Rancho Relaxo

Rancho Relaxo We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue in NJ. Our sole mission is to help every animal we possibly can. We will not stop until their voices are heard.
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Under a video of Mr. Handsome, I noticed some negativity in the comment section. One person was insinuating people shoul...
08/25/2026

Under a video of Mr. Handsome, I noticed some negativity in the comment section. One person was insinuating people should not donate to our nonprofit because we are trying to tell the world that Mr. Handsome is a horse — when in actuality, he is clearly a mule. And the other person was just saying if he is a horse, he is ugly. I will never understand people like this. I did take this opportunity to take some videos of Mr. Handsome munching his hay to share with you all and make a fundraiser in the bullies’ names. Maybe we can raise some funds for the animals in their honor! All donations are tax deductible! PYPL [email protected] / VNMO boochaces 💜💜💜 That being said, Mr. Handsome is doing great! He has befriended one of our other rescued senior geldings, Nick!!! Nick fell through the floor of a hay loft while starving/searching for food. He had to climb barn stairs to get up there. This was many years ago and he has fully recovered from his injuries. Anyway, an adorable bromance I will be sharing more of! Thank you all so much for the love and support. We couldn’t do this work without you.

As most of you know, we are working on renovating an existing building here at the sanctuary! It will act as a medical/s...
08/19/2026

As most of you know, we are working on renovating an existing building here at the sanctuary! It will act as a medical/special needs barn — in honor and memory of Len’s mother, Sharon, who passed away at the end of last year. She was a warrior and fought a long and hard battle against Scleroderma. We raised all the funding needed for the fencing! Now we need your help clearing the wishlist of medical supplies/supplements/miscellaneous items we need to stock the cabinets and more!

Please click the link if you are able to send a much needed item to the animals for this project:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2ZOKCWUMRV8AG?ref_=wl_share

Thank you so much!!!!! We couldn’t do this without your help!!!!!

08/14/2026

The update you’ve all been waiting so patiently for!!!!! 😭💜💜💜 MR. HANDSOME!!!!!!!!! 3 months ago, we rescued a senior horse who was at risk of slaughter. He had collapsed while working — busting his knees and mouth on the pavement. His previous humans could no longer exploit him, as his body was too broken, so they got rid of him. We found out that he lost a qualifier race 20 years ago and was immediately sent to be used as if he was a machine. He never knew love. But since his rescue, he has experienced a lot of joy and firsts. He is still on the road to recovery — as he has more weight to pack on — but he is a happy horse without a worry in the world. The life he deserves. Finally.

The update you’ve all been waiting so patiently for!!!!! 😭💜💜💜 MR. HANDSOME!!!!!!!!! 3 months ago, we rescued a senior ho...
08/14/2026

The update you’ve all been waiting so patiently for!!!!! 😭💜💜💜 MR. HANDSOME!!!!!!!!! 3 months ago, we rescued a senior horse who was at risk of slaughter. He had collapsed while working — busting his knees and mouth on the pavement. His previous humans could no longer exploit him, as his body was too broken, so they got rid of him. We found out that he lost a qualifier race 20 years ago and was immediately sent to be used as if he was a machine. He never knew love. But since his rescue, he has experienced a lot of joy and firsts. He is still on the road to recovery — as he has more weight to pack on — but he is a happy horse without a worry in the world. The life he deserves. Finally.

Hi everyone. We have started the renovation project to convert a regular ol’ barn into a medical/special needs barn. Thi...
08/14/2026

Hi everyone. We have started the renovation project to convert a regular ol’ barn into a medical/special needs barn. This building will be dedicated to Len’s mother, Sharon M. Cimini. As most of you know, Sharon passed away last October after a long battle with Scleroderma. She was a true warrior — and we hope any animal who needs this facility in the future will be guided by Sharon’s beautiful spirit somehow. Maybe she can help them in overcoming whatever they are facing. 😭💜 We still have to put up fencing ($3,000-5000) and create safer stall areas (material cost $1,000) — but we are getting there! If you would like to donate toward this project, please send a check to RANCHO RELAXO PO BOX 258 WOODSTOWN NJ 08098 and write For Sharon’s Barn in the note. You can also make a one time donation online PayPal.me/boochaces

Thank you all so much. FOR SHARON & THE ANIMALS!!!!!

Rancho Relaxo has kittens up for adoption! If you are in the NJ area and are looking to add a member to your family, ple...
08/10/2026

Rancho Relaxo has kittens up for adoption! If you are in the NJ area and are looking to add a member to your family, please email [email protected] for details. 💜

I spent a decade of my life waking up to Chester’s magnificent presence. A decade. I remember seeing him for the first t...
08/02/2026

I spent a decade of my life waking up to Chester’s magnificent presence. A decade. I remember seeing him for the first time — in the parking lot of an auction, shoved in the back of an Amish buggy. I did not plan on saving my very first cow that day but the pieces happened to fall into place. As he stood in the back seat of my brand new pickup truck and unloaded what seemed like 2 gallons of urine onto the pristine upholstery, I smiled. How could I not? This newborn baby was safe. Chester’s rescue changed so many lives. I don’t think I have ever received more messages about people deciding to adopt more compassionate lifestyles than I did when we rescued Chester from slaughter. His impact was massive. He … was also massive. Physically. He grew into the largest cow I have ever met. He towered over every cow in his pasture. Especially his best friend, Potato. They always looked so cute standing side by side. Mutt (Chester) & Jeff (Potato). Chester lived a quiet, peaceful life here — surrounded by the love of his herd and human caretakers. The life he was meant to live. Chester was the first cow we ever saved and the first cow we ever said goodbye to — here at the sanctuary. We intercepted a couple of beautiful cows from harm who were too far gone to be “fixed” by our medical team but they never made it to sanctuary grounds. Chester is the first cow to leave his earthly body HERE. In his final chapter, Chester began to slow down. His broken, arthritic body could not keep up with his bright and powerful spirit. I am proud of the care and life we gave him — but it does not make this loss any easier. I now have to find a way to wake up in the morning and not immediately look out the front window in search of my very special gentle giant. The cow who was bigger than life itself. What am I supposed to do now? One day, we will rescue another Holstein bottle baby and tell him all about his older brother, Chester. His older brother who paved the way for him and many others to find sanctuary at Rancho Relaxo. Please consider donating toward Chester’s end of life costs or simply in his honor. We really could not do this work without all of you. I love you all. PYPL [email protected] / VNMO boochaces 😭💜 And for those of you who loved Chester in some way, have a picture of him hanging on your wall or have a memory of him … please share. Thank you so much.

For my gentle giant. Forever.
08/02/2026

For my gentle giant. Forever.

Chester was one of the Lucky Ones. Born a male dairy calf, he was destined for a sadder fate than most people realize. A...
08/01/2026

Chester was one of the Lucky Ones. Born a male dairy calf, he was destined for a sadder fate than most people realize. An unwanted “byproduct” of the dairy industry, the majority of calves like Chester do not live more than 1 to 5 months.
As he was carried on shoulders, literally from the gates of death, to the cab of our truck, I promised him I would do my very best to give him the full and happy life he deserved.

Over the course of a decade, Chester, along with his other bovine friends, would show me how very wrong I was about cows. Chester exuded gentleness. His stoic nature calmed the new residents and they would look to him to lead the migration after breakfast and dinner to graze. At over 7.5ft tall, Chester stood above the others in his pasture, a testament to what a full life can truly be: happy and free.

I can remember, shortly after rescuing Chester, watching him run and play with our dogs, sheep, goats and horses, and knowing he was going to change hearts. His rescue has inspired so many on their journey to leading the most compassionate life they can. I wonder if he realized how special he was to so many people.

I will never see Chester in my mind’s eye as anything other than a 300lb toddler, running with me as we play in the field. I am proud of his full and happy life, but I am certainly going to miss my best cow friend. I will never stop listening for his “moo” in return when I would call for him. I will never stop wishing for one more gentle nap on his chest, rising and falling with his breath.

I am so very proud that he got to experience the love and comfort of a warm shelter, full belly and, most importantly, a family of his own. Most like him, unfortunately, never get the chance. I will never have another friend like Chester, one with such a profound impact on who I am as a person, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Chester passed peacefully, surrounded by all of his cow friends, including his adopted daughter Lumi and his best friend forever, Potato. His broken and aging body could not contain his spirit.

Go now, my wonderful friend, our journey is done. may we meet again in the clearing at the end of the path.

If you can, please consider donating to his end of life costs. We appreciate you all more than you know.

- Len

Hope feels like an impossible thing to obtain when you are faced with constant emotional turmoil due to loss. All of the...
07/23/2026

Hope feels like an impossible thing to obtain when you are faced with constant emotional turmoil due to loss. All of the wins in animal rescue hold the weight of a feather when you are actively experiencing a loss. That loss feels like a boulder the size of a truck — held up on your shoulders. The hundreds of wins combined are a whisper and that one single loss is a blood-curdling scream. For some reason, it is difficult to focus on all of the good that is being done for animals here at the sanctuary while anything negative is simultaneously happening — if we are working a tragic neglect case, if we get bad news from a vet about one of our residents, if we are watching our animal friends grow old (hard one because you want to celebrate them living such a long peaceful life but you aren’t ready to say goodbye). Naturally, the few bad things are spotlit and the overwhelming amount of joy is buried. Animal rescue is fulfilling and beautiful but at the same time … soul-crushing. I often feel hopeless. When I look around at the world in general and see all of the suffering, I feel hopeless. One of the worst things you can do is get comfortable with feeling hopeless — simply being OK with having no hope. That is a dangerous place to be. Over the last 6 months, we have had to say goodbye to a handful of our LONGTIME animal friends. It has been really hard to navigate and I have landed in that dangerous place. It’s a very numb feeling. If you know, you know. ✨ And then, this very week, I was sitting outside of Wimpy’s wallow while he dipped his hooves in. I snapped a couple of photos and smiled because I remembered how hopeless I felt when his fever reached its highest point when he was a newborn. I remembered all of the faith I had for his recovery vanishing when the first antibiotic we tried didn’t work. I remembered convincing myself that he wouldn’t make it — as if the blow would create less of an impact because I prepared myself. I smiled because this amazing pig reminded me, as he cooled off in the mud during a heat wave, that every situation is different and there is always room for hope. Always. Even when you’re feeling defeated. 💜 Thanks, Wimpy. I needed that.

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PO BOX 258
Woodstown, NJ
08098

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