Meet Lori Swett | Executive Director & Founder of Clover Ridge Animal Sanctuary

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Swett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I’ve always been drawn to nature and animals. Even as a young child I remember dreaming of living on a farm with rescued animals where they could live their lives in peace. After working really hard and saving and sacrificing, I purchased a mini farm in Connecticut 12 years ago and made that dream a reality. So after 20 years of volunteering at various animal rescue organizations learning all the ins and outs of running one, I founded our own nonprofit, Clover Ridge Animal Sanctuary in 2018.

Today, Clover Ridge provides sanctuary and a retirement home for a variety of different animals including senior special needs dogs, feral cats, and goats. The sanctuary is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to create a safe haven that heals and nurtures animals and people.

It was after welcoming our first goats, caring for them and observing them on a daily basis that I learned the true plight of farm animals. I realized that a goat, or cow, or pig is no different than a cat or a dog. They all think, feel, have their own unique personalities, they are bonded to their family members, and most importantly they all want to live.

We strive to make the world a safer place for animals by sharing the deep connection that exists between all sentient beings in hopes of inspiring others to make more compassionate choices for the animals and for our beautiful planet Earth. Our sanctuary residents are great ambassadors, teaching love, healing, and compassion to all who meet them or follow them online!

We recently relocated all of our animals across the country from Connecticut to Colorado (no easy feat!) and we are super excited to be here!!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Getting to where we are today hasn’t been easy. Running an animal sanctuary is hard work, it’s heart work. We post a lot of cute animal content online to help people make the connection but so much goes on behind the scenes to keep the animals safe, secure, healthy, well cared for 24/7, 365. It takes an intense level of commitment, sacrifice, and dedication to be able to do it all. We are constantly battling weather, medical issues, lack of volunteer assistance and funding, and just generally never having enough time in the day to accomplish everything we want to.

For me personally, how I overcome the demands of sanctuary life is by keeping myself physically and mentally strong. It’s really hard to carve out time for self-care but I have to constantly remind myself how crucial it is to make that a priority. Because I know if I don’t take care of myself, then I can’t take good care of all the little souls who depend on me. I also have a strong spiritual connection with the animals and that is what really keeps me going, especially on the toughest days.

In terms of the lessons I’ve learned, probably the biggest one is to never take on more than I can handle personally and as an organization. For example, it would be awesome if we could say yes to taking in every homeless animal in need, but obviously that isn’t feasible. Any animal rescuer will tell you the hardest part of this work is knowing that you can’t save them all despite really wanting to. So learning to understand your limits is so incredibly important.

Clover Ridge isn’t the biggest sanctuary out there, but we feel really great about the level of individual care we are able to provide to our residents and that isn’t something we will ever sacrifice. We would rather stay small and manageable. The old saying is so true. “Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal.” This is our primary focus.

What I’m most proud about is being able to take the best care of our animals, even over the last few years managing to stay afloat during the pandemic, amid the economic and social challenges, and watching our donor base shrink by 75%. Somehow we have kept going when many other sanctuaries have had to close their doors. Where there is a will, there is always a way.

What we are most excited about now that we have moved our sanctuary to Colorado is that we DO have that opportunity to grow! We have a bigger support system here, and hopefully more volunteers and supporters will want to get involved. Our dream is to buy a bigger farm with more land, more barns, and fencing so we can rescue more animals and species. And of course continue giving our current sanctuary residents the best life they deserve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

This is a tough one because I’m still new to Colorado and there is so much to see and do! Also running an animal sanctuary doesn’t lend itself to having much free time but hiking and nature adventures are always my personal favorite. We got away for a few hours last weekend and went mushroom hunting in the Rocky Mountains and it was pure magic!

Some of the places and things I’m most excited about experiencing are Red Rocks, the Sand Dunes, Hot Springs, Skiing, and of course all of the amazing Vegan restaurants out here. Blue Sushi Sake Grill in Denver is at the top of my list!

Of course, volunteering at a local animal sanctuary like Clover Ridge would be an amazing activity for any animal lover! We are always looking for volunteers to help out around the farm. Whether it’s visiting for a one-time volunteer event or signing up for weekly shifts, there is something for everyone who wants to get involved. You get to hang out with cute animals, be part of a healing community, and feel good about helping out a really great cause. Our goats have even been known to plop down on yoga mats and cuddle with volunteers! Maybe it’s their way of saying thanks for lending a hoof! Let us know if you’re in the Longmont area and would like to get involved!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

First, I need to give a big Shoutout to my partner Chris who is the main reason we relocated to Colorado and is a big part of our evolving story. His hard work, support, and dedication is what has allowed this new chapter to unfold and has been amazing so far!!

We also have to Shoutout to Lisanne Libner who is graciously letting us share her gorgeous property in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains until we can find our forever farm!

Website: www.cloverridge.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cloverridgeanimalsanctuary/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloveridgesanctuary