Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary

09/12/2024

This week we are happy to announce that our recently rescued rabbit that was abandoned in a yard is all set and ready to find a home! He is litter box trained, has a clean bill of health, and is ready to find a family who will give him the love and care he deserves. He is happiest when he is out running around a room or the house, exploring, and hopping up to say hello and get a good head scratch.

Message us for more information and to arrange to come and meet him this weekend if you are interested. A small adoption fee will apply.

Stay tuned for news about some adoptable roosters - survivors of a broken up cock-fighting ring who are finally ready to find homes outside of the sanctuary after the last few months of recovery!

09/03/2024

Animal sanctuaries - and especially sanctuaries that take in livestock and poultry - most often operate more like a ranch than anything else. We are on site all day every day, rain or shine, to feed and care for the resident animals and make sure they are safe, comfortable, and not facing stress or injury. There are no holidays or vacation days - it is a full time 365 days out of the year job.

The main differences from a ranch is the animals themselves. They are not used for profitable purposes, work, or sale. The animals simply live, free to roam the pastures and simply exist. The animals here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary in particular have been saved from lives of abuse, neglect, injury, and near death. They are with us for recovery, love, respect, and to live out their lives in the safety and comfort they never received.

We are often asked "what makes it worth it, when we can barely make ends meet and the work never stops?" and the answer is very simple.

It's the mornings like these pictures, when we get to see the animals that have recovered from their injuries and trauma simply enjoying the day, roaming free, eating, and playing. For the first time in their lives, they are safe and they know it. Moments like these are what keep animal sanctuary staff going, passionate, and ready to keep doing whatever it takes.

It's the same drive that keeps zookeepers, aquarists, humane society staff, and any other animal care professional going. Animals being safe and happy are the reasons. Hopefully that answers the many questions about "why" and gives some perspective on top!

08/26/2024

Hot on the tail of last week's post announcing that good things can come in small packages, we now would like to discuss the flip side of that statement: sometimes good things come in very big packages!

This week, we introduce Cludy (pronounced CLUE-DEE). Cludy is our newest, very large, rescue here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary. He is a warmblood holsteiner, standing at just over 17 hands. He is a big friendly boy. Cludy is a championship jumper with more stamps on his passport than most people have, and he has lived a great life in the spotlight. Unfortunately, with jumping comes the risk of injury, and Cludy has been retired to to torn ligaments and muscles in his legs. His owner made the best choice for Cludy, and she brought him to us for retirement and to live out his many remaining years in a life of lazy luxury.

More often than not, champion horses like Cludy are not given a chance at retirement. It is usually cheaper and more cost effective for their owners to "retire" them more permanently, and claim the insurance on them to recoup some costs. Cludy is lucky that his owner is a caring, responsible person who genuinely wants what is best for him more than anything else. Now he has his own horse herd with residents Whiskey and V***n, a few goat friends, and constant visits from his former owner who brings him treats, gives him love, and sees every day that she made the right decision in bringing Cludy to us.

Horses deserve a chance at a good life when they are injured. All too often, they are not given that opportunity. Cludy is one of the lucky ones.

08/21/2024

Sometimes, in life in general as well as in animal rescue work, good things come in small packages. In this case, we have our newest rescue - a very small package! He was found abandoned in a neighborhood yard, unprotected from the local cats, dogs, and weather. A wonderful family took pity on him and brought him home for food, shelter, and to find out where he belongs.

Unfortunately, no one would ever claim him. And that's where we come in. Here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary, we take in the lost, the abused, the injured, and sometimes we take in the found, like this little guy.

He will stay with us for a couple of weeks while we get him cleared by our vets, up to date on vaccinations, and neutered. Then he will go up for adoption to find a safe, loving home and be given a second chance. This is a reminder that rabbits, while cute, are often picked up around by families thinking they make an easy pet. But like anything else, the require cleaning, feeding, attention, training, and companionship. So they are dumped in the wild to f end for themselves. Pet rabbits are not wild animals - they cannot survive outside, and need a safe and loving home.

How can anyone abandon a face like this? We don't know.

07/25/2024

You turn your back for five seconds here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary and someone's Kid always breaks the rules. Kid goat Raff believes the "no riding the horses" rule is more like a guideline than an actual rule.

Kids. You can always trust them to find some loophole in any rules you may set down. Human or animal, they can be quite a handful.

07/23/2024

All is relative silence at the sanctuary this past week, given how busy this summer has been with projects, partnerships, and rescues.

This past week marked the surgery for resident goat kid Riff - a surprise birth from his mother being donated pregnant as we've mentioned. In order to nip any future surprise pregnancies in the butt, Riff was neutered and his surgery went great. We cannot thank the team at Foothills Animal Health Center enough for helping us out as a huge favor and taking care of Riff while he was down and out. Riff is making a wonderful recovery, and will be out running jumping and playing with his family again in no time at all.

Foothills Animal Health Center is an amazing facility with an incredible team, and you should look into them for all of your cat and dog spay/neuter needs. But not goats - Riff was a special exception for Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary!

07/10/2024

It is important to remember that running an animal sanctuary, working at a zoo or aquarium, or professionally caring for animals in any capacity really, that what we do requires so much more than animal knowledge. We need to be plumbers, do veterinary work, carpentry, construction, grounds keeping, chemistry...the list is long and ever expanding.

It is in that spirit that today we present an ongoing project here at the sanctuary in the form of rebuilding and restoring a pond and fountain that have been neglected for nearly forty years. During our time setting up and expanding the sanctuary, we were made aware of the pond - it's in a lot of our pictures and hard to miss after all - but we were never told that it was originally part of a much bigger plan. While working to clean up the pond, we accidentally stumbled on some of the remnants of that larger design, and began to dig in, literally, on the mystery. What we discovered was the brick and rockwork remains of an extensive fountain and stream system, feeding into a small circulation waterfall back into the pond. Today we are sharing some of the work in progress and "before/after" pictures of the not yet finished project.

In these pictures you will see it as we first found the fountain and stream area, completely overgrown and hidden, and then the progress work to dig it out, re-line it, and start on new plumbing work. In the next week or so, we will share some videos and, fingers crossed, the largely finished project up and running!

07/01/2024

What do you do when you have fertile eggs dropped in your lap? Here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary, there's only one answer: Hatch the babies! So that's exactly what we did.

Heritage turkey breeds are smaller then their cousins who are destined to be on your dinner table. They are leaner, and have not lost their ability to fly or breed. They are also affectionate, have individual personalities, and make wonderful companions!

It is our pleasure to introduce four new friendly faces to the world - one of whom has something a little extra special to make sure they grow properly and becomes strong enough to get big and healthy. You will notice one of the turkey poults (baby turkeys) has some fancy blue shoes on. This is because the egg they hatched from had a vitamin deficiency and they hatched with curved toes. A condition easily fixable with some physical therapy and custom made shoes!

06/28/2024

Prova knows all the secrets to beating the heat this summer. A good mud puddle and some bubble blowing.

06/17/2024

It wouldn't be a happy Monday if we didn't share some great animal pictures, would it? What better way to start the week than with some goat kid updates!

Today we begin by introducing, officially, Riff and Raff - the double trouble goat twins who are officially two weeks old! Riff is the larger male with the white markings. Raff is the extremely active smaller solid color female. She is definitely the leader of the terrible twosome! This week they mastered the stairs as a base of operations for pasture exploration to come. They also met their uncle Fry - a wise old goat who just had to be friends! And finally, a picture of a large part of the Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary family in one grouping - an amazing reminder of how successful rescue and rehab can do absolute wonders for animals and their wellbeing.

You keep supporting us, cheering us on, and donating when you are able, and we'll keep saving lives!

06/13/2024

Goat afternoon Rescue Tails friends and family!

Did you know goats can run up to 10-15 miles per hour and jump nearly five feet straight up? Even as kids, they can jump several times their own height and run at a good clip. Here's the babies practicing their olympic sprints!

06/06/2024

Goat morning again all,

Just in case you need a little extra "hop" to get moving today, we present to you a little goat jump. Just a tease to get your day started. Keep an eye on the page in the next day or so...we may have some name announcements coming down the line!

06/05/2024

Daily dose of goat goodness incoming, Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary family!

Ever seen a goat climb a pig? You have now!

Today we bring you the baby goat version of conquering Mt. Everest! Special thanks to Jasper, our resident grumpy pig, for playing the part of Mt. Everest to absolute perfection!

06/03/2024

Happy MOO-nday everyone,

Okay maybe that one was a bit of a stretch even for me. But to make up for it, here's some pictures of a newly healthy Branwell meeting the horses up close and personal, at last, for the very first time! After months of only socializing through fences across pastures, Bran was very excited to get to play with his new friends.

06/02/2024

Goat morning everyone!

The new goats met some of our nosy residents during the beautiful sunshine Saturday afternoon for a short while. Much fun was had as the horses tried to figure out what on earth the tiny furballs headbutting them were.

05/31/2024

Drumroll please...

Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary could not be more proud and delighted to announce that at 2:00 PM on Wednesday May 29th, our best girl Leela successfully delivered her twins into the world with no complications at all! Within minutes of birth, goat kids are up and moving around, and Leela has been an absolute champion mama. Without any further ado, please meet, and welcome to the world, the new twin residents of Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary!

05/25/2024

A wonderful visit from Nic Milam Photography today here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary! Many pictures were taken, many things were discussed, and some amazing seeds were planted for big ideas and collaborations coming this summer! Make sure to like and follow for all of the fun stuff!

Beautiful afternoon hanging out with Molly and Casey of , a local non-profit that rescues and rehabilitates abused and neglected animals in Catawba County and surrounding areas. Fun plans in the work with Rescue Tails, coming soon! 💕

Canon EOS2000
50mm f2 1/2000s iso 100

05/22/2024

We're having a little bit of a Wacky Wednesday here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary - so we decided to share some of our resident animals acting silly. Without any further context or introduction, enjoy a random set of pictures from our gang in all of their mouthy glory!

You never know what you're going to catch an animal doing, and sometimes the timing just works out wonderfully. Special notice goes to Prova the pig for "hamming" it up in her picture. (Don't worry, we're ashamed of ourselves too for such a "bahhhd" pun!)

05/13/2024

Because animal rescue and animal welfare work never stops - more news to share from our resident goats! Best goat girl, Leela, had an ultrasound this past week and confirmed some suspicions we have had - we're expecting twins! Any day now, in fact. Leela came to us roughly five months ago from a larger herd with some unfixed males, and must have been carrying a little surprise along with her. But we are thrilled to help this gorgeous first time goat mom bring her little ones into sanctuary life - right on the heels of Mother's day makes the timing perfect!

We'll keep everyone updated and provide baby pictures and updates on Leela's health and condition as this moves forward - so stay tuned for adorable things soon to come!

05/13/2024

Our friends at Heartwood Haven have achieved an incredible goal - successfully rescuing and placing 53 roosters rescued from a cockfighting ring bust in Washington state. We were such a small part of this rescue, taking in 12 of the rescued birds ourselves here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary, and are extremely proud of the entire animal welfare world and every sanctuary and adopter who was involved in helping get these birds safely placed. Heartwood Haven has done an amazing thing these past few weeks, and as ever in the animal sanctuary world, will undoubtedly move on to the next animal in need without missing a beat. Everyone please make sure to pop over to their post and congratulate them and share the post!

05/08/2024

Because sometimes you just need to be silly to remain sane, and because we always insist on scientific accuracy here at the sanctuary!

05/06/2024

Hot on the heels of the rescued roosters coming in from Washington State, we have some fantastic news regarding our biggest rescue case: Branwell the calf. Branwell came to us with severe warts, conjunctivitis scarring in his right eye, and severe pneumonia - he was given a month to live, and we threw everything plus the kitchen sink at him in order to find out what was wrong and keep him going.

We could not be happier to finally announce, almost four months later, that as of this weekend Branwell has been given a clean bill of health! After over a month of massive daily penicillin injections, wart scrapings, biopsies, and various medical appointments and treatments, Branwell has beat his various illnesses and come out the other end fully cured and ready for a long and happy life! We are extremely grateful for our vet friends, volunteers, and the staff here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary for sticking by Branwell even when his prognosis was given as terminal, and not giving up on him through everything.

Branwell, we salute you for being an extraordinary fighter and never showing any signs of slowing down no matter how ill you were. Your constant high spirits kept us in high spirits, and now we are looking forward to many more years of you and your antics as an example of an extraordinary rehab story!

Introducing at last, a now healthy, happy, wart and disease free Branwell!

05/03/2024

Happy Friday everyone! Today we have some amazing news to share. Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary has successfully received 12 roosters seized from a cockfighting ring in Washington State, shipped to us by plane from Heartwood Haven! Over the course of the past week we threw up custom coops with the help of amazing volunteers, got everything in place, and then over the course of two separate days made trips to and from the airport in Raleigh, a five hour trip, to pick up the birds. Thanks to amazing volunteers, all of this has been possible.

We are thrilled to say that all of the roosters arrived healthy and without incident, and all are settling into life at the sanctuary where they will receive the care, rehabilitation, and homes they never had access to, without being pitted against one another for sport. We will be sharing many pictures of them over the next few days as they get settled and we begin to work with them individually. Until then, have a few to start with!

04/30/2024

Recently, our friends at Heartwood Haven in Washington State began the herculean task of rescuing and rehoming over a hundred roosters saved from a cockfighting ring. They are still seeking placements for roosters so they can continue to rescue more of the boys and get as many as possible saved and in good homes. Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary is taking a dozen of these birds for rehabilitation and rescue. Our friends at Carolina Waterfowl Rescue are taking in another dozen. If you or anyone you know can help out, please reach out for more information from Heartwood Haven or to us here and we can provide additional information for you.

Each rooster must be housed individually from one another, in coops and runs of their very own. We have custom built 12 coops with the help of some incredible volunteers over two days, ensuring each rooster can be safely housed but still get time to run and enjoy the sun and the outdoors for what may be the first time in their lives. If you are able to help us cover some of the costs to save these boys, please consider donating to our GoFundMe located at https://gofund.me/59603b3d - every penny goes directly to the care and rehabilitation of the animals at the sanctuary, and we are grateful for every donation, and every share, like, and repost!

We will share photos as soon as we have them!

Rescue animals at a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity in North Caro… Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary needs your support for Rescued Animals In North Carolina Need Your Help!

04/19/2024

Please share and assist however possible. Further information can be found by following the links in the original post, emailing Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, and contacting the lead sanctuary directly. There are hundreds of birds still in need of placement.

Please share****

URGENT. Over 200 chickens need placement for a cockfighting bust in Washington state. Placement needed asap or chickens die.

Case information we can share:
Washington state cockfighting operation. Possibly over 200 roosters, hens, and chicks. Dozens have been seized, but the rest will be left. One single rescue is taking dozens initially, but NEEDS to find homes for most.

If you are in Carolinas, you may contact us for adoption information at [email protected]

If you are not in the Carolinas, please fill out an adoption form

https://heartwoodhaven.org/adoption-form/

If any rescues would like to help, or if people have questions, they can reach out by email to [email protected]

04/18/2024

Ahh yes, the universal truth of horse: You spend over an hour washing a shampooing them - they take 30 seconds to undo that and roll in the dirt. One of the best parts about caring for horses, and rehabbed horses in particular, is seeing the joy they get from being filthy and happy out in the pastures. Whiskey and V***n are particularly fond of spending part of their time upside down with their feet splayed in the air, rolling in the dust. Especially when they are freshly cleaned. After all, what is the best part about being clean? Getting dirty all over again!

Enjoy!

04/08/2024

Happy Monday everyone!

Two months ago, in mid-February, Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary took in a big new medical rescue case, Branwell the shorthorn Calf. Branwell came to us with an extremely severe case of warts all over his body, pneumonia, and a lot of scar tissue in one eye from a previous bout with sever pink eye. At the time, we posted pictures of his condition, and then we followed that up a short time later with his first vet visit and treatment.

Today we are thrilled to provide another update on Branwell and his recovery progress so far! As Bran worsened, we sent out a long-shot hail-mary biopsy for diagnostic study. After biopsy results returned to us, Branwell was officially diagnosed with very severe Dermatophilosis - a skin bacteria that attacks the system and lives in the hair follicle. When severe enough, it can cause the warts that Branwell was experiencing. In his case, Bran was so inundated with bacteria that his vet team gave him a very low survival rate.

However, armed with the new knowledge of his diagnosis, we began treatment regardless - fully set on giving Bran his best possible chance. We could not be more happy to share these pictures with you today along with the announcement that Branwell is doing extremely well, and his chances and prognosis have improved dramatically.

We are not going to re-share the pictures of when we first took Bran in, but those can be found in our post on February 19th lower down in our feed for comparison for those interested. We want this post to contain only the pictures of his healing and updated condition, since it is so upbeat and positive.

His warts have begun to clear up, and they are not growing back. This is giving his skin a chance to heal and his system a chance to fight off the bacteria and resulting infections. We are also happy to share that his pneumonia has been resolved, and Branwell is breathing normally at last. He isn't out of the woods entirely yet, but our little calf buddy is putting up an amazing fight and we're going to keep at it until we can declare once and for all that he is healthy at last!

04/06/2024

Today marks a huge milestone for us here at Rescue Tails Animal Sanctuary - it is our one year anniversary since we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity! To mark the day, we are revealing our brand new logos!

We are very excited to hit this milestone, and look forward to so many more years being able to rescue and care for animals in need with your help and support. A huge thank you to every follower, donor, and supporter we have! Keep an eye out for some news on our big medical rescue, Branwell the cow, coming very soon!