By Dottsie Perez, Executive Director 
We recently received a plea from a woman who was a victim of domestic violence. To save herself, she had to make the hardest decision of her life, she had to leave her home along with all that she loved, including her six goats.
Determined to get back on her feet and find a home for her and her beloved goats, she was devastated when after searching long and hard she realized that finding the shelter and resources these animals would need while keeping them with her proved to be near impossible. In the meantime, her goats were at risk of being euthanized by her ex-husband – her assailant. She needed to get them to a safe haven and it needed to be done fast!
Pets Alive knew we had to help! We love goats! And we are not strangers to farm animals. We have horses and regularly have pigs, but it’s been awhile since we’ve had goats. Most of the farm animals in our care have come to us from cruelty and neglect cases which have involved SPCA and local law enforcement. Of course this was a bit different because this was an owner who was fearful of her own safety but would not give up on her animals, she cared and knew she needed help. Knowing there are so few organizations in the area that can handle farm animals- and most limit their intakes to those cases that involve law enforcement- there was no way we could say no. This is who we are and why we are here. This is what Pets Alive does.
We immediately had to assess the situation more closely and come up with a game plan to determine: whether we have adequate space to safely house them, if they have special needs, medical issues or diseases. After all, it’s common for goats to carry zoonotic diseases (transferable between species) as well as species specific illnesses. We needed to know if they could safely live with the other farm animals, what costs would be involved, and how we could ensure their safety, comfort and most of all happiness. These are questions sanctuaries and shelters must ask themselves. Sure we want to save them all, but the reality is we need to ensure have the means to do so.
We went to meet the goats, assess their situation and get blood work done. When we arrived at the farm, it was evident these loving animals were eager for attention. There were five horned girls and one male without horns who were sweet, welcoming and greeted us gently. They appeared malnourished though and emaciated – we could count every rib on their bodies and see their hip and pelvic bones clearly. Even their feet looked deformed from lack of care. They appeared physically starved and craved the human interaction and love they had been missing from their owner. We knew that time was of the essence and they had to be removed from their current environment.
We impatiently waited a week for the results to come in, we were concerned for their health. It felt like one of the longest weeks of our lives. In the interim, we consulted with our veterinarians to learn about different diseases goats may encounter and discussed the steps needed to bring these goats to the sanctuary.
The results finally arrived! They confirmed the goats tested positive for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis). This disease is commonly seen in the dairy industry and creates almost a rheumatoid type of arthritis in adults with swelling of the joints. CAE can be fatal to babies as it can cause encephalitic seizures. Unfortunately there is no treatment for the disease but there are ways to manage symptomatically to keep the goats comfortable. We know this will be an additional cost but there is no way we would turn our backs on these adorable animals and we knew YOU, our supporters, would feel the same way!

Our amazing staff was confident we could make this work! We have a solitary pasture that would become their home. So on April 17th we picked them up and brought them to Pets Alive!!!  We’ve already begun treatment and our vet advised, with proper care, these sweeties have a good chance of recovering from the malnutrition and we will be able to manage the CAE symptoms. These beautiful animals will live the rest of their life getting what they need to live comfortably and with the love they deserve!
We are excited to introduce our newest members of the Pets Alive farm animals!!!
Louis is the big hornless guy. And the girls: Lucia, Lauren, Ella, Simone, and
Maria. They are settling in nicely and are a blast to watch frolicking in the field!!!
We could really use a little help with their medical care. Thank you so much for all of your support. It is because of you that we were able to rescue these beautiful goats. If you are interested in adopting please be sure to complete the application HERE