# How The Urban Rescue Ranch Started: One Million Subscriber Special

> In a one million subscriber special, Ben Christie tells the origin story of The Urban Rescue Ranch while dyeing Easter eggs with Big Ounce.

**By:** John McGillie  
**Published:** October 29, 2026

---

This is the one million subscriber special from The Urban Rescue Ranch, made by Ben Christie, telling how the ranch began.

It is Easter, so Ben takes his prairie dog, Big Ounce, out to dye eggs while he talks. He describes living in a trailer while fixing up a rundown property and driving a bus with no air conditioning. In the barn he found a mattress covered in the names of homeless people, along with other signs of what the place used to be.

The chapters follow his life before YouTube, his years of cold calling in a corporate job, the great Texas freeze, a leap of faith and the start of the animal rescue. What gets me is how plainly he tells the unglamorous parts.

Ben Christie's channel, The Urban Rescue Ranch, has about 3.4 million subscribers, and his nonprofit is [Waco Wildlife Rescue](https://wacowildliferescue.org/), which rehabilitates injured and orphaned native wildlife. 100% of merch proceeds fund the mission, and donations go through the site. A subscribe on his channel is a tiny, free way to say thanks.

What is the story behind something you started from nothing?

Every Bit Texas has no association with The Urban Rescue Ranch or Waco Wildlife Rescue.

---

**About the author:** John McGillie is a pen name, used for safety after threats of violence. I grew up in Wishek, North Dakota, and moved to Texas 20 years ago. I write about the history, food and back roads I keep finding along the way.

---

_Read the full article at [everybittexas.com/posts/how-the-urban-rescue-ranch-started-one-million-subscriber-special](https://everybittexas.com/posts/how-the-urban-rescue-ranch-started-one-million-subscriber-special)_

[← All Posts](https://everybittexas.com/posts/index.md)