Las Vegas Farm is a family-friendly sanctuary for animals

Walk through the wooden gate and step into another land where cats lazily sunbathe on hay bales strewn around a straw-covered floor. The sounds of peacock calls fill the air.

Llamas bat their long lashes as they strut about their enclosures. Goats impatiently wait for treats for performing balancing acts.

Children giggle as horses lick carrots out of their hands. Adults fawn over the scrumptious smell of homemade zucchini bread at a quaint farmers market.

Not far from the glitz of the Strip, the Las Vegas Farm and Barn Buddies Rescue is a family-friendly sanctuary for animals.

Visitors are encouraged to take a break from the bustle of city life to enjoy a refreshingly slower paced environment filled with smiling faces, well-cared-for farm animals and locally grown food.

It all started 52 years ago when Sharon Linsenbardt began selling chicken eggs to neighbors over the fence. Inevitably, those neighbors would come back hours later with their children, their parents and their grandparents. They would ask for more eggs and a look around her beautiful property.

“I’d end up (doing) an hourlong tour for two bucks worth of eggs,” Linsenbardt said.

There was such an interest within the community that Linsenbardt couldn’t keep up herself. She sought help from volunteers to care for the chickens and maintain her grounds.

Luckily there were people willing to lend a helping hand. With more people, Linsenbardt was able to house more animals.

“First and foremost we are a farm animal rescue,” Linsenbardt said.

Barn Buddies Rescue is a nonprofit organization whose mission, she said, is to “rehabilitate and rescue farm animals that are in dire need of saving.”

The animals taken in and nursed back to health by Barn Buddies are found in horrifying circumstances. Often they were severely abused and abandoned for dead.

“Every animal has one of those stories. Every animal out here came from a hard place,” Linsenbardt said. “And every animal out here couldn’t have survived if we hadn’t taken them.”

Linsenbardt does not take her responsibilities to the animals lightly. She hopes that patrons will become educated on conservation and wildlife, and most importantly, develop a deeper compassion for lives of animals.

“You have an infant for life when you take on the care of an animal because there is nothing they can do for themselves,” Linsenbardt said. “We’ve got hundreds of babies here.”

Visitors may purchase chicken, duck and quail eggs, as well as freshly made pies and breads. Local honey and locally grown vegetables are also for sale. All proceeds go directly to the care of the rescued animals.

Linsenbardt is grateful for volunteers who donate their time to care for the rescued animals, without whom the facility would not be able to operate.

“Everybody who helps here is amazing. They come and they give, and they give, and they give their time, their love and their concern.”

Cierra Campos, 17, has been volunteering for about six months. She said the opportunity to work with rescued animals has helped calm her anxiety.

“They just make me feel comfortable,” Campos said.

Air Force veteran Kelly Trobaugh, 48, has been volunteering for three years and has no plans of stopping.

Trobaugh said that her reward is the love she gets from each of the animals. “We tell everybody we get paid in well water and animal cuddles.”

Unfortunately, Trobaugh said some people treat the farm as a dumping ground for unwanted pets. “A lot of the cats and roosters too, people just throw them over the fence.”

Animals abandoned at the property this way put a financial strain on the business and make it harder to care for the animals living there permanently.

The Las Vegas Farm and Barn Buddies Rescue relies on donations. Because of this, shortfalls in the budget come up and there are expensive issues that need addressing.

“The roof is blowing off and leaking inside. That’s five grand. How do I do that when I need to cover the horses,” Linsenbardt said. “We need committed volunteers.”

The Las Vegas Farm

Facts: Started in 1961, and open to the public since 1968, farm residents include chickens, peacocks, ducks, a goose, turkeys, goats, pigs, horses, cows, a mule, a llama, cats and tortoises. Barn Buddies Rescue, which is located on the property, was established in 2012.

Details: 7222 W. Grand Teton Drive. Open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fee to visit Barn Buddies Rescue animals is $5 for adults, $3 for children old enough to walk.

Events: The Fall Harvest Festival, held in October, features a hay bale maze, pony rides, cow train and hay wagon rides, a concession stand and pumpkins and squash for sale. A Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and Sundays offers seasonal vegetables and fruit from the farm and local vendors plus locally made jams, chutneys, jellies, breads and more. The farm also is available for weddings, parties, corporate retreats, field trips and other events.

How to Help: To volunteer or donate (all proceeds go to housing, feeding and care of animals), contact Sharon Linsenbardt at 702-982-8000 or Contact@TheLasVegasFarm.com. thelasvegasfarm.com