May 1, 2026 | 6:26 pm
A Texas animal sanctuary owner has told her story in a debut book and is bringing it to Austin for a signing. Renee King-Sonnen, who runs the Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Waelder, will appear at BookPeople for her first-ever signing on June 26.
Waelder is located along Interstate 10, about evenly between Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. It was where King-Sonnen and her husband Tommy Sonnen ran a cattle ranch before converting it to a vegan sanctuary for animals.
King-Sonnen’s life began to change when she started raising a cow she named Rowdy Girl. She has intended to eventually slaughter Rowdy Gal, but becoming closer led her to a change of heart. In 2014, Tommy agreed to sell his herd to Renee if she could pay $30,000 before they’re sent to slaughter. Although it was Renee who initiated the change, now Tommy is a vegan, too…