By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.-In partnership with Michigan Humane Society, Abraham Ranch will soon bring a farm animal rescue to the township.
“My husband and I bought the property over a year ago now, and it was always the goal to be a place for an animal rescue,” said Katie Abraham, who owns the ranch with her husband Erik. The couple also has a two and a half year old daughter and a baby due March 2022.
Abraham is on the board for the Michigan Humane Society, and when they bought the property, previously home to O.A.T.S., they decided to allow the space to be used by Michigan Humane for a farm animal rescue. While they held their grand opening on Oct. 23, the property is still under construction.
“Michigan Humane has to turn a lot of animals away because their shelters are not set up for farm animals,” she said. “We spent the last year building out a barn, chicken coop, we have 11 different pastures, water habitats, trails for enrichment. We are allowing them (Michigan Humane) to utilize the space for free, and they will be using the space to work with farm animals.”
The main barn has space for rehabilitation, a birthing stall, and more. Currently there are no adoptable animals on the property, but Abraham calls the two resident horses Abraham Ranch Ambassadors.“My husband and I have actually rescued two, we have a beautiful Arabian and a mini horse,” she said. “They will live there all the time.”

The 80 acre property on Weidemann Drive former home to O.A.T.S., Offering Alternative Therapy with Smiles, which moved to Groveland Township in 2017. While the property was in need of repair, the Abrahams were willing to take on the project.
“Honestly, we pulled in and it was just breathtaking,” said Abraham. “You feel kind of like you’re transported, there’s this unbelievable wow factor. There’s a main house as well as a caretaker house, and a barn, which we had to basically scrap and build new for the most part. But it checked all the boxes, plus it had that extra special feel about it.”
The goal is to accommodate the number of animals that Michigan Humane gets a year, typically around 145.
“It depends on the different types of species,” she said. “They are going to be doing fundraising to be prepared to do that on site. Everything they do from the rescue side, the medical care, behavioral care, as well as food, all of that depends on a combination of things, the need and the funding. From a space standpoint, we can handle a lot of animals. It depends on staffing and volunteers, and what they can afford.”
Volunteering and adoption will be handled by the Michigan Humane Society, and currently the property is not open to the public. But once the facility is up and running, there will be plenty of opportunities to volunteer or to visit the property.
“It’s not staffed in a way where people can just come in whenever,” she said. “Michigan Humane is not there operating yet, but within another month, they’ll be out there with animals and up and running.”
Abraham also said she has been overwhelmed with support from the community.
“The community is just fantastic, very welcoming,” she said. “A big thank you, I’ve just been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and people reaching out and wanting to know how they can help and the passion for what we’re doing.”
To keep updated on when the facility opens, or to volunteer, visit them on their website, abrahamranch.com or check their social media, on Facebook and Instagram.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunity to volunteer, and we’ll do events from time to time,” she said. “We really love that Clarkston-Ortonville area, we think it’s beautiful and incredibly nice.”