About Four Roots Ranch
Rooted in family. Built for second chances.
Four Roots Ranch Animal Sanctuary is a family-run nonprofit in Bend, Oregon, where we provide lifelong care for alpacas, llamas, and a small collection of other animals who have found their way to us over the years.
Most of the animals here came to us after being rescued, rehomed, or retired. Seniors, animals with medical needs, or ones who simply had nowhere else to go. We don't take them in temporarily. When an animal comes here, this is home.
Where the Name Came From
Four Roots actually started as a homeschool name. When we began educating our four kids at home, we wanted something that reflected our family - our kids were the four roots, learning and growing together. A year or two later, when we started taking in animals, the name just came with us.
It fit. And over time, the meaning grew.
Our logo intentionally has four animals, one for each of our kids. And our tagline, Rooted in family. Built for second chances, tells both halves of our story: our family at the heart of it, and the animals who have been given second chances and now call this place home, too.
Our kids have grown up in the middle of it all. They’ve learned how to welcome an animal home, how to recognize when an animal seems off, and how to sit quietly with one who is struggling. They’ve also gotten to watch animals who arrived scared and shut down slowly come around. Seeing an animal finally feel at home never gets old, and we think it’s a pretty remarkable thing to grow up around.
Who We Care For
Alpacas and llamas are at the heart of our sanctuary. Over time, as our camelid herd grew, we began focusing our intake around them. They make up the largest part of our family, and caring for them is the work we know most deeply.
So why are we a sanctuary and not a rescue? There are some very wonderful rescues doing incredible work in the camelid world, and we're grateful for every one of them. We aren’t trying to replicate their efforts. Animal rescues typically focus on saving animals and finding them adoptive homes. A sanctuary provides lifelong care for animals that need a permanent home. Both do important work - the difference is mainly whether the goal is rehoming or long-term refuge. Our goal for every animal that comes to Four Roots Ranch is for our sanctuary to be their forever home.
While alpacas and llamas are our primary focus, the goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, barn cats, and others who found their way here are just as much a part of Four Roots as anyone else.
Many of the animals that come to us are in the later chapters of their lives. We think a lot about what it would mean to spend your last years somewhere unfamiliar, scared, or alone. When they arrive here, they join a big herd with a whole lot of personality, and for a lot of them, that social connection matters just as much as the physical care.
What Daily Life Actually Looks Like
There is something really good about a life built around animals. There is also a lot of poop. A lot of sanctuary life happens in the unglamorous, everyday moments. Morning and evening wellness checks, feedings, cleaning stalls, scooping poop, giving medications, watching how everyone moves, eats, and interacts, and learning each animal well enough to notice when something feels off.
Seasonal care adds its own rhythm. Spring means shearing, annual vaccinations, and prepping the pastures for grass. Summer means keeping everyone cool and making sure no one overheats. Fall means pumpkin donations, which help keep the herd healthy and are very popular around here, and prepping for winter. Winter means extra hay, checking water lines, and keeping an eye on the seniors to see who may need a coat for extra warmth.
And then there are the vet visits and the middle-of-the-night emergencies that come with caring for a large herd. There are also the tears that come when it's an animal's time to go, and sitting with them to make sure they know they are loved right up until their very last moments. That’s the hard stuff. But there's also a lot of watching them run and play in the pasture, lounge in the sun, and do the carefree things that animals do when they feel safe and comfortable. That part makes the hard parts bearable. Most of what you see on social media is the cute stuff, and we get it, that's what people usually want to see. But sanctuary work is hard, and we think it matters to say that and to show that, too, from time to time. It takes a physical and emotional toll, it’s expensive, and it does not stop. We do it because we think it's important and because these animals deserve it.
Stay Connected
We share sanctuary updates, animal stories, and behind-the-scenes moments on our Substack.
It’s where we write about life at the sanctuary as it unfolds, from the everyday routines of caring for our residents to the quieter moments that don’t always fit into a quick social media post.
Substack is the best place to follow along with what’s happening here, get to know the animals more personally, and stay connected to the work of Four Roots Ranch. Click here to subscribe,
