The Hardest Call

More often than not, these animals already belong to someone. Through no fault of their own, their world is about to be turned upside down: a move, a change in circumstances, the rising cost of living. The list feels almost endless, and though the reasons may vary, the outcome is often the same.

Can you take my animal?

And while we wish we could say yes to every single one, we simply cannot. That’s the reality of sanctuary. Though some may imagine we have endless space and endless capacity, we do not.

And so, we are left to make the hardest calls.

With the ark already close to full, we nonetheless learned of two young rangeland goats, likely a mother and her son, and likely to have escaped the local abattoir.
Missy is a proud young mumma. Black and tan, with horns so beautifully sculpted they seem almost too perfect to be real. Though small in stature, there is a strength about her that is impossible to miss.

And now we have learned something more. Missy’s blood test has confirmed that she is pregnant.

Which means this rescue was even more important than we first knew. For on the day they arrived, frightened and unsure, another tiny life travelled with them.
Not two lives found sanctuary that day, but three.

And then there’s her little boy.

When we asked his name, his answer came in a sharp, startled burst: “Pttt.” And it stuck. The stamp of his right hoof seemed to confirm it.

They arrived in the back of a ranger’s van and were frozen with fear and reluctant to leave. And honestly, who could blame them? Everything they knew had already been taken from them.

Pttt let out a blood-curdling cry as we carried him to his stall. It was a sound no young animal should ever have to make and one that no doubt echoes in that slaughterhouse they were once destined for.

The moment he was placed down, he ran straight to Missy, pressing himself tightly against her side, as though she could protect him from everything.
And perhaps, in his mind, she could. They had made it this far after all.

He’s a beautiful little soul, steel grey with a soft splash of white on his forehead. But already, at such a young age, he has learned to fear us.
That’s the part that stays with you. It never really leaves.

When people become frustrated that we can’t take their animals, we wish they could meet Missy and Pttt. Look into their eyes, feel their fear, and see the hope we are trying to give them. These two had nowhere safe to go. We were, quite honestly, their last chance.

And now, knowing Missy carries new life, that truth feels even more profound.

For this reason, we created our Facebook rehoming page, so that when we cannot offer sanctuary, there is still another avenue of support.

And most importantly, this is why sanctuary must remain a place for animals with nowhere else to go. For those who fall through the cracks of ethical thought and animal protection laws. The ones who arrive carrying fear and wounds instead of trust and wholeness.

We catch them with kindness.

And sometimes, that means making the hardest call, so that when animals like Missy and Pttt need us most, we can still say yes.

We trust you’ll understand.