Within the Richards’ Ranch lives Karen, Joscelyn, Lillian, Joshua, and Abigail Richards. This 5 acre home holds not only a family of individuals, but also a variety of different farm animals. There are currently nine sheep, three pigs, two chickens, one donkey, one horse, and most importantly one dog. These animals are extremely independent as their usual routine consists of sleeping, eating, roaming around this vast amount of land, and being their loving selves. Although these animals require the Richards family to hold different responsibilities, they have all been caring and loving while fulfilling their duties. Joshua Richards explained, “One of my many responsibilities is shearing the sheep and it’s completely worth it to me because Liam looks absolutely adorable with a haircut.” 

Eight years ago this family suffered the devastation of a house fire in their previous property in Island Lakes. This unfortunate event left their house completely destroyed and resulted in them needing to find a new home quickly. When searching they stumbled upon the perfect place. It was a home that consisted of an individual room for each family member along with a guest room, plenty of outdoor land, and a very spacious common area. With all three daughters (Joscelyn, Liliane, and Abigail) being involved in horseback riding, this new property perfectly suited their equestrian activity needs as well as being a location which allowed this family to fulfill their passion for fostering animals. The love and devotion the Richards’ family had to fostering animals all began in the purchasing of the sheep, Liam, who is currently seven years old. When looking for animals this family knew sheep were an extremely beneficial decision due to the qualities such as being friendly, low-maintenance, and their ability to “mow” the family’s lawn. So after hours of searching for sheep on Craigslist, they were able to find their perfect match at the animal hospital in Horseshoe Acres. Liam ended up being a wonderful animal to have so they decided to go back on Craigslist and purchase eight more. 

Shortly after their mass sheep purchase their want for animals only blossomed. They then purchased a horse named Ariel which better suited the needs for the three girls who participated in horseback riding. Mom Karen, who works at Waters Edge Elementary School, was offered an opportunity to adopt the chickens being incubated in a classroom. They started off with six and worked their way to owning sixteen happy chicks. Months later they had their eyes on Daisy the donkey. Daisy was in a terrible situation and close to death at Kaufman’s Kill pen located in Houston, Texas. This was traumatizing for the family to hear about due to their immense love for animals. They decided to ship Daisy on a 2,000 mile road trip to their lovely household. Approximately a few months later came the pigs. With hurricane Andrew happening the Richards family were keeping their eye out to other animals when they came across a petting zoo which contained multiple piglets in need of a home. Before all the children were born Karen (the mom) had previously owned a pig named ‘Piggy’ but unfortunately passed away due to an aneurism. Abigail and Joshua grew up hearing all about Piggy and kept telling their mom that pigs should be at the top of the list. So when coincidentally seeing multiple piglets at a petting zoo, they knew that they were destined to be the newest addition to the farm. And last but not least came Bow Peep, their precious beagle. Bow was rescued from Puerto Rico after a catastrophic hurricane. She is also a survivor of animal abuse and still occasionally suffers from PTSD with select individuals. However with extensive amount of love from the Richard’s family Bow Peep has turned into a whole new dog. She has also become Abigail’s best friend and most prized possession. 

Aside from living at the farm, a couple of these animals have even made an appearance right here at West Boca. Paisley the pig made an appearance at West Boca Raton High school when Joscelyn decided to sneak this miniature pig on to school grounds. But that was not the only animal who has been in Bull territory. A few months later Karen and Abigail decided to bring Liam the sheep to school while picking Joscelyn up from cheer practice so that he could get a taste of the high school life. However, most recently Penelope decided she wanted to live the life of a middle schooler. She wandered out of the farm and ended up at Eagles Landing Middle School. This evoked chaos among parents and students due to the lack of unfamiliarity with large pigs. This large little piggy was eventually stopped by a sheriff and brought back to ‘The Farm’. But her previous rebellious decisions were not enough for her. Later that night she escaped again and wandered to the neighboring community of Saturnia. After being on the lam, this criminal was brought home safely and is living happily ever after in The Richards Ranch.