'I am the farm upstate where parents send their pets': Man confesses that he has adopted over 200 exotic and unwanted animals that people abandoned on his farm, with or without his permission

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Oct 9, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

No matter how many times we hear about people abandoning their pet cats and dogs… we can never understand it. To us, it seems like one of the most horrible things that you can do to them.

Abandoning a pet, tossing them out like they are nothing, like they are not a true part of your family, tells us that you never should have had them in the first place, and that if they are lucky, they will find someone better out there for them. 

Each and every story of an animal being abandoned by its owner hits us right in the gut. Because there are so many better options - rehoming, shelters… anything. Except for maybe this. Maybe throwing your unwanted pets into a random person's farm is not the greatest thing to do, especially if you don't warn the residents, because most of them are probably not as kind to animals as this man and his wife - who should be thanked in every way possible by every person whose pet the saved. 

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  • 01
    picture of a farm landscape
    via Unsplash / Sparks Johnson - mackville

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    There is a cliche that when a parent wants to get rid of a troublesome pet, they send it to a farm upstate.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 03
    I am that farm in my state. I am in the northern part of the state I live in, and inherited a small farm from my parents. I live on the outskirts of a large US city.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 04
    People drop off unwanted animals here all the time. Sometimes they just leave them here when I'm not around. Sometimes they ask me if I'm willing to have the animal. I rarely turn anyone away. I have sat on my front porch and watched as cars or trucks pull up to my fence, the person inside tosses an animal into my field, and drives away.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 05
    picture of a calico cat sitting on a fence
    via Unsplash / david Griffiths - itscakefortea

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 06
    So far, I have taken in over two hundred exotic and unwanted animals, including: chickens, emus, rheas, llamas, alpacas, a capybara, a mara, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, peacocks, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, a baby deer, and a raccoon. (2 dogs and 2 cats have been allowed to stay, the rest get sent to a shelter because most dogs and cats don't play well with livestock)
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 07
    I do not advertise. This simply seems to happen. I think it's because I live near a freeway and am visible from it.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 08
    However, the expense and time required to care for these animals is a hardship at times. I am often not able to provide care for some exotic animals when they are ill and have lost many animals. But I almost never turn anything away, even if it's clearly d ng. Despite this, I will probably continue to do it.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 09
    picture of a bunch of chickens on a farm
    via Unsplash / Brooke Cagle

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • First of all, we would like to start by saying thank you. This is a strange and tough situation to be in, and we completely understand that. At the same time, it gives us so much hope and peace, knowing that people like you, who are willing to help animals even when they are tossed your way without permission, exist in the world. 

  • 10
    To answer a few more questions: My wife and I are very private people and dislike most social media. We don't want to start a shelter. We don't have the time or energy for it.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 11
    We just care for what is offered. This is not a business. We don't want people thinking this is a place to get a get out of jail free card when they want to dump their pets. This is also a working farm, not a greeting card. It is not photogenic unless you like piles of mulch and rusted steel.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 12
    Not every animal is currently on the farm right now. We currently have 14 large animals and about 50 small livestock, mostly birds, plus the cats and dogs. It's not a petting zoo. The llamas and capybara d d years ago, many chickens and other birds get eaten by coyotes, so we no longer have turkeys and peacocks.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 13
    The deer and raccoon eventually decided to hop the fence and explore the real world, as I wanted them to. The raccoon still comes back to eat from the cat and dog bowls from time to time. The emus are actually very useful for clearing out brush, and the alpacas help guard from coyotes, so they serve a purpose with the birds, sheep, and goats.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 14
    picture of a dog looking through a fence
    via Unsplash / Ajeet Panesar

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 15
    The only animals I don't accept are reptiles and pigs. I don't have the facilities to care for reptiles, and pigs get too big and rip up my fencing. Did it once. Never again. I used to take tortoises but several d d over a winter and I stopped doing that.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 16
    On average we see 2 new birds appear each month, especially a few months after easter. We see a cat or dog at least once a month, and a few times a year we get something more exotic. Many locals know about us and ask first. But it's very common for people to just drop them off without asking.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 17
    There was one case where a man in an SUV opened a door and let a beautiful retriever mix out as I was watching from the window, then drove off. the dog tried to chase the SUV for almost a mile. I had to go out and bring him back. He was as heartbroken as I was, Fortunately he was a very friendly dog, he ended up with a lady from my church.
    via Acceptable_Age_7614
  • 18
    picture of a black and white cat outside near a fence
    via Unsplash / Josef Gradinger - peppi44

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 19
    Wise_Focus_309 Wow. I have never read a post from a euphemism before. It has become real. It's like travelling to the north pole for a scientific expedition and finding Santa Claus and the elves all working away, building toys for Christmas!
    via Wise_Focus_309
  • 20
    Lakefish I've gotten a few random, no contact, cat dropoffs. We can usually find new homes pretty fast for them; some people just decide, "too loud/clingy/stinky/much shedding, oh look a barn, go catch mice" and.. suddenly I have a traumatized Victorian child added to a tribe of far-too- friendly "wild" barn cats, if I can't find them a home.
    via Lakefish_

  • We respect you not wanting to have more social media, but we have to agree with some of the people in the comments. If it ever gets to be too much, and you still want to continue doing good, just know that there is a huge community of people on the internet who would absolutely love to help someone like you. 

  • 21
    a5121221a I think what you do is amazing, but this makes me so sad. I thought the euphemism was when people humanely euthanized their pets or the pet unexpectedly d d, not that people literally abandoned their animals. How horrific!
    via a5121221a
  • 22
    EtaLyrae Become a non-profit. Create short form content and post it for income generation. Start a GoFundMe for the care of the animals.....
    via EtaLyrae

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shelter wholesome dogs exotic adopted farm farm animals Cats animals
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