Novy Ranches Grass-fed Angus Beef

A group of yellow-headed blackbirds! They are such a joy to watch.

All in a day’s work. It’s been rainy. We love the rain! We simplified our feeding regimen by investing in automatic-bale feeding systems - and that’s great, if the trucks are working! So when one is down, we go to our old-fashioned feeding. We slip and slide and make it through. Sometimes we sink and get stuck, but we are grateful to have bigger machinery to help us get out and go one with our day. Feeding is first and foremost the most important task. Grass is growing though and spring is coming.

This is Angel, our Big White Dawg - 90 #, full name “Angelique Lu”. She is also known as our LGD: Large Guardian Dog. She works nights and comes along on any people’s walks or activities during the day. She is our protector! Typically she is snow white, but with beautiful rains and mud…. While Dr Novy can’t be her full-time vet up north, we’ve found such an amazing caring group that keeps her healthy and strong !💝

Rain puddles bring snow!

Yesterday Evening

It is in the quiet, humble works that joy comes.

Every Sunday, while most vet clinics were dark and locked up, one door in Simi Valley quietly opened.

Inside, Dr. Lowell Novy offered surgeries for as little as five dollars. No PR campaign. No spotlight. Just low-cost neutering for families who wanted to do the right thing but couldn’t afford to.

That simple act helped prevent thousands of unwanted litters—and saved countless animals from ending up in shelters, or worse.

Dr. Novy wasn’t chasing legacy. He was doing the work. Thoughtfully. Consistently. And over time, his work reshaped how veterinary care and rescue looked across Ventura County.

At his Valley Veterinary Clinic, people came for the medical expertise, but they stayed for something rarer: time. Visits weren’t rushed. Options were explained. Pets were treated like individuals. Families felt heard.

In 1998, he launched a no-kill rescue initiative—well before that philosophy became mainstream. It was built on one principle: animals need time. Time to heal, time to trust, time to find a real home. And he gave it to them.

But the Sunday clinics may have said the most. No press. No branding. Just action. He saw a systemic problem and chose to quietly solve it, one animal at a time.

His impact wasn’t measured in awards. It was measured in outcomes. Healthier pets. Fewer strays. Families who felt empowered to care for their animals responsibly.

It’s easy to talk about compassion. Much harder to show up for it, week after week, for years.

So here’s the question:
In a world full of noise and self-promotion, what does real service actually look like to you?

Morning moon-set

Blackbirds singing in the dead of night….

https://youtu.be/Man4Xw8Xypo?si=Gl4_tdc8YC3Qw9U7