About Lilly’s Safe Haven

Lilly’s Safe Haven did not begin as a plan. It began with a moment that quietly changed everything.

Lilly, the true founder of the sanctuary, came into Shayna and Kristen’s lives on what seemed like an ordinary day. Shayna was working an estate sale when a friend casually asked if she wanted to adopt a lamb. The lamb had been born prematurely and needed a home. Without hesitation, Shayna reached out to Kristen. The answer came back immediately. Yes.

Neither of them had experience raising a lamb. They did not know what they were doing, but something in both of them felt certain that she belonged with them. They began researching everything they could. Bottle feeding, shelter, nutrition, space. They were learning as they went, guided more by instinct than anything else.

When they first met her, she was impossibly small. She could fit into a sock. She was originally named Dory, but as they got to know her, it became clear that her name was Lilly. It fit her in a way nothing else could, and it became a quiet tribute to someone Kristen had never met but had always heard about with love.

That first night, Shayna woke up at three in the morning to find Lilly hopping in circles around Kristen. It was one of the purest moments they had ever experienced. There was something about her that felt different, but over time they realized it was not that she was different at all. It was that she was the same.

Lilly grew up believing she was a dog. Her closest companions were Jasper and Tater Tot, and she followed them everywhere. She showed no interest in grass or hay and wanted nothing more than her bottle and the comfort of being close. They even got down on their hands and knees trying to teach her how to be a sheep. Her weaning process took longer than expected, but eventually she found her way.

Lilly expressed affection. She showed preferences. She had moods, emotions, and a clear desire for connection. She loved love. And in loving her, Shayna and Kristen began to see something they had overlooked before. Not just in her, but in all animals like her.

That realization changed everything.

For the next two years, they quietly began taking in animals who needed help. There was no formal plan to start a sanctuary. It was simply a response to what they had come to understand. When you see something clearly, you cannot turn away from it.

In 2020, everything accelerated.

Wildfires spread across Oregon, forcing sanctuaries and farmers to evacuate. Animals were being transported urgently in an effort to save their lives. Watching the situation unfold, Shayna and Kristen made a decision. They offered their home.

Their one acre property quickly filled beyond what seemed possible. Goats, calves, alpacas, a pig, and nearly one hundred birds were brought to safety. It was more than their land could support, so they reached out to their community. What followed was something neither of them would ever forget. People opened their homes and their land. Neighbors and strangers came together with a shared purpose. Every animal made it to safety.

That experience solidified what had already begun. This was no longer something temporary. This was their path.

Shortly after, they began responding to local calls about abandoned animals. Chickens thrown into ravines. Birds left behind without food or water. Since that time, they have seen more than one hundred dumped animals in their own community alone.

One rescue in particular never left them.

They were called late at night about chickens that had been left behind by previous tenants. When they arrived, it had already been over a month. They entered the enclosure with flashlights and found the ground covered in remains. Feathers and bones pressed into the mud. Only two hens were still alive. They had survived by consuming what was left of the others. Just outside the enclosure sat a bag of feed, untouched and spoiled.

If someone had simply fed them, the outcome could have been different.

They took the two surviving hens home and named them Lyra and Luna. For days, their bodies processed what they had endured. Slowly, with care and nourishment, they recovered. Eventually, they found a safe and loving home.

Stories like this are not rare. They are part of the reality that exists just beneath the surface.

And yet, there is another side to this work. One filled with resilience, connection, and unexpected joy.

Russell Sprout is one of those stories. He was abandoned near a river where eagles often search for food. He was young, hungry, and incredibly trusting. It took only minutes to bring him to safety because he was so eager to be near people. From the beginning, it was clear that Russell loved human affection. He follows closely, prefers to be wherever people are, and formed a deep bond with his caregivers. Over time, he learned to feel comfortable outside with other chickens, but he never lost his love for connection. Today, he helps people overcome their fear of roosters by showing them a different side. Through him, people begin to see beyond the assumptions they have been taught.

Amara Grace was another life that left a lasting impact. She was born with significant challenges, including a rare heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. Veterinarians believed she would not live beyond three months. She lived for eighteen. Every day she was alive was a testament to care, patience, and the belief that even the smallest life holds immeasurable value. Her story continues to reflect the truth that a little love can go a long way.

Jude’s story began with fear. He was found running loose, and there were threats that he would be killed if not removed. When Shayna and Kristen arrived, they found not a full grown sheep, but a terrified lamb. It took hours and the help of neighbors to bring him to safety. In the days that followed, they watched him slowly begin to trust. That transformation from fear to safety is something they witness again and again, and it never loses its meaning.

The Book Boys came from a different kind of situation. What was thought to be a small rescue turned into ten abandoned roosters living near a public library. It took days to bring them all in, especially with snow approaching. Today, they live together as a bonded group, curious and social, always eager to interact. Their connection to each other is strong and visible, a reminder that these animals form relationships just as we do.

These stories, along with Lilly’s, form the foundation of Lilly’s Safe Haven.

This is not a place of temporary care. It is a lifelong commitment. A place where animals are given the chance to live without fear, without being used, and without being forgotten.

The work is not easy. There are constant challenges, both emotional and physical. There are moments that are difficult to process. But there are also moments that make everything worth it. The first signs of trust. The quiet presence of an animal who no longer feels threatened. The simple act of existing in peace.

That is what keeps them going.

At its core, Lilly’s Safe Haven exists to offer something very simple. Safety. Dignity. Compassion.

It exists to remind people that these animals are not so different from us. They feel. They understand. Their lives hold value.

The hope is that anyone who encounters this story walks away seeing them differently. That they begin to question what they have been taught. That they choose compassion where they can.

There are many ways to help. Through support, through volunteering, through offering a home to an animal in need. But above all, through awareness.

Because once you truly see them, you cannot unsee them.

And that is where change begins.