Amazing Stories About Our Rescued Animals
We believe all the animals at our sanctuary are wonderful, but sometimes our animals do things that are absolutely amazing. Here are just a few stories about our extraordinary rescued animals:
Gilby and Cody – The close and loving relationship between steer and dog
Gilby is best friends with Darby, a fellow steer. But, he also shares an amazing bond with one of our rescued dogs, Cody. Dog rehoming is usually our goal, but Cody lives at our sanctuary and when Cody visits Gilby in the pasture, you can be sure that you will witness a magical relationship. Cody and Gilby love to play. It is shocking that a steer that weighs over 1000 lbs could play with a 70 lb dog without causing the dog injury. But, they have a true understanding and a relationship that displays an amazing amount of respect and caring. Cody and Gilby don’t just play. They also share some wonderfully tender moments. Cody often lies on his back and allows Gilby to lick him. Cody shows absolute trust in the large steer. Visitors and volunteers are always in awe of this unique bond between rescued dog and rescued steer.
Disko and Pepper – The unbreakable bond between rooster and duck
Disko and Pepper are an unusual couple, but they are never apart. Disko the duck was immediately drawn to Pepper the rooster. Pepper wasn’t as enthusiastic about having a relationship with the duck. He was more interested in sharing his time with the hens. But, Disko persisted and never left his side. Even when Pepper would run away from Disko, she would follow him relentlessly. Eventually Pepper accepted Disko’s advances. Now, the two are always side by side.
Scrapper the chicken whisperer – The love of one dog for all feathered friends
Beating all the animal abuse statistics, Scrapper is one of our wonderful rescued dogs. He has always displayed a gentle and loving nature and is an ideal candidate for dog rehoming. But, Scrapper is truly unique in that he has a special affinity for our rescued chickens, turkeys and ducks. Scrapper enjoys visiting his feather friends daily. He loves to walk around their enclosure, sniffing them and watching all their activities. The chickens also enjoy watching Scrapper. Oftentimes, while Scrapper is in the chicken pen, he playfully rolls around and rubs his back on the ground. This seems of particular interest to most of the chickens, who gather around and curiously watch Scrapper’s joyful display. Scrapper’s adoration of the chickens, ducks and turkeys is magical and brings a beautiful peacefulness to our sanctuary.
Pickle – The miracle recovery of a sick rooster
As far as abused animals go, Pickle is one strong rooster with an incredible will to live. Not long after his rescue, Pickle suddenly became ill. He had discharge from his eyes and his nostrils. We immediately took Pickle to an avian specialist and when his condition did not improve, we took him to another avian specialist for a second opinion. We administered the medication prescribed by our veterinarian faithfully and brought Pickle inside our home every night so he would be warm and comfortable. However, there was little improvement in his condition and in some ways, Pickle became worse. His eye was extremely swollen from the discharge that had collected in it. He seemed to have more trouble breathing and was losing weight. All that changed when we took Pickle to a third veterinarian, Dr. Naiditch at High Desert Animal Care Hospital. After some lab work, Dr. Naiditch prescribed two new antibiotics. She also performed procedures on several occasions which helped remove the discharge that had accumulated and caused swelling and discomfort in his eye. There were several times that we agonized over whether it was better to stop Pickle’s suffering and to have him euthanized. But, he never gave up. He always displayed a will to live and we were confident that as long as he still wanted to fight his illness, we would do everything to help him. Finally, after 6 months from the initial symptoms, Pickle has fully recovered. He is now completely healthy and is a happy, spunky rooster.
Animal abuse statistics can be daunting, but we have seen many amazing stories from so many of the rescued animals in our sanctuary. We aim to find safe environments for the abused animals we care for, with dog rehoming being a top priority, but until then our sanctuary is their home.
