Meet the Residents

Here at Black Goat Sanctuary we have many permanent residents. Our goal is to be able to help as many farm animals in need as possible while maintaining top of the line care for our residents. All donations and a portion of proceeds from farm sales go towards our mission.

Totes Ma GoatsTotes is the OG – original goat. Totes was rescued when he was only 2 days old.  He was shipped to an auction and when we saw him he was extremely weak and hypothermic.  It was freezing cold where he was and he had no fat at all.  He suffers from parrot mouth – also known as an overbite – and it is unlikely he nursed from his mother at all.  Totes was laying in the middle of a pen – healthy baby goats jumping around and off of him – with his tongue sticking out.  We were sure he was dead – in fact – a farmer had pulled him out of the pen thinking he was.  We could not leave him there to die – so – this poor little baby left with us.  It took weeks for him to gain his strength but surely he did – and it didn’t take him long to become a holy terror in the house.  He was raised with dogs and cats and didn’t seem to know that he was a goat.  At a month old we got him a goat friend – Greg- who was 2 months old at the time.  They became fast friends and are still almost always side by side.
Likes: Kisses, pretzels, broccoli, sneezing on his friends
Dislikes: Sharing

Butters

Butters came to us when she was one month old.  She was suffering from a very bad case of Joint Ill.  Joint Ill or Navel Ill is a condition when bacteria tracks up the umbilical chord before it falls off and tracks through the body.  The infection often settles in the leg joints.  Butters was in so much pain – she could not walk, refused to eat, and would cry out in pain when she tried to move.  Shortly after starting her on heavy duty antibiotics that had to be injected daily she ate a bit.  It took around a week for her to be able to stand and move – and even so she had a horrible limp.  We had x-rays taken to see how her joints were healing.  These showed that 2 of her joints have permanent bone spur growth.  She will likely have arthritis as she ages but we will do whatever it takes to keep her comfortable and happy.  As she continued healing she began chasing the cats around the house (Much to their dislike) and got to have play dates with the big goats in the backyard.  Butters is the smallest goat here by far but also the spunkiest- she does not hesitate to let you know she is unhappy.
Likes: Apples, cuddling, climbing
Dislikes: Her horns being touched

Gregory

Greg came to join us just a month or so after we got Totes.  Gregory was living with lots of goats.  The male goat had recently lost one of his favourite females and was taking his sadness out on Greg – poor Greg had the tips of his ears chewed off by his own father.   Other than the ear wounds Greg had a case of lice that was easily treated with some medications.  Greg was very shy as he had not been outside much – the grass and sounds from the road scared him.  He became fast friends wit Totes and learned that things aren’t so bad.  Greg is a Nigerian Dwarf goat and has stunning blue eyes.  He is our calmest goat – but when he gets excited he sure can move!

Josie

Josie and Millie joined us in September 2017.  Josie was sent to auction – 5 years old- with her 3 babies.  She had a bad case of mastitis and her udder was so swollen she could barely walk.   Josie was emaciated and as we soon found out had a terrible tapeworm infestation.  Josie and her one baby came to Black Goat Farm with her other two babies going to a farm with a good friend who bottle fed them.  Josie quickly gained weight and confidence.  It took her a long time to learn to trust us but she is now one of the first goats to the fence to see if we brought her any snacks.  She is an amazing mother and we are happy that she will live the rest of her life with one of her children by her side.

Millie

Millie is Josies baby.  Millie found herself in the auction when she was just 5 weeks old.  Being a dairy doeling she would have been bought and gone into the dairy industry where she would have countless babies taken from her to keep her producing milk.  Being so young she had no fear and quickly settled into BGF – making friends with Butters who had previously been the only girl goat here. Millie is a complete goofball and makes everyone laugh.  Be careful bending down near her as she thinks the best view is from somebodies back!
Likes: Jumping on backs, chewing on gloves, walking on her back feet
Dislikes: Being alone

Opal

Opal and Pearl came to us right before Christmas.  These two sisters found themselves looking for a home when their owners had to downgrade farms.  These girls had been sharing a portion of a horse stall with 2 other pigs.  “Mini Pigs” are a fad pet – much like potbelly pigs used to be.  These pigs are not meant to be as small as they are advertised and often outgrow the advertised weight very quickly.  This leads to many pigs abandoned and in shelters.  Back yard breeding of these “mini pigs” is a big issue too.  These girls will be spayed and we will never have to worry about adding to the population problems.  Opal is the slimmer and more energetic of the sisters.  Opal loves nothing more than running around in their field while Pearl slowly follows along.
Likes: Food , running, her sister
Dislikes: The Turkeys

Pearl

Pearl is Opals larger and lazier sister.  Having lived together prior to coming here they are very bonded.  They spend evenings hiding under the straw bed they made together.  Pearl is trying to lose some weight in the new year as she was over fed before coming here.
Likes: Food, digging holes, naps
Dislikes: Exercise

Duckie

Duckie is our special greeter.  When most people pull in Duckie is not far behind to welcome them to our farm.  Duckie came to us – the morning of our big move – at about a month old after being pulled through the bars of his cage by an animal overnight.  Duckie was hatched as a solo duck and very imprinted on humans.  This may seem cute but it is very upsetting for the animal and stressful as somebody cannot be with them 24/7.  Duckie could not be left alone or he would scream and cry.  Since we had no time with our move, Duckies grandma (My Mom) kept Duckie at her house for a couple weeks.  My father was ill at the time and Duckie never left his side.  From day one this little bird had so much spirit and will power.  We were worried as his injuries were pretty severe but with lots of TLC he healed up wonderfully.  Once things had settled down here Duckie moved to the farm and made his own duck friends.  As much as he loves his new friends he would still rather be hanging out with his people.

Likes: Peas, Grapes, Baths
Dislikes: Snow, carrots

Waffles

Waffles is a flemish giant/ new zealand cross.  This is a common mixed breed raised for meat.  Waffles was only a couple months old when we rescued her.  At a week old an animal had gotten into the baby’s enclosure and killed over 5 of her siblings.   Waffles was left with a severely injured paw.  The bone was broken in many places and her paw was so infected she was trying to chew it off.  We had the option of  amputating her paw (Not great recovery) or trying to heal the wound.  Waffles had bandage changes every day with raw unpasteurized honey for almost 2 months.  Because the bone had already healed by the time we got her her paw is now fused pointing upwards.  She has no issues and runs around with the cats.  Waffles is spayed and lives in the house – she loves her cats and dogs.

Likes: Popcorn, cats, paper towel rolls.
Dislikes: Chin tickles

Winston

Winston was the first of our hoarding situation babies. We picked up him and his sister on a cold Monday morning – we found out they were around 6 days old.  Neither had been nursing and had been freezing in a cold drafty barn.  We rushed both of them to the vets to have them checked . Winston had a horrible fever and severe pneumonia.  His sister was comatose from malnutrition and hypothermia.  We put in a jugular catheter, had her on fluids, antibiotics, and dextrose solution.  She was tube fed as she could not nurse.  Sadly she did not make it – my heart is still broken over her.  Winston has adopted Molly as his little sister and keeps a close eye on her.  He is the trouble maker of the bunch and we constantly have to keep an eye on him.  He has fallen head over hooves for Butters and tries very hard to win her affections.

Moose and Molly

Moose and Molly were the next two babies we picked up from the same situation.  When we got them (Top picture) They had spent the night on a barn floor .  Their mother did not clean them or nurse them – she likely rejected them due to her lack of proper nutrition.  Mother goats cannot produce milk for their babies without added protein and calories.  Both babies were extremely cold – it took 4 hours to get them up to a body temperature where it was safe to try to feed them.  Moose did great but Molly was about half his size and clearly weaker.  She had an issue where her tongue would flip sideways and she was unable to latch onto her bottle.  Lots of hours and coaxing and she eventually got the hang of it – however she was unable to stand and walk.  Off to the vets we went!  We tried antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and at first it seemed to be working.  A couple days later though and she was worse than ever. We were very worried about her and took her back to the vets where we tried a much more heavy duty antibiotic and a week of anti-inflammatories.  We had to give her injections every day for over a week which was not fun for either of us.  After about 2 months of treatment Molly was a normal little goat. She was however – spoiled rotten, and this still shows. Molly is very posessive of Mike and will nip the ears of any goat who dares go near him. Moose is Mr. Cool. He is the leader of the young ones and continues to keep a close eye on his little sister – they are rarely apart.

Bernard

Bernard was the last of the hoarding babies. Born as a single – he is a big boy. He’s shares his birthday (Feb 15) with Mike! Bernard has grown out the softest, fluffiest coat and it is hard to not constantly pet him. He is an amazing big brother to Dottie and is never far. If anybody dares to try to push her around – Bernie comes right in and puts them in their place.

Annie

Annie is Dotties twin sister. Born on Valentine’s Day, they were abou 2 weeks premature and it showed. We had a lot of concerns early on but they survived and are now thriving. Annie – although being raised with the goats – seems to associate with the sheep and can almost always be found grazing alongside Ellie and Ollie. She loves nothing more than being brushed and pampered.

Dottie

Dottie is Annies twin sister – one of the Preemie Valentine’s Day twins. Dottie is a very unique little soul. She is well known for her whining about just about anything. She is a mommas girl through and through and is always underfoot. If you crouch down she will come press her little head into your stomach and fall asleep. Dottie is usually with her sister, or Bernard or Arnold who take the big brother role very seriously. Dottie doesn’t quite goat like the others but whatever it is she is doing – it is adorable!

Arnold

Arnold arrived at the sanctuary at days old. He was born on a dairy farm and was sent to an auction where he was deemed unfit for sale and was going to be put down. He was considered unfit because he suffered from contracted tendons – this made his front legs curl up and caused him to hobble around on his knees. We took the little guy and through daily physio, splinting of his legs, and lots of spoiling – his legs healed over about a month and a half. You would never recognize him from baby photos! He walks completely normal and has gone quite grey. Arnold is another mommas boy – he fails to realize how large he is now and still demands to be picked up and carried around. He is the old soul of the farm and always up for a snuggle.

Oliver

Oliver was born on a meat farm. He was rejected by his mother as he was a mere fraction the size he should have been. He was hardly 2 lbs at a few days old. He had intestinal parasites and pneumonia when we he arrived. This were promptly treated and Ollie quickly bonded with our other lamb – Ellie. The two of them spend their days together grazing and causing trouble. Ollie is quite the pest and will purposefully run into the other animals just to be a brat. When he gets excited he springs straight up into the air and popcorns around. When he is wanting pets he will come up and paw you relentlessly until you rub his little naked armpits.

Ellie

Ellie was meant to be an Easter lamb. Commonly a European tradition – lambs around 3 months and still drinking milk are usually slaughtered for Easter dinner. Ellie was saved from that fate on Good Friday and joined us at BGS. She can be quite shy as she was likely not treated great initially but has come a long way since being with us. She is the completely opposite of Oliver… he is a walking disaster and she is a shy, proper little lady. She is curious and often if you sit still she will come poke around you to seay hello. She has quite the crush on Calvin and when not with Oliver and Annie, she can be found following him around or playing with Zoey.

Maple

Maple came to the sanctuary on Canada day – so the name seemed fitting. Raised on a farm for meat, she suffered a leg injury. Broken a year or so before she came to us – it was left untreated and healed awkwardly. The herd was sent to auction but she could not go through with her obvious disability. She was denied and returned to the farm where she cried for her herd. The farmers wife asked if we could take her and let her live her days here – and of course we did. Maple fit right into th herd and has become best friends with Millie. Maple is very shy – any sudden movements startle her. She is easy to win over with snacks though and she has the sweetest smile and goofiest ears. We have had multiple vets look at her leg – the break is in a spot that makes amputation and prosthetic fitting difficult. She does use her leg when she runs and when she lays down. She currently has no arthritis or pain in it so the best thing is to leave it and keep assessing to see if the situation changes. She is on supplements to help prevent against any future arthritis and we work hard to make sure she doesn’t put on weight (More stress on the good leg).

Calvin

Calvin joined the BGS family mid July 2018 when he was just 10 days old. He was born at a dairy farm 4 hours up north and rescued by the Love of Brian Farm Sanctuary. They drove him all the way down to us as we were able to comit to the frequent bottle feeding he needed. He was already extremely thin from only being fed twice a day. He instantly bonded with Lincoln and the pair have received quite a bit of attention – including a DoDo video about the unlikely pair.

Calvin and his little sister Zoey love to frolic together and spend time with their adoptive mother – Luna. He loves chin scratches and snoot smooches.