Luvin’ Arms Executive Director Shartrina White with the lovable calf Marley

After leaving NYC and traveling around the USA in 2019, I decided to settle in Boulder, Colorado. The majestic mountains remind me how small I am, and how beautiful this Earth is. I wasn’t here long before the pandemic was upon us, and while I hadn’t had much chance to make new friends, I did have some time to think about what was important to me.

Even before that, back in November of 2019, I decided to spend some of my free time consolidating all of my vegan projects into one website, the one you are currently visiting, Veganica. Before then, the archives of the Vegan Radio podcast and the Vegan Bus Project were hosted on outdated websites with designs that were not mobile friendly. My animal photography was all over the internet, but not in one easy-to-find place.

While working on the consolidation, I reconnected with the farm animal photography that had given me so much joy and had helped farm animal sanctuaries spread their message. I started to wonder about the sanctuaries near my new home, and how I could connect.

Peta Demo at JBS Slaughterhouse, where workers were dying from Covid.

In May of 2020 Peta hired me to photograph a demo at the JBS meat-packing plant in Greeley, CO. At that time, eight workers had died of Covid-19 and 366 workers had been infected. The horrors of slaughterhouses and exploitation of slaughterhouse workers should be enough to turn any person with a heart into a vegetarian, and this new disaster was just another reminder. Although a socially-distanced demo was new for me, I did get to meet some local activists. I had a conversation with one of them who eventually introduced me to Shartrina White, the Executive Director of Luvin Arms Sanctuary.

I made my first trip to the farm in August, and after meeting Shartina in person she took me to meet the sanctuaries’ cutest new resident, a sweet calf named Marley Rose.

Marley Rose

”Marley Rose was born at a large dairy farm in Wisconsin. Because she and her twin brother were born weak and sickly, they were of no use to the farm and were going to be sent to slaughter just days after birth. Thankfully, they were rescued and spent their first weeks of life in the veterinary hospital. Marley wasn’t doing well at first, but her condition soon improved and she started doing a lot better. Unfortunately, her twin brother, Maverick, was slowly declining and passed away.”

Jale

On my second trip to the farm in early September, I got to meet the horse who was the inspiration to start the sanctuary.

Jale (pronounced Haalee) is a ten-year old white Arabian mare. This beautiful animal was the inspiration for Luvin Arms. Jale began life with an affluent couple in California, but, after their bitter divorce, was taken to Florida by the wife and did not receive the necessary care. Her condition declined as she lost weight. A caring person, experienced with horses, rescued Jale from this situation and brought her to Colorado. Here she enjoyed life being part of a herd with 100 acres to graze on. With several months of loving care and human interaction, Jale thrived and was ready to find a forever home. In June 2014, she met Shaleen Shah, co-founder of Luvin Arms, and chose him as her human.

Fin chews on some grass, as hipster sheep often do.

Finn

I am a fan of Finn, and love digging my fingers into his wool to give him a massage.

Finn arrived in 2016 with one other sheep named Teddy. We believe that the two somehow escaped a feedlot. When they arrived they each had severe pneumonia and were coughing up blood. We knew they needed advanced treatment so they went to CSU veterinary hospital where they spent about a month receiving care. Once they were back at Luvin Arms they were under an intense level of care. The two sheep recovered extremely well. They do have scar tissue in their lungs from the pneumonia which may require more treatment in the future but right now they’re enjoying life at their new forever home. Finn is a protector. He is always looking out for his friend Teddy and making sure he’s doing okay. Finn loves attention and pets on his head!

Lindsey Lohan

I must admit, I know little about the human named Lindsey Lohan, and am too disinterested to even google her. I am sure she is a fine human. The chicken who is her namesake (or is it the other way around?) is another story. Some animals try to avoid me, and others follow me around. This one was curious enough about my activities that I was able to frame her with the sun shining through her beak. Pretty cool, right?

Lindsey Lohen was found on a humane, free range farm where the chickens were being used for their flesh. The farm went bankrupt, and they weren’t able to feed the chickens or heat the barn during a Colorado winter. The birds were found starving and freezing, some even having to resort to cannibalism to live. Thanks to the help of many volunteers, 610 chickens were rescued. (Luvin Arms has) 12 of them, and the others have been transported to other sanctuaries and loving homes across the country. As her name may suggest, Lindsey Lohen loves being the center of attention. She’s always the first chicken to come running up for pets.

Milo & Leroy

It was a beautiful moment when these two put their heads together, and I knew I had a great photo.

Leroy and Milo were found on a piece of property along with over 1,000 other animals in Massachusetts. The owner of the land had been renting his property without regulating his irresponsible tenants. When police came onto the scene, they found animals tangled in barbed wire, surrounded by decaying carcasses, and walking over broken glass. The ASPCA brought these cow boys to a temporary foster home in Florida until Luvin Arms was equipped to house them. When they came to Luvin Arms, their condition was rough. They were significantly underweight and had to be treated for parasites. As soon as they jumped off the trailer that brought them cross country, they began stuffing their cute faces with hay. Once they received a clean bill of health, they got to join the other residents in the big barn. Leroy is the comedian of the group! He’s always getting into mischief and sometimes it looks like he’s sticking his tongue out at you! Milo is a sweet and shy boy who can be timid at first, but once he gets to know you, he’s all love.

Help support Luvin Arms through their 5th Annual Gala

Luvin Arms has just launched an online auction, which includes some of my photographs. It runs from September 12th to 19th, 2020, as part of their 5th Annual Gala. All donations to the event will be matched, which will double the impact of your gift!

On September 19th the main event will feature:

Luvin Arms’ 5th Anniversary presentation with special guest, Colorado’s First Gentleman, Marlon Reis, Co-founder, Shaleen Shah, and Executive Director, Shartrina White.
Exciting Online Live Auction Experiences, Opportunities, and Original Art. Hosted by auctioneer Adam Kevil.

Learn More / Register for Gala