By Blake Jackson
A visit to Lancaster Farm Sanctuary on October 3, 2026, gave Widener University Commonwealth Law School students an opportunity to examine animal welfare from legal, agricultural, and ethical perspectives while meeting rescued farm animals.
The visit included students enrolled in an animal law seminar taught by D.S. Pensley, assistant professor of law and co-director of the Environmental Law & Sustainability Center, members of the school’s Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, and students interested in agriculture. Sanctuary co-founder Jonina Turzi guided the group and explained the animals’ backgrounds.
“Farm sanctuaries rescue and rehabilitate animals in that space where the law cannot reach,” Pensley said.
The experience encouraged students to consider how legal systems distinguish between companion animals and livestock. Theresa Hanley, a third-year student from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, reflected on the sanctuary’s approach to allowing animals to live without expectations of productivity.
“The animals are provided a space to just be animals,” Hanley said.
The seminar examines animal-related issues across multiple areas of law, including property disputes involving livestock, criminal cases involving animal cruelty, and constitutional questions concerning free speech and religious practices.
Student research topics range from pet valuation during divorce proceedings to endangered wildlife protections.
“Animal law is not at all a niche topic,” Pensley said.
Landon Miller, a second-year student from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, brought his experience growing up on a livestock farm to the discussion.
Interested in agricultural law and pursuing an internship with the state Department of Agriculture, Miller joined the trip to better understand different perspectives on animal management.
A discussion about sheep tail docking, a practice involving the removal of part of a young sheep’s tail, particularly interested him. The conversation explored the practice’s potential benefits and drawbacks.
“As someone who was raised in the agriculture world, I had never had a conversation before about the practice, and it was really insightful,” Miller said.
Alyssa Riley, a second-year student from Lancaster and treasurer of the Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, was especially interested in the sanctuary’s rescued pigs.
Learning about potbellied pigs that had been adopted as pets and subsequently abandoned strengthened her interest in animal welfare and humane food production.
“There needs to be more ethical ways of allowing society to eat meat without it being so harmful,” Riley said.
For Hanley, the visit expanded her understanding of legal protections beyond companion animals and property rights. Meeting the rescued animals helped connect classroom discussions with real-world questions about animal treatment.
Pensley also viewed the outing as an opportunity for students to process challenging coursework and build relationships outside the classroom.
Encounters included Hanley spending time with Jude, a cow with a cleft palate, and Miller interacting with Tommy, a goat with frostbitten hind legs.
“This visit brought our hard work in class to examine and understand animal law full circle,” Pensley said.
Photo Credit: widener-university-commonwealth-law-school
Categories: Pennsylvania, Education, Livestock