about a month to a month and a half to gain complete custody of the dogs since it had to go through a court process. The first involves the owner posting a bond, which means the owner’s bond money is used to cover costs for the animal wherever it goes, which is most likely a shelter. When the owner doesn’t post bond, the animal(s) may be adopted out. “The [dogs] gained some weight in the shelter because they were eating properly for 39 days,” said O’Brien.
Initially, when eight of these rescued St. Bernards arrived at the farm in Tennessee, the dogs were severely underweight, their hair was matted, causing almost all of the fur to be shaved off. Some of the dogs were in more critical condition than others. Currently, their hair is starting to grow out, and all of the dogs are almost back to a normal weight. Lucky Farms Animal Rescue is working diligently on strengthening the mental health of the dogs and “more than anything, though, I feel like their mental health was the biggest problem,” said O’Brien. In total, there were 15 dogs, including three puppies. Eight are currently living with Lucky Farms, and the other seven went to surrounding rescues.
According to O’Brien, the dogs were never physically harmed, but in the long term, they are left with mental disabilities. “[The dogs] shut down and go into a corner and they won’t move, and I still have one I can’t touch,” said O’Brien. None of the dogs knew how to interact with humans. They were very skittish, and some of the younger dogs would try to bite O’Brien and didn’t want any interactions at all. In an attempt to help them warm up to humans, they have started to foster them out and start warming them up to human contact.
Currently, none of the St. Bernards at Lucky Farms are being rehomed, but the ones at surrounding shelters are just starting to be put up for adoption. This is not the biggest group of dogs that they have helped either, but it was close. The largest group the farm has helped was about 19-20 dogs, but it was also a completely different situation from this. The St. Bernard’s situation is horrific, and animals should never be put through any type of abuse which is why the previous owner is facing so many charges.
Generally speaking, St. Bernards are known for their thick coats of fur. These dogs are typically known for being friendly, gentle, and full of energy. St. Bernards also aren’t small; and according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), they are known for being medium to large dogs. They are known to be great family dogs; they get easily wound up and energetic. They are very good dogs to have around kids and love to be the center of attention.
O’Brien’s work with the rescued St. Bernards is heroic and since the eight dogs showed up they have received healthy treatment, their fur is growing back, they will soon be ready for a happy forever home. It’s heroes like this that inspire us to get involved in the welfare of animals in our community. There are many different ways locally that you can help get involved in the community to provide for animals like these. One of these is the Blue Ridge Humane Society which is more locally availavle compared to Lucky Farms, which is in Tennessee. You can help by donating online, doing events in the community to raise awareness, or even foster/adopt a pet. Their website, https://www.blueridgehumane.org/ showcases pets that they have in their facility or pets that are looking for a new home. To help Lucky Farms Animal Rescue, donate on their website at https://www.luckyfarmsrescue.org/.