Lakyn Shultz is known for being the rescuer for horses and farm animals that would otherwise be euthanized or sold at auction. Lakyn, 21, is the founder of Furvivors, a 501c3 nonprofit based in Kirkwood, PA dedicated to providing homes and happy lives for farm animals needing extra support. But now Lakyn needs extra support for herself, and the farm, as she recovers from a car accident that occurred December 9th.

Lakyn was traveling around midnight on December 9th on Homeville Road when she swerved to avoid a deer, causing her truck to sideswipe a phone poll, then hydroplane into a tree head on. She was taken to Paoli Hospital for her injuries and was discharged to Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital. She wasn’t there long before she started to have intense pain on her left side, and tests showed her white blood cell count doubled, signaling an infection. On December 18th, Lakyn underwent a procedure to try to identify the source of internal bleeding with results still unclear. Her mother, Jo Jo Shultz, explained that beyond financial support for the farm, the rescue is need of hands to help keep it running. Lakyn is the boots-on-the-ground half of the relationship, and keeps the farm running day to day with a volunteer team of around 8 people. 

Furvivors is home to 21 horses and other farm animals on 41 acres of land. Jo Jo and Lakyn began leasing the farm in July of 2023, and hope to one day own their own. The mother-daughter duo began rescuing horses when Lakyn was looking for a new horse at an auction and was appalled by what she saw. “The sad, neglected, lonely, old, and young, teeny tiny, and sick horses stood in rows waiting to face their fate. Big and small. Mini and even mini-er. Mama's with babies.” Explains Lakyn on Furvivors website. She ended up falling in love with a Percheron and took him home to rescue, and Furvivors was born. “We don’t have to look for them anymore, they find us now,” explained Jo Jo. “A lot of them are surrenders from people that can’t care for them anymore. Most recently we took in an amish buggy horse that worked for them for 20 years, and they did not want to send her to auction.” The Furvivors crew spends a lot of time interacting with the community to spread the importance of horse and farm animal rescue. They’ve brought horses to various events, including First Fridays, Highland Orchards, and even West Goshen Elementary school. 

To keep the farm sanctuary running, Furvivors is asking for volunteers. Experience is not necessary to help with most jobs, and volunteers can expect to work about 2 hours completing tasks like cleaning, filling water and feeding animals. Horse-experienced volunteers can help groom and care for the horses. Volunteers can fill out the form online at https://furvivors.org/volunteer, or email [email protected]. 

Dover Saddlery in Hockessin has made Furvivors the beneficiary of their Christmas Giving Tree, in which ornament donations benefit Furvivors. Find out more information at www.facebook.com/DoverSaddleryHockessinDE. 

The GoFundMe for Furvivors during Lakyn’s recovery is available at https://www.gofundme.com/f/lakyn-furvivors-needs-our-help.

Find out more about Furvivors by visiting their website at www.furvivors.org.