Deborah Andrews’ mom always told her not to feed the strays, but she never listened. The little girl who took in cats, dogs and an array of reptiles now runs Daydream Rescue Sanctuary, a 52-acre parcel of land in Gainesville where she takes care of more than 65 farm animals.

Although Daydream has drained Andrews’ retirement fund and robbed her of a personal life, she is determined to keep her dream alive.

For years Andrews worked in accounting at Publix supermarkets, then in hospital administration. But much of her free time was dedicated to animals, including as a volunteer for Save the Horses, an animal rescue nonprofit run by Cheryl Flanagan in Cumming.

“I learned a lot from Cheryl,” said Andrews, 56. “I helped her with fundraising and even adopted a horse from her. I took a ton of online classes through the University of North Georgia, learning all kinds of medical aspects of animals, biological and physiological. I’m a huge reader and love research, but the best training is life experience, and I’ve had lots of that.”

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

In 2018, Andrews and her family — husband Mike and their daughter Ashley, a photographer who also works at Daydream — were living on six acres in Gainesville taking care of 25 goats and three horses when they found a three-bedroom ranch with 52 acres for sale. Andrews saw their future. She retired from the corporate world and followed her heart.

“It was a calling. I was nervous and scared to use my 401(k) to fund it, but it’s what I had to do,” said Andrews. “I also used money left to me by my aunt and uncle, Rodney and Wanda Day. They loved animals, too, and they had a sailboat named Daydream. That’s where the rescue’s name came from. It’s dedicated to them.”

The family moved into the house, and Andrews spent a year-and-a-half putting up fencing and rebuilding the barn along with the help of a friend. Now the property boasts 12 pastures, an 18-acre hayfield, a 24-stall barn and a chicken house.

Daydream began with one rooster and three horses, but the herd steadily grew through referrals and word-of-mouth. Today it is at maximum capacity with nine cows, 38 horses, 26 goats, one sheep, three potbelly pigs and six hens. The nonprofit’s operating costs are about $3,500 a month, and it does not receive grants or federal funding, nor does it have any sponsors.

“It’s all the bank of Deborah,” quipped Andrews.

Credit: Daydream Rescue Sanctuary

Concerned about her dwindling resources, Andrews and a friend were brainstorming one day ways Daydream could generate a revenue stream. Andrews’ friend, who is Hindu, suggested she train one of her cows to attend a Griha Pravesh, a Hindu housewarming ceremony. Hindus consider cows to be sacred animals, representing good fortune. During a housewarming ceremony, a cow is taken inside the home and walked from room to room to bless the house.

Andrews loved the idea and instantly knew which cow would be the easiest to train. In Daydream’s earliest days, Andrews acquired 2-week-old, sister calves Norma and Annabelle, who were suffering with pneumonia. Andrews hand-raised them and brought them back to health. Annabelle is an especially calm, friendly heifer, and Andrews thought she would be perfect for the job.

“It may sound really strange, but after working with animals for so long, I can feel their feelings and read their demeanor,” said Andrews. “I know Annabelle very well, and she knows me. She listens to me and has confidence in my judgment. Training was long, but not hard.”

For three years Andrews trained Annabelle. She’d pull her from the herd for halter training, take her for long walks up the road and around the farm, and load her on and off the trailer. She taught Annabelle, who weighs around 1,000 pounds, to stay still when children were running around and to take pauses to practice patience. The one skill Andrews didn’t teach the heifer was potty training.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

“With the Hindu culture, it’s a sign of good luck if the cow goes to the bathroom in the house,” said Andrews. “I panicked the first time it happened, but the homeowner and priest reassured me. They scooped it up and took it to the flower garden for good luck.”

In February, Bwani Semmeti’s family of four moved to a new home in Cumming. Semmeti found Daydream on Facebook Marketplace and hired Annabelle for her housewarming.

“We had 200 people attend and my guests loved the cow,” said Semmeti. “It’s like God for us; we worship cows and to us they are auspicious. We decorated her with flowers and fed her fruit from our hands as we do in India. It was very special for my family to honor those traditions from home.”

Annabelle, who wears a silk shawl for the ceremonies, has developed a tradition of her own. When Andrews loads her into the trailer after her work is done, Annabelle gives a big “moo” out the window.

“It’s as if she’s saying, ‘Thank you for having me,‘” said Andrews, who charges $350 per ceremony.

Annabelle attended 20 ceremonies in 2024, which helped create some revenue for Daydream, but more is needed. Andrews’ 401(k) is now depleted and she was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma a year ago. She recently underwent surgery and will be physically limited for the next few months.

Before her illness, Andrews ran Daydream with Ashley and a couple volunteers, but she needed more help while she recovered, so she posted on social media and was encouraged by the response. So far, she has about 20 regular volunteers to assist with weekly shifts, but more are needed, and so are funds.

Andrews has expanded her list of offerings at the farm to include hosting birthday parties, pony visits and riding lessons. She joined Harvest Hosts, a membership program that permits people traveling in RVs to camp on her land for a fee. And she works with Hall County Schools, offering animal therapy for children with autism. She hopes to expand her services to people who suffer from depression and PTSD.

Meanwhile, Ashley launched a GoFundMe at the end of 2024 that has raised about $10,000 so far with a goal of $40,000.

Andrews will do anything she can to make sure her animals, most of which are geriatric, can live out their remaining days at Daydream.

“I try to stay positive and keep a lot of things spinning. … I haven’t changed much since I was a kid,” she said. “I never want to turn an animal away.”