We're pretty sure Ellen has never heard of Gassville, AR but there's one good reason --- well, actually about 41 reasons --- she might find Gassville very interesting. We're talking about Janice Wolf and the residents of Rocky Ridge Refuge. Janice lives on fifteen acres of land she inherited from her father. She shares her home with Lurch, an African Watusi steer who is somewhat of an international celebrity. He is the Guinness Record holder for the largest circumference of horns of any animal of the world. You have to see it to believe it and even then its still hard to comprehend. Take a look at the photos below. Lurch's inclusion in Guinness has drawn visitors to Rocky Ridge from all over around the globe including Viet Nam, Kenya, the UK, Australia, Japan, Sweden, Canada and Germany as well most of the 50 US states. But here's the real kicker: Lurch and Janice aren't alone up there. Ever since moving onto the property Janice has been living out her life-long dream of establishing a home for abused and abandoned animals. She gives hope and a future to domestic and exotic animals that otherwise would have lived out their lives in sadness and suffering. In the process the animals have taken each other in and formed a unique family. It's kind of like the Island of Misfit Pets at Rocky Ridge. As Janice says, "Everything I have is broken!" There's Tristan, Puzzle and Parfait --- dogs who were constantly passed over because they have only three legs. There's Brian, an African goose who was left for dead when Janice rescued him. Brian and the aforementioned Puzzle recuperated together after Puzzle had major surgery. There's a Llama with one good eye named Noogie and a rambunctious zebra named Zeebiscuit --- both exotics that Janice took in when their owners realized they'd gotten into more than they could handle. There's a blind black lab named Oops who has befriended a deaf bull terrier named Cornbread. They are each other's eyes and ears. These are only a few of the amazing and unique friendships you will see at Rocky Ridge. Cat and Goose, Dog and Lamb, Llama and Donkey are just a few of the species that have become fast friends. Janice also has adopted and treated (by way of her background as a vet-tech and her vast knowledge of herbal remedies) wild deer, miniature donkeys, Zebu cows, injured racehorses, cats and even an antelope that lived in her house for a while. Oh! We haven't even mentioned Wade the Water Buffalo --- he's a rock star! Janice Wolf is a hero because she didn't wait for someone to give her permission to take action. She didn't wait until she had all the answers and all the resources. As soon as she had a place she employed her sharp mind, great heart and incredible work ethic to start rescuing animals. She started with one. She did what she could and built from there making the world a better place one precious life at a time.

Hero's Name:

Janice Wolf & Lurch