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Iris Beaugrand is an animal lover. So much so that when she moved from Germany to Englewood, Fla., in 2000, she brought with her two horses, a donkey, a cat and a dog. Her family, of course, came too. When she left Germany, Beaugrand, who is a sales associate with Coppola Realty Group in Sarasota, Fla., left her job in banking and became a stay-at-home mom. After her divorce in 2005 though, she found that she needed an income and flexibility to care for her four children. Real estate felt like a natural fit.
Much of Sarasota County and the surrounding area is farmland, and Beaugrand found herself helping many farmers sell their properties. “I took in all of the animals who were left behind: goats, horses, geese, ponies,” she said.
Word that Beaugrand took in animals started to spread throughout the community, and people started contacting her about taking in animals in need. Beaugrand almost never turned down an animal who needed a home. “With getting more and more animals, I had to start a second job to be able to pay for the food, vet and carrier bills. Just the food is about $3,000 a month.”
It didn’t take long for Beaugrand to realize that the two jobs and the caring for the animals were unsustainable, so she decided to take her passion for animals and turn it into a nonprofit. “In 2019, I became a 501(c)3, and it’s called Fandango Sanctuary.” She named the sanctuary Fandango after her horse that she brought with her from Germany, who is about 30 years old and still lives on the premises. “His name means a dance or a big party, and with so many different animals, it surely feels like a big party farm (at the sanctuary).”
At the moment, Fandango Sanctuary is the permanent home for several animals, including four horses, five donkeys, one mule, two cows, five cats, two dogs, five turkeys, a goat, a few pigs, one duck and about 60 chickens. Beaugrand has also teamed up with Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue. Her sanctuary is one of their satellite locations and she fosters donkeys and helps them find homes. The Charlotte County Mosquito Control program is another of her partners. She takes in their retired chickens who could not find a good home each year.
When Hurricane Ian struck just 70 miles north of where Fandango Sanctuary is located, it brought with it great destruction. “It destroyed most of the farm. I lost shelters and had over $300,000 in damage.”
Her insurance company paid for a new roof before going insolvent. For the past few years, Beaugrand has been repairing the farm on her own. She says she’s taking it day by day and replacing things as she can.
Despite the setbacks brought about by the hurricane, Beaugrand still has big plans for the sanctuary and says she’s living out a childhood dream. She offers a retirement program for domestic animals. If someone should worry about their animal outliving them, they can contact the sanctuary and enroll in the retirement program. Visits by appointment are available as well. Those who want to visit and learn about the farm can take a tour and learn about the animals on the farm.
She’s brought in the elderly, special needs folks and veterans as volunteers to help with the animals, and she can see a positive impact on the volunteers and the animals. “I feel that people and animals can benefit from each other. I see how much my special needs volunteers are enjoying the animals, and I have some who are usually nonverbal who really get excited when they touch and interact with the animals. And the formerly abused animals learn to trust again.”
As she works to repair the sanctuary, Beaugrand also hopes to bring more attention to it and its benefits to the community. She’s enlisted the help of her now-grown children with social media, photos and more. The more people who know about the farm, she says, the more she can do to help animals and the community.
“I love to rescue animals who become family members, and I love to spread awareness that animals are living creatures with feelings and bonds. And that animals and people can help each other.”
