Animal Acres was founded by Lorri Houston, who is considered the "pioneer" of the farmed animal sanctuary movement. In 1986, Lorri co-founded Farm Sanctuary, which opened the country's first sanctuary for farmed animals. For 18 years, she directed the group's rescue and fundraising efforts.

Through her farm animal sanctuary efforts, Lorri has directly saved thousands of animals from the cruelties of factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses, and brought national attention to the plight of animals used for "food production." Lorri's work has been featured in hundreds of newspaper, television and radio news stories, including guest appearances on CBS This Morning, Animal Planet, and PrimeTime Live.