Conversations with Sandy Calvin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Calvin.

Hi Sandy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Farfel’s Farm Dog & Cat Boutique was named after a Seinfeld episode that was based on an episode of Jerry with a silly, crazy unseen Sheepdog named Farfel. We thought it was a perfect name to express the optimistic and joyful hopes we had for our store’s future. Farfel’s Farm’s doors opened in 2005 as a dog & cat boutique. It was just a few years later that Farfel’s Farm & Rescue was born.

I was born a dog-lover and rescued my first dog at 6 years old. He was a 10 pound spotted Terrier that I named Jingles that wandered through our neighborhood on a summer day. He happily accepted my hugs, and it was at that moment that my fate was sealed. I imagined a childhood vision of saving every dog and placing them in a perfect home with a dog-crazy 6-year old girl just like me.

Farfel’s was born of the hard work and dedication of my husband Jeff and myself. We created a boutique that served the fun spirit of dog and cats. We concentrated on products that would stay true to Fair Trade principles that require manufacturers to promote sustainable livelihoods and safe working conditions for farmers and workers.

We were thrilled that our boutique seemed to hit a nerve in the Boulder community. It was only natural as we grew to set our sights on rescuing shelter dogs at risk of euthanasia. Without a real plan, we changed our name to Farfel’s Farm & Rescue and never looked back.

It has now been 20 years of Farfel’s Farm thriving. We were immediately embraced by the amazing animal-crazy Boulder community and our tiny store became a center for dog/cat related events, nutritional questions, training challenges and spirited conversation.

It was through the continued support of animal rescue in Boulder that Farfel’s Farm & Rescue took its name and became an active rescuer of at-risk shelter dogs. We created partnerships with shelters in cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Bernadino and cities across Arkansas. Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. We were also so excited to participate in international rescue in Tijuana, Isla Mujeres and Santorini, Greece.

Our efforts continue today. We’ve added Hope and Rock to our team and with just 4 dedicated animal advocates, we are proud to say that we’ve rescued 6,000 homeless dogs in our 20 years. All of this while our boutique thrives as a voice for dogs experiencing cruelty, hoarding, inhumane breeding and scary shelter conditions resulting in euthanasia.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been smooth. With all our efforts and hopes, animal abuse still exists. It has been a constant fight and heartbreak to fight against those who view smaller beings as being acceptable targets for our own wrath, sadness and hopelessness.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While rescuing shelter dogs has always been our passion and the recipient of many of our efforts at Farfel’s, for fun we’ve created 4 generations of parody dog toys and poop bags that make fun of current political figures.

Our bandanas for both dogs and people are perfect for those who want to celebrate their home state or a visit to Colorado. Original photographs by Farfel’s owners, Sandy and Jeff highlight the beauty of our Rocky Mountain state. Our bandanas are stylin’ for both dogs and their humans and are sooo soft, wrinkle-free and perfect for gifting

Any big plans?
I’ll always be rescuing since it’s not only my passion but has been the path of my life since age 6. I’m also beginning work on a program to teach children about compassion for animals. Our plan is to go into elementary schools in mostly rural areas with coloring books and games that support empathy for all beings. We hope this in turn will create an understanding that all life has value and must be treated with respect.

In addition, I’ve been writing a book titled “Rescue Dogs and The People They Save” for over a year. It’s a compilation of some of our most riveting and touching stories from life-saving rescue successes.

Contact Info:

• Website: farfels.com
• Instagram: Farfel’s Farm
• Facebook: Farfel’s Farm and Farfel’s Farm Adopters