Why We Rescue

At Cash’s Crew Rescue, we believe every donkey, horse, mule, and farm animal deserves to feel safe, loved, and seen.

So many of the animals that arrive here did not come from the kinds of abuse stories people expect. Some were once deeply loved. Some belonged to families who fell on hard times. Some were older working animals no longer considered “useful.” Others were passed through auctions, neglected, abandoned, or pushed into the slaughter pipeline simply because nobody stepped in fast enough.

That is the heartbreaking reality of the slaughter industry.

Many people imagine that only sick or dangerous animals end up there — but that simply is not true. Healthy horses. Gentle donkeys. Pregnant mamas. Babies still nursing. Animals that once carried children, worked farms, or trusted humans with their whole hearts can all end up in the pipeline when their lives are reduced to a dollar amount.

While horse slaughter facilities no longer operate in the United States, hundreds of American horses and donkeys are still transported across borders every single week to be slaughtered for human consumption in other countries. Many endure long, terrifying journeys packed into trailers, separated from everything familiar, only to face unimaginable fear and suffering at the end of their lives.

The donkey crisis worldwide is equally devastating.

An estimated 4–6 million donkeys are slaughtered every year globally for their skins, which are used to produce ejiao — a gelatin commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine and luxury products. As demand has increased, donkeys around the world have been stolen, trafficked, neglected, and slaughtered at alarming rates, devastating communities that rely on these gentle animals for daily survival and companionship.

And yet, despite all of this suffering, donkeys remain some of the most loving, loyal, intelligent animals we have ever known.

We have stood in auction yards.
We have looked into terrified eyes.
We have watched animals cling to one another for comfort.
And we have witnessed the unimaginable relief they feel when, for the first time in a very long time, someone chooses them instead of abandoning them.

Rescue is not glamorous.
It is exhausting, emotional, expensive, and at times heartbreaking beyond words.

There are days filled with incredible joy — watching a frightened donkey learn to trust again, seeing neglected hooves finally healed, witnessing blind animals regain confidence, or watching a rescued baby finally feel safe enough to rest.

But there are also devastating moments.
Moments when we arrive too late.
Moments when trauma runs too deep.
Moments that stay with us forever.

Still, we continue.

Because every life matters.
Because love can transform even the most broken spirit.
Because these animals feel fear, grief, comfort, friendship, and joy just like we do.
And because we believe rescue is about more than saving lives — it is about restoring dignity, safety, and hope.

Cash’s Crew Rescue exists to be a place where unwanted animals become cherished again.
A place where healing happens slowly and gently.
A place where animals are not valued for what they produce, but for who they are.

When you support this rescue, you are not just donating to a farm.
You are helping rewrite endings.
You are helping terrified animals become safe.
You are helping neglected souls finally experience kindness.
You are becoming part of every single second chance we are able to give.

And for that, we will never have enough words to thank you.