This moment is everything, whispered Laurie Zaleski’s heart as she watched her terminally ill mother, Annie McNulty, walk the property Laurie had just bought for her. It wasn’t simply a barn on 15 acres nestled in Mays Landing, New Jersey, it was her mother’s dream—a place with plenty of room for Annie’s 35 rescue animals to live happy lives.

But just two weeks before the farm was officially hers, Annie lost her battle with cancer.

Grieving and shattered, Laurie drew in a breath and made a decision that would dramatically change the course of her life. You’ve saved so many animals throughout the years, Mom. Now it’s time for your dream to be rescued, Laurie vowed.

Funny Farm Rescue’s acres of love

Laurie moved the rescue animals to the small farm, and she knew just what to name their new sanctuary. “I’m calling it the Funny Farm Rescue,” she announced, drawing on the name her mother gave to the crazy menagerie Laurie and her two siblings grew up with.

As a single mother struggling to make ends meet, Annie worked at an animal shelter, where she brought home every animal facing euthanasia. Their humble abode became home to a small zoo—including a baby horse, raccoons, a pig, a goose, squirrels, rabbits, chickens, a skunk and many cats and dogs. “It’s truly a funny farm,” Annie would joke.

Now, the name would live on, but juggling the farm with her thriving career as founder and CEO of Art-Z Graphics became Laurie’s biggest challenge.

Can I even handle this by myself? she wondered daily, feeling fearful and alone. But then out of the blue, during a moment of despair, her mother’s distinct presence warmed her like a much-needed hug. “Get up and do it!” Laurie heard her mom say—and from that moment on, there was no turning back.

Drawing on what she had learned from caring for rescue animals most of her life, and leaning on help from her sister and close friends, Laurie began taking in more animals in need. Before long, the original 35 animals grew to 200.

Laurie would feed the animals early, go to work all day, then come home late and feed the animals again. Sleep was in short supply, but she never questioned her decision. The Funny Farm isn’t just a labor of love, she realized, it’s my new calling.

Living the dream at Funny Farm Rescue

For the next 11 years, Laurie took in hundreds of rescue animals by word of mouth—most of them unwanted, abused, elderly or disabled. With the animal count now reaching 400, things were expanding quickly. Horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, mini horses, turkeys, alpacas, emus and swans—no animal was refused a safe place to live.

This is getting bigger than I ever dreamed, Laurie realized, and she decided to apply for official nonprofit status (FunnyFarmRescue.org) so she could help more animals. With the aid of generous donors and volunteers, Laurie soon began opening the farm for public visits two days a week on her days off.

Admission will always be free in Mom’s honor, Laurie decided with a smile and a tear in her eye, thinking of how her mother would have wanted everyone to have access to the joy, comfort and education the ­animals can provide.

As word spread online, volunteers and visitors began coming from all over the world. Some were veterans with PTSD, who found healing, calm and a sense of hope at the sanctuary, which gave them a new perspective on life.

“The Funny Farm saves animals and people too,” exclaimed one of those grateful volunteers.

Now, 25 years later, the Funny Farm Rescue is home to more than 700 animals and hosts festivals, community events, weddings and “Critter Camps” for kids. It is open on Tuesdays and Sundays year-round and even hosts a Funny Farm Live Show on Facebook each week.

Because of her dedication and hard work, Laurie has not only won national honors but has turned the Funny Farm Rescue into one of the largest animal sanctuaries in the country, where millions of people are inspired by so many happy endings.

“I feel my mother looking down on me from Heaven every single day,” shares Laurie, who wrote the book Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals in 2022, describing her life- changing journey. “Mom’s dream became my dream. Her love lives on through me, and I am so honored and thankful for all that she has taught me,” Laurie adds. “We have made a difference in the lives of so many animals and people, and I owe that all to her.”