

Luvin Arms is a nonprofit animal sanctuary for abused or neglected farmed animals in Erie, Colorado.
Our rescued residents were left with nowhere to turn and would have been slaughtered if they hadn’t been saved.
Ahimsa is practiced in every thought, action, and feeling at Luvin Arms. Ahimsa is our core principle by which we operate, it always has been. Luvin Arms is a community of volunteers, supporters, and staff that brings ahimsa into practice. Ahimsa is front and center with our animal residents first, all of whom come from degrading and violent situations. Today, they live healthy and happy lives on the sanctuary.
Luvin Arms is nationally recognized for their educational outreach that inspires a more compassionate world.
Since our founding in 2015, Luvin Arms has directly saved over 800 animal lives, and tens of thousands of more lives through our education and outreach.
Here is some information on how animals are treated and the impacts on our health and environment.
Go ahead, get educated!
At Luvin Arms, our residents live joyful & happy lives. But that is not how it is for many animals.
We love holding events!
Come and visit with the residents.
We have exciting things going on every week. Check out our calendar and get scheduled to come out visit. See you soon!
Cocoa and Cuddles Tour at Luvin Arms
February 4, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Cocoa and Cuddles Tour at Luvin Arms
February 5, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Spend Time With Our Residents
Schedule time to meet & connect with our residents. We can’t wait to see you!
Volunteers are an important part of Luvin Arms.
Join us as a short or long term volunteer and provide quality care for our animal residents. Each shift includes plenty of resident cuddle time!
Let’s work together to connect our community through compassion.
We love getting kids involved!
Research shows that kids who learn kindness to animals will likely expand that kindness to their peers and others as they grow up.
Check out all the amazing opportunities we offer to get your kids involved.
Celebrate Your Birthday With Us
We need your help to stop the mistreatment of farmed animals everywhere.
Support our animal advocacy outreach by signing petitions, demanding that this abuse stop immediately. We must share the truth about the abuse of farmed animals.
Make a difference for farmed animals everywhere.
Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary is a 501c3 organization and your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Clean and comfortable bedding is essential to the health and longevity of
The Luvin Arms Holiday Gift Guide is here! We’ve taken the guesswork
Stay Connected With Your Favorite Resident
Did you fall in love with one of our residents?
Consider sponsorship and stay connected with them through the years!
Throughout the year we focus on different needs within the sanctuary and global concerns.
All the work we do is funded by considerate donors, like you. Your generosity means the world to our residents.
Luvin Arms is seeking to partner with like-minded brands and business.
Partnerships are designed to support each other. We look forward to discussing how we can work together to deliver our mission and increase our shared impact on the world.
Shop to Show Your Love
Show the world who you love by sporting some Luvin Arms gear. Get yours today!
The residents of Luvin Arms can't wait to share their story with you.
When you need some resident love but can’t make it for a visit, check in with your flock on social media.
Enjoy their friendly faces right in your feed. Sit back and let the enjoyment our residents spread come to you — in the comfort of your own home.
There is so much happening at Luvin Arms
Our residents keep us busy…and we love it!
You’ll find inspiring stories and critical sanctuary updates within our blog. Not to mention the cute faces of our residents.
We hope you will turn to us when looking for inspiration and connection. Then leave feeling empowered to create change that leads to more compassionate choices.
We "luv" being featured in the news!
We’re humbled to be featured in many publications and broadcasts including Animal Planet, Associated Press, Compassion Over Killing, 9News Denver, CBS Denver, Psychology Today, and more!
Read about the amazing things we are doing for animals!
Luvin Arms has a lot going on, so we are sure you have questions -- bring them!
Want to learn more about Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary?
Have questions about our residents?
Ready to volunteer?
Just want to say hello?
We’re always happy to hear from you.
Cows are sensitive, intelligent, and social individuals with unique personalities. They have a variety of complex emotions, and are shown to demonstrate emotional contagion, a sign of empathy. Emotional contagion is when one cow experiences the same emotion of another after seeing the other cow experiencing distress, enjoyment, or another emotion. Cows also show an emotional reaction to learning. They can feel happiness or satisfaction after learning, which may indicate that they have a sense of self-agency.¹
Cows form complex social groups, and have even been shown to be capable of social learning.¹ They can form bonds with humans and enjoy affection and playing together.
Sadly, around 300 million cows are killed every year for food.²
The average cow raised for beef will start their life on an open range land. There, cows are sometimes branded with hot irons or have ear tags pierced through their ears to show ownership, both of which can be quite painful.3 Male cows will also have their testicles cut off without the use of anesthesia.3
After they are about a year old, the cows are brought to a feedlot or stockyard where they are crowded together with no access to grazing.3 They are fed diets made up mostly of corn to fatten them up as quickly as possible. Often times, the overcrowding and poor feed can cause infections and other health issues. As a result, antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones are given to the cows via injection to keep them healthy.3
Cows that are able to walk are rounded up onto trucks for transport to slaughter houses at around 30 to 42 months of age.4 Cows that are unable to stand are considered “downed” and are euthanized.3 In transport, many cows do not make it due to the long trips that may even be hundreds or thousands of miles.5 For the cows that do make it to the slaughterhouse, they are supposed to be rendered unconscious by a bolt gun to their head. However, the bolt guns are not very accurate and often, many cows are still conscious when they are hung upside down by their back legs.5 Once they are hung up, the cow’s throat is slit and they bleed to death. The average slaughterhouse can kill up to 400 cows per hour.5
In order to produce milk, female cows have to be pregnant. Because of this, the cows are continually artificially inseminated even while they are still lactating from the previous pregnancy.5 The constant milk production and birthing puts a great strain on a cow’s body.5
After the cow gives birth, her calf is often immediately taken from her so they will not drink her milk. If the calf is a female, she will be raised to replace her mother as a dairy cow. If the calf is a male, he will be sent to a veal farm, where he will be kept in a severely confined crate and fed a deficient diet until he is slaughtered at 16 to 18 weeks old.5
Most dairy cows are kept in indoor facilities where they get food and water. They are milked using machines that are hooked up to their udders.3 Often times, their tails are docked without anesthesia for easier access to their udders. Many dairy cows do not even get to go outside to graze.3
After three to four years of constant milk production, dairy cows are typically sent to slaughter.5 Their milk production starts to slow and they are no longer efficient enough for the industry. For perspective, cows have an average lifespan of 15-20 years.6
Sources
The best way to stop this kind of treatment is to switch to a plant-based diet. There are so many amazing plant-based alternatives to beef and dairy that you can enjoy without any of the cruelty.
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