Today we’d like to introduce you to Iris Pisko.
Hi Iris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The Story of Fandango Sanctuary
Fandango Sanctuary began with one woman, a big heart, and a simple belief that every animal deserves love, safety, and a place to call home.
In 2005, while working in real estate and raising four children as a single mother, Iris Beaugrand repeatedly encountered farm animals that had been neglected, abandoned, or simply no longer wanted. Unable to turn away from animals in need, she began taking them in one by one, providing food, shelter, medical care, and most importantly, a second chance.
What started as a personal mission quickly grew into a lifelong commitment. As word spread, more animals arrived—horses, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and many others—each with their own story and each deserving compassion.
Over the years, Fandango Sanctuary evolved from a small rescue effort into a safe haven for more than 100 rescued farm animals. In 2019, the organization officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, allowing the sanctuary to expand its impact and serve even more animals in need. (ProPublica)
Today, Fandango Sanctuary is a place where forgotten animals find healing, friendship, and a forever home. Visitors often discover that the sanctuary rescues more than animals—it inspires kindness, teaches compassion, and creates meaningful connections between people and the animals who call it home.
Through hurricanes, challenges, and countless rescues, the mission has never changed: to rescue, care, love, and repeat.
Every animal at Fandango Sanctuary is living proof that one act of compassion can change a life forever.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Challenges Behind Fandango Sanctuary
The story of Fandango Sanctuary is one of compassion, perseverance, and determination in the face of constant challenges.
Since opening its gates in 2005, Fandango Sanctuary has provided a safe haven for animals that were neglected, abandoned, abused, or simply no longer wanted. But rescuing animals is only the beginning. Every animal that arrives requires food, shelter, veterinary care, and lifelong commitment. Unlike traditional shelters, many sanctuary residents remain for the rest of their lives, making their care a responsibility that never ends.
Operating a farm animal sanctuary in Florida presents unique difficulties. Rising feed costs, veterinary expenses, maintenance, and infrastructure needs place a continual strain on limited resources. Caring for horses, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and turkeys requires significant daily labor, regardless of weather, holidays, or personal circumstances.
Perhaps the greatest challenges have come from natural disasters. Hurricanes Ian and Helene caused devastating damage to the sanctuary, destroying structures, flooding animal areas, and creating enormous financial burdens. During these storms, the safety of the animals became the highest priority, requiring emergency preparations, evacuations, repairs, and months of recovery.
Despite these hardships, Fandango Sanctuary has never closed its doors to animals in need. The sanctuary’s commitment has remained unwavering: every animal deserves protection, dignity, and a loving forever home.
Today, one of the sanctuary’s greatest needs is the construction of a hurricane-safe barn. Such a facility would provide secure shelter during severe weather, protect vulnerable animals, reduce emergency risks, and ensure that future storms do not threaten the lives of the animals who depend on the sanctuary for safety.
Fandango Sanctuary exists because compassion refused to give up. Every rescued life represents countless hours of work, sacrifice, and dedication. With community support, the sanctuary can continue its mission and provide a safe future for generations of rescued animals to come.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What Makes Fandango Sanctuary Different
Fandango Sanctuary is more than a refuge for unwanted farm animals—it is a place where animals are given the opportunity to heal, trust again, and live out their lives with dignity and love.
What sets Fandango Sanctuary apart is our commitment to providing lifelong care for animals that often have nowhere else to go. We specialize in rescuing farm animals with special needs, senior animals, animals requiring ongoing medical care, and those who have suffered neglect, abandonment, or abuse. Many arrive frightened, injured, or emotionally traumatized. Our focus is not simply rescue—it is rehabilitation, healing, and providing a permanent home.
Unlike many rescues that concentrate on one species, Fandango Sanctuary cares for a diverse family of animals including horses, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. This allows animals from different backgrounds to live in safe, enriching environments where they can form bonds, express natural behaviors, and experience life free from fear and exploitation.
Our sanctuary was founded not by a large organization, but by a single mother with a vision and an unwavering commitment to animals in need. That grassroots beginning continues to shape everything we do. Every animal is treated as an individual with a name, a story, and a unique personality. We believe rescue is not about numbers—it is about lives.
Fandango Sanctuary is also deeply committed to education and advocacy. By welcoming visitors and sharing the stories of our residents, we help people develop a deeper understanding of farm animals as intelligent, emotional beings deserving of compassion and respect.
What truly separates Fandango Sanctuary from other farm sanctuaries is our promise: when an animal comes through our gates, they are home. No matter their age, medical condition, or special needs, they are cared for, loved, and protected for the rest of their lives.
Our mission is simple:
Rescue. Care. Love. Repeat.
Every day, we work to prove that every life matters and that compassion has the power to transform both animals and people.
Any big plans?
Building a Safe Future
For more than 20 years, Fandango Sanctuary has provided a forever home for rescued farm animals. Today, more than 100 animals depend on us for safety, care, and protection.
After experiencing the devastation of Hurricanes Ian and Helene, we know that our greatest need is a hurricane-safe concrete barn. This 2,000-square-foot facility will provide secure shelter for horses, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats, and other sanctuary residents during severe weather and natural disasters.
The barn will protect vulnerable animals, safeguard feed and medical supplies, and ensure that the animals entrusted to our care have a safe place when storms threaten.
The estimated cost of this life-saving project is $350,000. We are seeking donors, sponsors, and community partners to help make this vision a reality.
This is more than a barn—it is a promise that every rescued animal will have a safe haven through every storm.
Help us build security, hope, and protection for generations of rescued animals to come.
Pricing:
- Farm tours $ 25
- Private tours $ 135
- Sponsor an animal $ 25-500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://FandangoSanctuary.org
- Facebook: Fandango Sanctuary
