Skip to content
(828) 348-8770Donate

Union Mills, North Carolina

A safe, loving and enduring home for farm and exotic animals.

The animals that come to Happy Tales are surrounded by safety and love. Nothing is asked of them, they do not need to perform to remain safe and loved.

DonateMeet Our Animals
A woolly sheep wearing a flower crown, with red barns and Blue Ridge foothills behind
“When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being, I see a friend. I feel a soul.”
A.D. Williams

Welcome to the tale of Happy Tales Animal Sanctuary!

To provide a SAFE, LOVING and ENDURING home for farm and exotic animals through fostering and nurturing the human-animal connection.

  1. Our Philosophy

    At the core of every single being, is the inherent need for safety. Feeling safe allows for beings to truly thrive and experience love. At Happy Tales Animal Sanctuary each animal has a SAFE place to live out their lives, where they are loved, completely cared for and accepted for exactly who they are.

  2. Our Purpose

    Is to provide an individualized species-specific holistic approach to the healing and well being of each animal, no matter the circumstance they came from.

  3. Our Vow

    We vow to keep these animals safe for the remainder of their natural lives and to allow them to transition on when it is their time, as peacefully as possible and always surrounded by love.

Who lives here

Meet Our AnimalsPhotos

We take care of everything from hamsters to birds, from foxes to pigs, from a porcupine to cows, from horses to ... an African sand cat!

  • A close-up of a soft grey chinchillaTwo horses grazing in a pasture under a clear blue sky
  • A green tree frog resting on an open handA goat eating hay in front of a red barn
  • A pot belly pig looking up at the cameraA young porcupine asleep, curled against a dark blanket
  • Two donkeys standing in a green, tree-lined paddockA woolly sheep wearing a flower crown, with red barns and Blue Ridge foothills behind
  • A horse grazing in tall grass as the evening light fadesCattle sharing a hay feeder on a snowy morning

Ways to help the animals

  1. Give

    Your support helps us keep the animals healthy and safe!

    Donate

  2. Become a Member

    Recurring giving is a reliable and sustainable way to support Happy Tales Animal Sanctuary. Choose Monthly on the giving page.

    How giving works

  3. Visit

    Private tours are available by appointment. Meet, interact, and learn about the animals.

    (828) 348-8770Email us

  4. Stay in touch

    Happy Tales eNews, our news page and Facebook.

    eNewsNewsFacebook

You can also come visit our sanctuary!

While we no longer travel, we do offer private tours for those that want to experience the animals and the sanctuary in person.

Call (828) 348-8770 or email us to book your tour today! Animal Experiences

Our historyFrom a first rescued bird to Animal Experiences in 2005, and on to the sanctuary in Union Mills today.Read the history

We run on donations and are immensely grateful for any donation, big or small, that we receive, as any amount makes a difference.

DonateAbout the Sanctuary