Gentle Acres Animal Haven strives to provide a safe and loving home for animals who have been abused, abandoned, discarded, and have special needs. Providing these sentient beings with shelter and protection enables them to live their lives free from fear and will instead enjoy a safe haven filled with kindness and comfort for the rest of their days.
We advocate eating a diet that is primarily plant-based, a life of nonviolence and justice for animals in factory farming, industrial animal agriculture and the fur industry. Gentle Acres Animal Haven will continue to work to create a kinder, more just world for ourselves, our environment and most of all, for the forgotten animals.
Jeanine Wittlinger, Founder & Director
Jeanine is a veterinary technician who has worked in the field of veterinary medicine for the past twelve years. She has cultivated a wide range of skill-sets ranging from small animal medicine, orthopedic surgery, critical care, and wildlife rehabilitation. Jeanine has also been a foster mom to animals rescued from ASPCA cruelty cases, rescued eight cats from different rescue organizations and recently adopted two Great Pyrenees to work as livestock guarding dogs on the Gentle Acres farm. Throughout her career, she has continued to volunteer at different shelters caring for cats and farm animals.
From September 2018 to August 2019, Jeanine volunteered in Africa for the Cheetah Conservation Fund. While in Namibia, she had the honor of working with some of this planet’s most majestic animals, including not only cheetahs, but African wild dogs, brown hyenas, goats, sheep, cows, and Anatolian Shepherd livestock guarding dogs.
Jeanine’s mission in founding Gentle Acres Animal Haven is to foster a safe space for abused, neglected, abandoned, and special needs factory farmed animals so that these sentient beings are able to live their lives in comfort, with dignity, and with the loving care they so deserve. Jeanine tries to live by the motto, “Be Kind To Every Kind.”
Alexis Mitchell, Co-founder
Alexis believes that only when we learn the importance of treating animals humanely will we begin to understand the value of treating one another with compassion; her purpose is to serve her community to help foster this sense of compassion.
Alexis has been working in the field of animal welfare for over ten years. After Katrina she worked at a federal, state and local level developing animal emergency preparedness and response plans to facilitate a safe, environmentally sound and efficient response to animal emergencies. As a licensed veterinary technician Alexis has worked in shelter, general practice, and critical care medicine. She joined the ASPCA Field Investigation and Response team in 2015 responding to cruelty such as dog and cock fighting, hoarding, and puppy mill cases. Alexis is the founder of NamaSpay, a combined yoga and animal welfare effort highlighting spay/neuter as the most effective way to reduce our animal homeless population.
Marli, Snow Temptress
Rescued by our founder’s son as a wee kitten, Marli was taken from her mom before she was weaned and left in a room with no food, water or cat litter.
At nine years old, Marli has reigned queen over our family ever since!
Leo, Lion King
Leo was dropped off at a high-kill West Virginia shelter because of urinating outside of the litter box, urinary blockage and bladder crystals. Leo’s issues require a specialized diet as well as long-term medication and specialty veterinary care.
Our family was happy to take that specialty care on for such a very special sir and have been doing so for almost thirteen years now.
Ruby,
Head Chick in Charge
Along with her brother Anakin, Ruby was kept outside in a 10’x10’ dog pen in the very hot state of Alabama. Eventually Ruby’s owners had to sell their farm in order to care for a sick relative and luckily agreed to relinquish her to the National Great Pyrenees Rescue.
This three year old Great Pyrenees/Border Collie mix can now live the life for which she was born, running carefree on our haven’s land and performing her livestock guarding duties for our rescue animals.
Anakin, Gentlest Giant
Adopted with his sister Ruby from the National Great Pyrenees Rescue, Anakin has quickly established himself as everyone’s safe fluffy space since we brought him home in March 2021.
With all of his 90 lb goodness, Anakin welcomes and cares for every creature that enters our haven, ensuring to spread his love in between snacking and snoozing.
Penny, Street Urchin
Traveling all the way from New Jersey, Penelope (aka “Penny”) arrived July of 2022 as the very first kitten to join our GAAH family.
Penelope came to us from Homeward Bound Rescue as one of the many “overflow” kittens all shelters get during kitten season, a time of heightened need for feline adoption.
Our feline brood has some extra spice now with the fervor this little rascal brings to it.
Charlie, Resident Gremlin
Abandoned, found, and brought to his true home. Charlie was scooped up by a kind-hearted passerby, emaciated, dehydrated, covered in a skin infection and bite wounds and lacerations, fleas and ticks. This scrappy fighter knew if given the chance he would be a survivor. We couldn’t be happier that he chose to not only survive but thrive as part of our pack.