BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — From being abandoned at the shelter to becoming a service animal that helps veterans, one Kern County nonprofit organization really lives up to its name of "redemption."
Wren and Wrangler are two of the horses that Redemption Ranch will be using in their new equine therapy program. The program aims to create a new purpose for the horses and the people working with them.
Wren is the resident mustang at Redemption Ranch, the horse with the smiley face on her freeze brand who brings smiles to others.
“Ours is gonna be more ground-based to help people that are trying to heal from some kind of trauma,” said founder and executive of Redemption Ranch Virginia Burroughs on the topic of the therapy program.
Redemption Ranch was founded in 2019, thanks to Burroughs' love of animals. She had a soft spot for particularly the ones that don't get rescued too often, such as pitbulls and mustangs.
“Especially here in Kern County and many other places, they are the highest percent euthanized dog in shelters," she said about pitbulls. "They are often abused, neglected, that kind of thing, so those dogs are in need of their own redemption."
"Mustangs, too, are kind of in need of their own redemption," Burroughs continued. "They're overpopulated. The BLM is trying to find places for them to go and so they need a new purpose. So we’re going to help give some of them that new purpose.”
Redemption Ranch is hosting its Rescued to Redeemed fundraiser, which had its inaugural event last year after saving over 350 dogs and giving homes to over 75 percent of them. This year's fundraiser will be on Sun, Sept 17.
The ranch teaches the animals it rescues to become service animals to help those heal from trauma, ranging from comforting Vietnam veterans with PTSD to just brightening the day of those living in senior resident facilities.
“Soldiers, military personnel, first responders, and even civilian sitters maybe have suffered from abuse, addiction, chronic depression, anything like that,” Burroughs explained.
The rescue works with the Kern County Animal Shelter and Bakersfield City Animal Shelter and is constantly growing. That is why the goal of the fundraiser is to raise enough money to get a property for the animals. That way, the ranch could have a location to better connect the animals they save with the people who may need a little saving as well.
“To get someone, a person or an animal, out of a less than ideal situation and get them into a better situation," said Burroughs. "That’s, again, our goal with all the animals and the people that we need to serve through our program.”
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