On September 5, 2025, The Gentle Barn announced on social media that they are seeking a staggeringly large figure of $2 million in order to keep their Tennessee sanctuary open. They have given a deadline of just three weeks, saying, “unless we raise $2 million, we will have no choice but to close our Tennessee location and relocate the animals.”

When commenters, including other sanctuary founders, ask respectful questions requesting transparency as to why such a large sum is needed on such short notice and what will happen to the animals if the goal isn’t met, their accounts are restricted, their comments are deleted or ignored, and some have even been blocked.

In response to the negative reception, The Gentle Barn added a comment attempting to explain the $2 million goal, stating that since July they have been “working to determine exactly what we need” and that the goal “comes directly from the gap between our current revenue and the cost of operating.” Was the organization not aware of its own operating costs and financial standing prior to July? What was learned in the past two months that led them determine they need $2 million dollars? How did a deficit of such a large amount become a near emergency?

The Gentle Barn is not sharing a budget breakdown for what this funding will achieve or how long it will keep Tennessee open, nor has it shared its full plan for responsibly closing the location. They have stated that most animals would be relocated to California upon a closure, except those not well enough. In a donor email on August 28, they described senior pig Henry and stated that he should not be moved. If Henry should not travel, but the very high fundraising goal is not met in the next three weeks, what will happen to him? What about animals with disabilities like Lolli, Princess Pebble, and Destiny? Are the most vulnerable animals who cannot be moved at risk of euthanasia? Questions of this nature on social media have not been directly answered by The Gentle Barn.

When the organization announced the closure of its Missouri location last October, founder Ellie Laks assured donors, "our California and Tennessee locations are thriving and continuing on." However, in the post announcing the $2 million fundraising goal, Laks directly contradicts herself, saying, "Our Tennessee location has never stood on its own feet." Why can’t they get their own story straight?

The organization sold the Missouri property for $600,000 at the beginning of 2025, as reported by Zillow. In April 2025, The Gentle Barn raised funds to construct a new barn and covered arena/event center for the Tennessee location—which was never built. They have also yet to acknowledge what the money raised for the failed New York location was allocated towards. They have seen several recent large influxes of funds, so how have they suddenly found themselves in a $2 million deficit? 

They have not answered any questions on social media regarding financial transparency, or steps the organization has taken to actually reduce spending and overhead. Have the founders cut anything from their six-figure salaries? Have they decreased the rent that the organization pays to the founder? When will their 2024 990 become publicly available? 

We have many questions and concerns about the fate of the animals at the Tennessee location. The Missouri animals who are still living at the Tennessee location have been there for less than a year, yet they are now at risk of enduring another stressful move—but this time across the country to California. Will this move be executed safely and responsibly, and what will happen to the animals they acknowledge cannot be safely transported?

The founders emphasized that they made the tough decision to close Missouri to save the other sanctuary locations. Now, less than a year later, they are about to close down the Tennessee sanctuary. Is the California sanctuary at risk of closing, too?

The organization's founders, executive staff, and board members have failed to publicly respond to this petition. Former staff and volunteers have made attempts to encourage the organization to responsibly rehome Tennessee animals locally with vet oversight, only for their pleas to be met with silence from The Gentle Barn. 

Despite saying that “no amount is too small” when asking for urgently needed funds, Gentle Barn founder Ellie Laks kicked out a paying former volunteer and her husband from the Open to the Public Sunday event just today in Tennessee and refunded their tickets. The reason? Because she signed this petition.

Now is the time to demand answers. If the Tennessee location is closing, these animals deserve a safe, responsible, and thoughtful closure that reflects The Gentle Barn's promise to care for the animals for their entire lives. We call on Gentle Barn to be transparent with their rehoming and transportation plans. We plead with them to use veterinary oversight, to adhere to a responsible transport protocol, and to rehome locally—especially for the animals most at risk. Please voice your concerns to The Gentle Barn through social media, email, phone calls, letters, and even messages sent through the organization's website—any way you can. 

Ways to Contact:

• Comment on their Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok posts
• https://www.gentlebarn.org/contact/
• Call the main office at (661) 252-2440
• Email board member Claudia Goodman at claudia@claudiagoodman.com (publicly available via Google)
• Email board member Marc Hernandez at marc.hernandez@compass.com (publicly available via Google)