Rowdy Girl
Before the sanctuary was founded, Renee purchased Rowdy Girl, an orphaned calf, for $300 from a rancher up the road at Tommy’s urging with hopes of coercing her to get more involved in the cattle ranch. Renee bottle-fed Rowdy Girl and she became the conduit that allowed Renee to see all the other cows as sentient beings. 🐮Rowdy Girl was Renee’s vegan advocate and the catalyst for Rowdy Girl Sanctuary.
Rowdy Girl went on to have four babies of her own—Lucky, Houdini, Stella, and Magic. One of Rowdy’s calves, Houdini, escaped so many times that Renee’s husband told her they would have to sell her. Renee refused. She had already gone vegan by that time, and she thought about finding a new home for Rowdy and Houdini at a farm sanctuary, but her heart kept telling her that what she really wanted was to convert the ranch into her own farm sanctuary and save all the cattle in her husband’s herd, as well as other farm animals in need. She would call it Rowdy Girl Sanctuary. And on February 20th, 2015, Renee founded her own non-profit. She considers Rowdy Girl her own daughter and Rowdy Girl’s babies, her grandchildren.
Although it was a seeming impossible feat, Renee recently persuaded her husband to let her buy the herd from him for $30,000. He has agreed that if she can raise the money to purchase the herd, he will stop ranching and help her run the sanctuary. To that sunny and promising end, Renee has launched a fundraising campaign to build Rowdy Girl Sanctuary. She has 3 months left to raise $25,000, and is confident she can do so if her story reaches enough people. To help her with her cause or to learn more, please visit and share Renee’s indiegogo campaign. You can also get updates at her facebook page, Vegan Journal of a Rancher’s Wife.
