SAFE IN AUSTIN

Provides Sanctuary for Children and Animals

by Charlotte Kovalchuk

When Jamie Wallace saw a Facebook post about a pit bull and her puppies that were about to be euthanized at a shelter in Galveston “simply because they were pit bulls,” she assumed someone else would step up and help. After learning no one had, she drove to Galveston, snuck them out the back door and brought them home herself. After helping them find their forever homes, she never had to look for another animal in need. “They just started flooding in. I didn’t find any of them. They all found me.”

Haven For Healing

Safe in Austin was founded around five years ago when Jamie and her husband realized their ranch in Leander had more than 100 animals that had special needs or were rescued from abuse or neglect. “We said, ‘Maybe we’re a nonprofit?’ We never planned it, we just started rescuing out of being animal lovers.” It felt natural for them to invite friends who had special needs or were going through a hard time to come to the ranch and spend time with the animals. “It just kind of rolled into what it is now.”

Today, Safe in Austin is a haven for more than 200 animals, “everything from the typical cats and dogs and horses and cows to pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, tortoises, rabbits, exotic birds, and a hedgehog. My family and I live here at the ranch, and we have animals in every single nook and cranny in every room everywhere. It’s a 24/7, never-turns-off kind of thing.”

Neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, diabetes, albinism, prosthetics – “you name it, I have it here on the ranch represented in the form of an animal,” Jamie says. “Our mission is to invite families and children who share in any of those stories of trauma or special needs out to the rescue so they can meet animals that are just like them, and a lot of the time start helping the animals, which ultimately starts the healing process.”

JACKSON’S STORY

One of Safe in Austin's stories of healing began long before the nonprofit started, back when Jamie’s 6-yearold son Jackson had an autism service dog appropriately named Angel. Before Angel came into his life, Jackson didn’t make eye contact with people, had trouble sleeping, and endured breakdowns that often resulted in self-injuries.

Human Sanctuary

Even though Safe in Austin is a home for animals in need, Jamie emphasizes that the heart of the nonprofit is the kids who find unconditional love and life-changing experiences at the ranch. “Our mission isn’t about animals. It’s about how children can benefit from meeting the animals. People confuse us for an animal sanctuary. It’s actually a human sanctuary that happens to partner with animals.”

A few Safe in Austin programs include:

ANIMAL CARE: Kids with special needs get to connect with animals on a weekly basis while learning caregiving skills and personal development.

HEALING HEARTS TOURS: Children receive guided tours through the ranch by Jamie herself so she can introduce them to specific animals she thinks their heart could benefit from meeting.

When she became his service dog, Angel began predicting breakdowns and could push him to the ground and lay on top of him until he calmed down. Within two months, his injuries stopped, and he became more confident around other people. “I really believe it was an actual miracle we were given because Jackson completely changed after that,” Jamie says. “It is well known that animals can provide special benefits for children. We took it another step further by introducing the concept of what special needs animals can do for special needs children.”

Today, Safe in Austin continues to serve as a place where blind children get to meet a blind pony, kids with albinism meet an albino dog, and kids in wheelchairs race with animals in wheelchairs. “Those are things kids don’t get to experience anywhere else,” Jamie says. “I’ve seen sexual assault survivor humans snuggle with Isaac, one of our dogs, who is also a sexual assault survivor, and say things like, ‘I know what you’ve been through,’ and something magical happens when I watch Isaac love them back.”

Lend A Hand

Safe in Austin relies heavily on volunteers to help staff keep the ranch up and running and care for their 200+ animals. Volunteers must be 16 or older to serve independently, and kids under 15 must be accompanied by an adult volunteer.

Jamie says there is also a dire need for donations, especially since word spread after the ranch was recently featured on an episode of Netflix’s Queer Eye “People found out that there’s a place that offers unconditional kindness and love, and unfortunately a lot of people are hurting. It's a blessing and a curse situation. More people than ever need me, and more animals than ever are being placed in front of me.”

14601 Honeycomb Dr. | Leander www.facebook.com/SafeinAustinRescue/