The Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary

12/10/2024

❤️‍🩹 Update on Ovi ❤️‍🩹

Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to share that Ovi is doing wonderfully and has clearly won the hearts of everyone at the hospital. His discharge was delayed by just one day, as the veterinary team wanted to sedate him one final time for a bandage change and a few more x-rays before he heads home.
Although Ovi is still unable to bear weight on his leg, Dr. Altman reassured us that this is completely normal given the severity of the trauma he experienced. His recovery is on track, and we’re thrilled about his bright future!
And we have some exciting news we can’t wait to share with all of you—a big surprise that we know will bring even more joy this holiday season. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of his story and helping us make this miracle happen!

12/09/2024

🚨 Urgent Help Needed: Home for a Vulnerable Animal by Thursday!🚨

Dear friends,
Life has been incredibly challenging at BSAS as since this fall, we’ve been overwhelmed with an influx of injured animals seeking refuge, urgent vet care, and a safe place to heal. It feels like we’ve been constantly putting out fires—caring for countless injured animals, all arriving nearly every week. To be completely honest, we are physically and mentally drained.

Despite desperately needing a break, another young life has arrived at our doorstep, desperately needing safety and care. Sadly, we can only offer him a temporary shelter, as we are absolutely at capacity with 150 animals living here and several medical cases.

A few weeks ago, one of our volunteers—a teacher at a local school, noticed a young piglet outside the school. Staff immediately called the Sheriff's Office. The pig appeared to be in good condition, suggesting he had an owner. With the help of the sheriff's deputies and locals, the owner was found—but shockingly, the owner refused to reclaim the piglet and refused to sign him over to the shelter.

Because of that, Durham APS admitted him as a stray. After spending quite some time at the shelter hoping his owner would have a change of heart, the urgency of his situation was heightened by the dropping temperatures, which would have made it dangerous for this little one. Despite the shelter's best efforts to provide compassionate and loving care, the shelter's only housing for farm animals is a metal shed, which could not protect him from the freezing cold and so the staff immediately asked whether we could temp house him in a warm environment. We scrambled and found a warm temporary spot for the little innocent guy.

To make things even more dire, unfortunately, because the owner didn’t sign him over and he came in as a stray, under a NC law, impounded stray livestock are auctioned off by the sheriff to the highest bidder, which means this sweet piglet could end up in a horrible or even life threatening situation.

The auction is on Thursday, December 12 and will be conducted by the sheriffs office here at BSAS.

🚨 We need your help, and we need it NOW. 🚨

We desperately need to secure a permanent sanctuary or adoptive home for this young pig. We cannot keep him, as we simply do not have the space.

Friends, this piglet is the victim in all of this. He didn’t ask for any of this. We’ve been doing everything we can to help animals in need, but we are exhausted. We need your help to find this little one the safe and loving home he deserves.

With so many organizations struggling financially this year, even those with space are hesitant to take on more animals. Your donation can make a world of difference for smaller sanctuaries, providing funds for vet care, food, housing, and fencing. Money talks, if the kid had a grant to come with, it would be so much easier to find him a nonprofit to call home. 🙌🙏

Will you help us pull off a miracle in just a few days and ensure that this sweet animal has a safe future?

With deep gratitude,
BSAS Team

🙏 PayPal: [email protected]
🙏 Venmo: Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary@BSAS2021
🙏 Website: https://blindspotanimals.com/donate/

12/08/2024

“Volunteer at a sanctuary, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. They forgot to mention Dozer the bulldozer who weighs five times more than me, that the chickens have opinions and the goats think they’re in charge.”

Come volunteer with us 😂😜

12/07/2024

Happy 4-Year Rescue Anniversary, Peter Pan!

Four years ago today, one little goat’s life changed forever. Born into a world of exploitation and profit, he was torn from his mother and family as a baby, shuffled through multiple livestock auctions, and crammed into crowded, unsanitary transport conditions with other frightened goats. The stressful transport took him from the breeding farm in Georgia to several auctions in North Carolina. Eventually, he was purchased by someone, only to be lost or abandoned in Granville County, where he was taken to the local animal shelter. Per North Carolina law, the shelter announced a livestock auction for him.

When one of our volunteers spotted the announcement, we knew we had to act. Our team was dispatched with one clear mission: do whatever it takes to get him to safety. But when they arrived, they faced a large crowd of bidders. Everyone wanted this baby boy. Typically, shelter auctions start low — around $10 — but this one opened at $100. As the bidding intensified, it became clear that this would not be an ordinary rescue.

When the bid reached over $300, one man continued to compete with our volunteers. Striking up a conversation, our team learned that he had been sent with instructions not to return home without the baby goat because the kids “really wanted him.” Our volunteers empathized but explained that the little goat might be available for adoption after veterinary care. However, when the man revealed his intent to breed him, our volunteers knew they couldn’t risk it. “Oh no, buddy — not on our watch,” they thought. Determined, our team kept bidding until, finally, at $500 — the most expensive shelter auction we’d ever attended — he was ours.

From the shelter, this little one was rushed to our trusted veterinarian, Dr. Shannon Swink, for quarantine and comprehensive care. It was during this time that he earned his name: Peter Pan. And just like the storybook character, Peter Pan would soon discover a world filled with love, friendship, and the promise of never being alone again.

Not long after arriving at our sanctuary, Peter met Mable, a disabled goat with a heart as big as her spirit. The two formed an inseparable bond, with Mable taking on the role of his mother. They became a family in every sense of the word. Although we later had to say a heartbreaking goodbye to sweet Mable, Peter had already found something that could never be taken from him again: a forever family.

Over the past four years, we’ve had the absolute joy of watching Peter Pan grow, play, get into mischief, and embrace every moment of life with a playful heart. He reminds us daily why we do what we do.

Happy 4-Year Rescue Anniversary, Peter Pan. Your journey is a powerful testament to love, perseverance, and the belief that every being deserves a safe, happy life. Here’s to many more years of joy, adventure, and family.

12/07/2024

“It is a joy to care for them!”
— Dr. Altman

This morning, just like every morning, Dr. Altman of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine called with an update on Ovi. I always take notes during these medical updates so I remember every detail, and today’s news is truly heartwarming. It’s not every day you find a team of vets who not only can provide high quality emergency care to pigs but genuinely enjoy it. It’s incredibly heartwarming to find a facility that offers both the expertise and the passion for caring for pigs, especially in emergency situations. And when you find one, it’s nothing short of priceless.

The little guy is doing great! After his surgery, the vets administered a nerve block in his leg to help with pain and weren’t sure if he’d be up and walking this morning. But, to everyone’s surprise, he was on his feet and moving around! For those who have pigs, you know how tough anesthesia can be on them, and constipation is a common concern. Thankfully, Ovi didn’t have any issues, and he went potty twice already.
All in all, it’s wonderful news! Ovi is recovering beautifully, and we're so grateful to have such a caring team looking after him.

Dr. Altman and I spoke more about the repair, the surgery and how complex the fracture was when he first arrived, and I asked her for copies of pre op x-rays and post op because I absolutely find this fascinating. We received the pre-op copies today and will likely get the post op on Monday. But my goodness, look at this horrific, absolutely horrific and complicated fracture. Two fractures actually as one is a full fracture, and the other is a bone splitting.

I cannot imagine the pain he must have been in for 4 days.

We are so grateful he is better now, his leg is fixed and he has a bright future. 🙌❤️

12/07/2024

❤️‍🩹 We have some incredibly exciting updates about our little injured piglet! ❤️‍🩹

First off, we have a name! After much thought, the vet team came up with a perfect one—Ovi, inspired by a hockey player who broke his leg but made a full recovery. We couldn’t be happier with this name! Its really fitting and the vet team has been calling him that!
And now to even better news: Ovi is out of surgery! You won’t believe it, but the orthopedic surgery lasted a staggering 4.5 hours! It was quite complicated due to the amount of time that had passed since his leg was fractured. The injury had caused a lot of tissue buildup that needed to be removed first, in addition to a fractured bone and another bone that was splitting—something we first noticed on his x-ray (see attached) According to my notes, the surgeon used a 9-hole plate to stabilize the fracture, along with countless screws to secure both the fracture and the splitting bone. Dr. Altman promised to send a copy of the x-ray, which sounds like an impressive feat of veterinary surgery!

The vet team is thrilled with the outcome of the surgery. Of course, there is always a risk of infection, so Ovi will be hospitalized over the weekend and monitored closely at least until Monday.

His road to recovery is just beginning. He’ll need two weeks of stall rest, followed by some mild walking, and the vet team expects him to be fully recovered in about three months if he doesn’t have any complications.

As many of you may recall, we also asked the vet team to check for a microchip. Unfortunately, he wasn’t chipped, so we made sure to have him microchipped while he was under anesthesia.

And now, friends, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. What a rollercoaster this has been! From tragedy to hope, to healing, and now a bright future ahead for Ovi—all made possible by the incredible efforts of the vet team, our volunteer Brian, Debbi, and our amazing supporters who help make these miracles happen! 🙌

Fingers crossed for no infection. In the meantime, this is truly a win!

Please consider thanking Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine for not only taking on this difficult case, but handling it with such ease, care and compassion! Give them a positive review so that the vets can smile after a tough day at work. 🙏

12/07/2024

We have not received an update on the piglet yet, so while we wait, I thought I’d share an update on Glori.

We have some crazy, awesome news to share: Glori lost weight! 🙌
This spunky senior went from 37 lbs to a plump 81 lbs, and we strongly encouraged her to stick to Weight Watchers. 😉 I'm thrilled to report that she is now 72 lbs!!!

This old lady is acting like a puppy! She is running, hopping, NOT listening, and doing her thing. She LOVES the freezing temperatures, and we cannot get her inside.

She is thriving!
We had a week of naughty behavior not long ago, but she seems to be behaving better now. Kind of. I'm never sure if she can't hear or chooses not to hear, but I know that when she doesn’t want something, she starts fooling us by jumping around as if she's wrestling and playing.

12/06/2024

We need all the positive thoughts and prayers for this brave little one as he heads into surgery in about 30 minutes. It will be a lengthy procedure, and Dr. Altman of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine has informed us that we should expect an update later this evening.

Come on, little one—stay strong and pull through! We're sending all our positive energy to the veterinary team, hoping for a successful surgery and a good outcome for his little leg.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has generously donated toward his hospitalization and surgery so far. This surgery is a crucial step, determining everything from the success of the repair to the length of his recovery. We appreciate all your support! ❤️‍🩹🙌

12/05/2024

❤️‍🩹 Injured Piglet Update ❤️‍🩹

This morning, bright and early, we received a call from the vet team. It was incredibly reassuring to hear a familiar voice—one from a veterinarian we worked with closely when one of our other pigs, Stevie, was hospitalized at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine last year. Since we’ve never met this little piglet, we had many questions.

Now that the pain medication has kicked in, we’ve learned that the little one is surprisingly friendly and clearly belonged to someone. The veterinarian commented how clean and sweet he was. We will ask the vet team to check him for a microchip! He may have been an inside pig.

The vet team sedated the piglet and took additional x-rays last night, revealing that the fracture is a complicated one—especially since nearly a week has passed and callus has already formed around the break. To prevent the injury from becoming an open fracture, the vet team did an excellent job bandaging the leg to keep it stable.

Now the news.
The piglet is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. 🙌 So many emotions are going through our head, from anxiety to hope. The orthopedic surgeon and the vet team met today to discuss the complexity of the fracture, factoring in the piglet’s age, growth, and the fact that it’s not a fresh injury anymore. Despite these challenges, the vet team is optimistic and is caring for the piglet with so much love and compassion. We’ve asked the team to choose a fitting name for him, as they’re the ones spending all day with him, getting to know his sweet personality.

We are being hit with unexpected vet bills because this was spare of the moment emergency rescue. Despite that, we’ve asked the vet team to provide whatever the little guy needs as he deserves the world after the agonizing pain he endured for 4 days. We are not nickel and diming with the hospital as we want this kid to get the amazing high quality care he needs and deserves. He is definitely in the right place!

However, our Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts are already exhausted, just like that, within minutes they were gone, as we had to put down a deposit for his hospitalization, which could very well be a long one.

With surgery tomorrow and an uncertain recovery time ahead, we’re estimating that we’ll need to raise $4,000-$5,000 to get through this.

Please, if you can, consider supporting this urgent rescue. This little one deserves every chance at a happy life, and your help will make all the difference.

Thank you for your compassion and generosity during this critical time.

❤️‍🩹 PayPal: [email protected]
❤️‍🩹 Venmo: Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary@BSAS2021
❤️‍🩹 Website: https://blindspotanimals.com/donate/

12/05/2024

🚨 Emergency Rescue 🚨

Friends, this is an incredibly difficult story to share, especially since we work closely with so many animal shelters, both within NC and beyond. We support them wholeheartedly, but something went terribly wrong, and it would be deeply unfair to this poor piglet not to tell his full story. Out of respect for the shelter, we are not naming them and asking others who know of the case to please not to tag the shelter, as they are handling this situation internally, and we don’t want to encourage any attacks on them. However, this was a tragic and embarrassing incident that we hope can serve as a painful but necessary lesson.

On Thanksgiving, animal control officers responded to a call about a stray pig. Unfortunately, because ACO’s aren’t typically trained well in the safe and gentle handling of pigs, they ended up chasing him for quite a while. During the chaos, one of them jumped on him, fracturing his back leg. Amid the excitement of the "successful" capture circulating, no one noticed the severe injury.

This poor piglet was then transported to the shelter and left to endure excruciating pain during the stray hold period. For four days, no one acknowledged the serious injury.

When the management returned after the holiday, they was horrified to find the pig injured. They immediately called in a large animal vet, who took x-rays and delivered the devastating news—he had a significant fracture. The vet quickly put the pig on strong pain medication and the shelter manager, deeply upset and embarrassed, reached out to rescues for help.
Since the shelter is located outside of North Carolina, finding a way to get this pig the care he desperately needed was an act of God. We scrambled to arrange transport and find a hospital with an orthopedic surgeon. After a series of stressful calls, we were overwhelmed with relief when Virginia Tech agreed to take him in. It brought me to tears, hearing the compassionate, confident voice on the other end of the phone assuring us they could see him—and that their orthopedic surgeon was available to fit him into an already full schedule.

A huge thank you goes out to Debbi with Over the Rainbow Sanctuary for immediately jumping in the car to pick him up from the shelter and driving all day to meet our volunteer, Brian. Brian then spent another 8-9 hours on the road, making the long drive to Virginia Tech and back to get this piglet the emergency vet care he needed.
This is a costly and unexpected rescue and the funds we raised during the GivingTuesday went towards the deposit for this kids hospitalization. We will need to raise more to cover the surgery and the rest of the hospitalization.

Please, consider supporting this little kid! Your generosity will ensure that this sweet soul gets the surgery and recovery he deserves, after enduring so much pain.

Thank you for your compassion and support!

❤️‍🩹 PayPal: [email protected]
❤️‍🩹 Venmo: Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary@BSAS2021
❤️‍🩹 Website: https://blindspotanimals.com/donate/

12/04/2024

It’s heartwarming to watch our residents eagerly line up to meet and welcome Hope. Seeing our rescued animals interact with each other and with newcomers is incredibly touching. Animals are so pure—they see, they understand, and they show such care for one another.

Just the other day, I watched our 10 sheep excitedly rush to the barn for dinner, looking so happy and plump. Then, I noticed Hope, and the contrast was striking. Despite her pregnancy, she is not chubby at all, a grim reminder of her past.

12/04/2024

Thank you, thank you all so much for making this truly incredible! We are deeply blessed to have such a devoted and compassionate community of followers, supporters, and volunteers who came together to donate on this incredibly important day. Your generosity means the world to us.

Our celebration was brief yesterday, as true to our mission, we were urgently called to help, and without hesitation, we answered the call to an emergency, no matter the cost. We will share more about this challenging and unfolding rescue soon.

In the meantime, please know how profoundly your support impacts our work. It is deeply meaningful and truly appreciated as we continue fighting for the most vulnerable and exploited animals on this planet.

From all of us at BSAS, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

12/04/2024

Sisu Refuge is pure love, care, compassion & kindness! Donate! Volunteer! Follow!

We love this org so much!

12/04/2024

I donated to one of our fav orgs who save lives & change fates! Will you support Figgy Farm Animal Sanctuary ?!

12/04/2024

There is still time left to donate to the Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary! I donated, will you?!

12/03/2024

We are thrilled to share the incredible news! Because you voted, BSAS will now receive an incredible donation of $500!

Thank you, Leith Toyota, and all of YOU who made it possible 🙌❤️

Thanks to your votes, The Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary will receive $500 as our November 2024 local charity winner.😊 Their mission is to provide lifelong, loving care to neglected and homeless farm animals, placing those who are adoptable in forever homes. Learn how you can help them, by visiting their website: https://blindspotanimals.com/

12/03/2024

Every dollar you donate goes directly to saving animals. BSAS is a 100% volunteer-run organization, with no paid staff, and all donations go straight to the care of rescued animals.

This year has been unlike any other. From storms devastating counties, to economic uncertainty causing organizations to shut down, to hoarding cases and animal abuse happening across the country – countless animals have found themselves in life-threatening situations. Yet, through it all, BSAS has remained a steadfast lifeline. We've rushed to help overwhelmed shelters, stepped in to assist with hoarding cases, and saved animals who otherwise had no chance.

But this year, BSAS has been stretched thin—physically, emotionally, and financially—by the overwhelming number of animals in need. Despite the challenges, we never gave up. We kept pushing forward, because the animals need us.

This video shows the incredible lives you've helped save. YOU have made all of this possible.

On this Day of Giving, we ask for your support once again. There is so much more to be done, and so many more lives to be saved. With your help, we can continue this vital work.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for standing with us and the animals we rescue. Your compassion truly makes a difference.

· PayPal: [email protected]

· Venmo: Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary@BSAS2021

· Website: https://blindspotanimals.com/donate/

· Blind Spot Animal Sanctuary
307 Bacon Road, Rougemont, NC 27572