Bark & Bray Farm Animal Sanctuary is a charity nonprofit organization providing a forever home to abused and neglected animals in Wilmot. This past June, co-founders Jen and Ben received a call from a couple begging for help. 

The couple was on vacation in New Hampshire and driving along a 50 MPH road when a lone goat suddenly stumbled into the road. The goat proceeded to wander back and forth in busy traffic. They pulled over and tried to get the goat to safety, but she ended up collapsing on the side of the highway.

The couple called the local police who told them to leave the goat because it sounded like it was going to die. The couple refused to leave the goat behind and started calling every local shelter and rescue. They called about four different places and no one could help. 

They then expanded their Google search and came across Bark & Bray Sanctuary. Ben answered their call and could hear the desperation in their voices. These good Samaritans were traveling and had no way to care for this goat. It was clear that Bark & Bray was the goat’s last hope, so they agreed to assist her. 

The couple brought the goat to the sanctuary in the back of their car. On arrival, she was extremely emaciated and had just about everything wrong with her. 

Her eyes were swollen shut and one had a severe injury. In addition, her hooves were so overgrown that they were folded inward, causing her difficulty with walking. She had a high fever and swollen udder from a high parasite load and mastitis. 

The rescued goat was listless and spent the first night lying in a soft bed of shavings with barely any strength to eat. The sanctuary’s volunteers sprang to action by gathering supplies and assisted with monitoring her. 

The vet arrived and gave this little goat everything possible to save her life. This included intravenous fluids, pain medication, parasite treatment, antibiotic injections, and antibiotic eye ointment. The vet warned Jen and Ben that her prognosis was very poor and it would be surprising if the goat pulled through.

After three days of intense antibiotic treatment and care, the little goat made it! She beat the odds and, therefore, it was time to celebrate by giving her a name. To start her new life, she was given the name Sybill. Then the rehabilitation started. 

Ben and Jen learned more about Sybill’s story as they started bringing her back to full health. They discovered that she is a young goat, only about eight months to a year old. She also had had a baby just before she was abandoned. 

They believe she was abandoned because she has multiple health issues. She has a malformed teat and cystic udder, which makes her milk production poor. She is also mostly deaf, which is why she did not hear the cars on the busy road. 

She is a boer breed, which is used for meat and milking; therefore, her health issues made Sybill a poor candidate for breeding and milk production. Sadly, some people turn to discarding animals like trash when they are no longer useful. This was the unfortunate fate of Sybill.

Despite her rough start to life, Sybill transformed from surviving to thriving! After three months of rehab, Sybill went from weighing 20 pounds to about 80 pounds. She regained her eyesight and her hooves were trimmed. She will likely have lifelong issues with her hooves due to the severely neglected condition. 

She began looking healthy and she started to become playful. She even began expressing her love and gratitude by snuggling with people and showing affection. She made friends with the mini horses and donkeys, but it was time to get Sybill a goat friend of her own. 

In September, a goat from MSPCA in Methuen, Massachusetts, was added to the sanctuary to be Sybill’s lifelong friend. Goats are herd animals and need companionship for their wellbeing. The new goat, Lily, came from a hoarding situation of over 40 goats and also had had a kid young in life. 

These girls are around the same age, so now they get to grow up together in the protection of forever sanctuary. They will never be abandoned or neglected again. 

This is just one story of how Bark & Bray’s work can transform animals from surviving to thriving. They take animals with bad pasts and give them good days for the rest of their lives. Visit their website or social media pages to learn more about Bark & Bray’s mission and the stories of their sanctuary residents, at barkandbrayfarm.org  or @barkandbraysanctuary.

Bark & Bray Farm Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a forever home to abused and neglected farm animals. See how we change lives:  youtu.be/WVNY4iLpH4M?si=_Yzqx0ouYRFaKvqA.