Ottawa's Therapy Sheep Get a Second Chance
In Ottawa, community spirit has a way of showing up exactly when it's needed most. When Jody Turvey learned that the farm housing her two therapy sheep was going up for sale, she faced the heartbreaking prospect of giving away animals she'd spent years bonding with — creatures that had become an essential part of her therapeutic work.
Turvey's sheep aren't just pets. They're working animals, used in therapy sessions to help people dealing with stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges. Losing them wouldn't just be a personal loss — it could mean disrupting the lives of the people who relied on those gentle, woolly companions for comfort and healing.
A Community Lifeline
With the clock ticking and no obvious solution in sight, Turvey turned to her community. What happened next was the kind of story that restores your faith in people.
A complete stranger reached out, offering not just temporary shelter, but a permanent home on their own property — a place where they already kept therapy sheep of their own. It was, in many ways, a perfect match: the new hosts understood the animals' purpose, knew how to care for them, and appreciated their value beyond the barnyard.
For Turvey, the relief was immediate and profound. Instead of rehoming animals she loved to someone unknown, she found a placement that felt right — a farm family who got it.
Why Therapy Animals Matter
Therapy animals, including sheep, have grown in popularity across Canada as practitioners and community organizations recognize the calming effect animals can have on people navigating mental health challenges. Sheep in particular are known for their gentle temperament, making them well-suited for therapeutic settings involving children, seniors, or anyone who benefits from quiet, grounded animal interaction.
For small-scale operators like Turvey, maintaining access to their animals is directly tied to their ability to serve clients. Losing the farm space wasn't just an inconvenience — it was a potential end to a practice built on trust between human and animal.
The Bigger Picture
This story speaks to a broader challenge facing therapy animal practitioners in the Ottawa region: the precarious reality of farming and animal care in an era of rising land values and property sales. When farms change hands, the animals and the people who depend on them can be left scrambling.
It also speaks to something Ottawa does quietly well — neighbours looking out for each other, strangers becoming part of each other's stories, and community filling the gaps that systems can't.
Turvey's sheep are safe. And somewhere on a farm outside the city, two therapy flocks are now grazing side by side.
Source: CBC Ottawa