Home on the Range Animal Haven
by Pam Brekken
Founded in 2012, Home on the Range Animal Haven (HORAH) is the only animal haven in Laramie, WY. The non-profit 501 (c)3 organization provides a haven for 20 neglected, abused, and abandoned horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, and sheep in need of a place that can care for their needs. They will always be welcome and safe at Home on the Range. What started as a refuge for animals with nowhere else to go has become a haven not only for animals but humans as well ...a place of acceptance, healing, and hope.
They have a two-fold purpose: returning the animals to sound physical, social, and emotional health while providing a forever home, and working with community organizations to enhance the well-being, sense of purpose, and self-worth of its individuals.
HORAH is not simply an animal hospice; they seek to defy the notion that the animals they rescue cannot be useful simply because they are of an age or physical condition that would prevent them from serving an agricultural purpose.
What sets HORAH apart are its collaborative relationships with multiple local and regional organizations, including ARK Regional Services, Peak Wellness Center, Cathedral Home for Children, and the Wyoming National Guard Cowboy Challenge Academy just to name a few. HORAH provides these organizations with the opportunity to complete labor and service projects as well as hands-on therapeutic time with the animals.
Home on the Range relocated in November of 2019 after the absentee owner of the property decided it was in her best interest to sell the property, which had since 2012 been a sanctuary. The new location is on a 32-acre parcel of leased land.
On January 14, 2020, the animal caregiver trailer home, on the property, burned to the ground tragically taking with it her companion dogs Merlin, Max, Teal Eye and Bodhi. These four friends will never be forgotten, and the event will haunt HORAH forever. They could not have completed the process from tragedy to future possibilities and successes without the continued financial and emotional support from the community.
HORAH has moved forward and now has seven loafing sheds configured into a U-shape for the equines, providing protection and warmth from cold SW and NE winds. A new goat barn was built over the summer of 2020. Electricity was hooked up the first part of June, and water arrived in November. The future vision is to have a place for the caregiver to live and volunteers to gather after a morning of hard work, prepare and serve family-style meals, take a break from the summer sun or chilly winter winds and host an open house. Post COVID, of course.
HORAH is funded entirely by donations and small grants. If you would like to support Home on the Range or learn more visit https://www.laramiehomeontherange.org/ or call 307-760-4753.
