A farm in Washtenaw County called Barn Sanctuary has an uncommon mission, providing care for ailing farm animals. 

“We do everything that farming is except for the last part, taking the animals to the market,” said Dan McKernan, president and founder of Barn Sanctuary, who started the operation with his father Tom McKernan.  

Barn Sanctuary is included among a list of animal sanctuaries worldwide approved by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. There are just a few such certified sanctuaries in the Midwest and as of now Barn Sanctuary is the only one in Michigan. 

The McKernan family farm goes back almost a century-and-a-half, but when new developments started popping up nearby, they made the decision to do something different with their property. Dan McKernan had been working in the technology field in Texas when he heard about another sanctuary and brought the idea to his father. 

Barn Sanctuary began eight years ago as a nonprofit. At that time, Dan took to social media to raise money to finance and expand the operation. The farm takes care of animals big and small including cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, pigs, chickens, ducks and turkeys. About 140 animal residents call the sanctuary home. 

“Over time the sanctuary became my dream too, so I am all in on this and this is what I do,” said Tom, a pharmacist who’s served as the local township supervisor. “This is my life now.”  

One Detroit’s Bill Kubota and photojournalist Scott Rensberger visited the farm to learn how the sanctuary works and hear the stories of some of the residents who will live out their time in a way few other farm animals do.