Divertigranja started out with six dogs, a few hamsters, one spider monkey and a manx cat in February of 2005. The seed was planted when a neighbor brought to the home of founders Victor Hugo Sanchez Garcia and Emily Melander an emaciated Saint Bernard.

Already having five large dogs, the couple did not immediately want to adopt her. But with her lovely personality, Tsunami quickly became a part of the family and a focal point for visitors. The original idea was to allow neighborhood kids and children of friends and family the opportunity to meet and learn about interesting, uncommon, or otherwise inaccessible animals.

The idea grew. Having worked & volunteered for nearly 20 years with disabled youth in Oaxaca, Victor Hugo has had first-hand knowledge of the scant opportunity children with disabilities have to experience the world of animals. In general, families of disabled children do not have the resources or time to have pets in the home, and farms and zoos are not accessible. The couple decided to focus on this aspect but quickly expanded to include courses in sensitivity to non-disabled children.

An animal lover her entire life and organic gardner for many years, Emily imparts her vision of planet ecology and harmony to the pedagocical approach of the farm. She would like the children to learn that it is not necessary to treat animals cruelly and that they have rights. She also believes it is very important to teach about ecology and importance of protecting the environment to children, because they are the teachers, engineers, politicians, businesspeople, and consumers of the future.