Fat & Happy Rescue

24/08/2024

Some sad news to share at Fat & Happy.  Fred, our outside Pyr who arrived bonded to Wilma the goat, passed away this past month from natural causes.  A working dog to the end, Fred protected his herd of goats each night, warning any predators with his bark.  He had started to show his age (we believe over 13) this past year, so we knew his time was coming – but he remained happy to the end, especially while receiving his peanut butter bone each evening. 

Rest in peace Fred – you earned it! ❤️❤️❤️

24/07/2024

Our Jay-Z couldn’t be prouder of his namesake!

Music mogul Jay-Z's is no stranger to vegan investments. He has backed several plant-based companies, including Oatly and Simulate.

21/07/2024

Our next introduction came from the same home as Nina, where she had been since she was only a few days old. Now 3, she is sweet, happy, and inquisitive. She loves attention and affection, and is an overall delight.

Her reaction when she first arrived was truly magical. When she first went to her last home, she was with her sister who unfortunately did not make it. I don’t know the details but at some point, Nina arrived and I believe those are the only two cows she had seen since basically birth. She was so, so excited to see our other cows! We keep everyone quarantined at first and it almost felt wrong to keep her confined and separated from the others when she clearly wanted to mingle and play. Today, we will integrate she and Nina with the herd of (mostly) younger and smaller cows.

The best friend that I ever had was Cracker Jack
But he was more than that
A playmate, a companion
He was love and understanding

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Dolly Parton!

06/07/2024

A little over a month ago, the rescue that we learned about Fred and Wilma Rudolph through reached out to see if we would be able to take in two cows that needed placement. I had been put in a cow hiatus for 2024 given how many we took in during Q3 2023 and realistically, we are confined by the size of our property, but as there was a family that could really use the help with the rehoming of the cows, an exception was made.

Our first introduction is a big personality in a somewhat small package. I won’t use this opportunity to get all preachy but to leave it at - there is no such thing as a miniature cow. They are the same as other cattle but have been selectively bred for smaller size, whether that be by breeding runts or those with other issues. I suspect our newest girl is a dwarf, but our vet has not seen her yet so this has yet to be confirmed. She is lovely and I think with a little time to know that she will never be an attraction at a petting zoo again, she will really come out of her shell.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Nina Simone!

06/07/2024

There was some discussion, but no…this will not be our next intake…but he/she was pretty cute

02/07/2024

It’s been a busy few days at F&H! More details coming soon…

12/06/2024

We’ve fallen wildly behind on the social media posts again! We still owe introductions for the mom and three baby goats that we welcomed in late March, and then there are two more (surprise!) that joined Fat & Happy a month ago today.

Say hello to Clyde Drexler and Hannah England! They came to us from a family who loved them very, very much but were forced to move to an area where zoning did not allow for goats. They had been cherished family members for ten years, and now get to spend their golden years with us! Both are very sweet, especially Clyde who is now without question the friendliest and most inquisitive goat at the sanctuary.

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Clyde Drexler & Hannah England!

13/05/2024

Having an animal sanctuary, it isn’t often that we have the opportunity to welcome a mom and her baby - but it’s absolutely something we love to do and jump at the opportunity, every chance we get. We currently have four mom residents who were able to come with their babies. In order of tenure - Ronda Rousey (Max Scherzer and Charles Woodson), Amy Winehouse (Geddy Lee), Christie Brinkley (Iman and Cindy Crawford), and Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Lionel Messi).

Happy Mother’s Day!

11/05/2024

Waiting for breakfast 🥰😍

27/04/2024

Simone Biles loves her new bed! 😂😂

15/04/2024

Simone Biles makes the most of her petite stature to get a leg up on fresh hay

10/04/2024

It’s been a minute since we posted about the Beatles, the four Holstein calves that came in malnourished (understatement!) from the awful hoarding case in NC in September. The boys are all doing great! George is still a tiny peanut, but they’re all thriving.

02/04/2024

You’d never believe it, but Jay-Z (all the way on the right) is the second oldest cow in this picture. Amy Winehouse (all the way on the left) is the oldest, but we admittedly did not learn how old she was when she showed up here in the fall.

Jay-Z was born a twin and was rejected by his mom. He will always be a tiny peanut, and we love him just the way he is.

L to R: Amy Winehouse, Geddy Lee, Lady Gaga, Pat Smear, and Jay-Z

31/03/2024

We welcomed four new goats to Fat & Happy yesterday. The three boys are about 17 weeks old, and one of them was lucky enough to be able to stay with his mom. Introductions are forthcoming but had to share a sneak peek at this cuteness!

07/02/2024

It seems I’ve passed day 1 inspections

07/02/2024

Today’s project has some extra helpers…

21/01/2024

Yesterday, we welcomed two new residents to Fat & Happy; the very same ones we teased a few weeks ago when we shared pictures of the new enclosure Tim was building.

Before I get to the introductions, I need to take a minute to state my complete appreciation for Tim. I have been sick all week, and he has done EVERYTHING to keep things afloat. We are all so lucky to have him in our lives!! (Massive, massive understatement.)

About 3 weeks ago, we learned of two 2-year old kunekune boars that needed help. The couple that owned them had encountered a change in circumstances and could no longer keep them. They had been trying to find an alternate solution for over 3 months, but found themselves in the place where the last resort of scheduling a processing date was done. And thankfully that’s about when we saw their post. We jumped into action to build the paddock while also contracting out to have a shelter built as quickly as possible. Coincidentally, on what could have been the darkest day, it became the beginning of their happily ever after. (Well… after a quick stop at the vet for neutering but still, much better than the alternative!!)

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Fabio & Tyson Beckford!!

15/01/2024

Enjoying some fat and happy snowflakes today!

14/01/2024

Iman still insists I said that Wednesday was a spa day, not spay day.

The girls seem to be recovering well, although we are keeping an eye on Cindy who has acted a little wonky. Spay day was the day after the torrential rains, so the pig paddock was a giant mud pit. Given how low they are to the ground and the need to keep the incision clean, Tim went into the paddock while the girls were at the vet with the skid steer to flatten out all of their rooting to help make the ground more level for them.

We tried getting two new types of greens for them, including kale. In every bowl, the kale leaves remain. And while the thought briefly popped in my mind, I am drawing the line at massaging the kale for them. Nope.

11/01/2024

Our two Taylors (Swift and Hawkins, L to R) are quite the odd couple! Swift is the matriarch of the group and while Hawkins would have loved to be the patriarch, Dave Grohl was not having it.

09/01/2024

Prior to the monsoon that’s making its way through central VA, I was able to get an excellent pic of Carlos Santana and his mini me, Johnny Cash!

09/01/2024

David Bowie wants to wish his namesake a happy heavenly birthday! ⚡️

⚡️

04/01/2024

Preparations are underway for new intakes! Hitting the ground running in 2024….

Thank you to everyone who donated to or shared our current fundraiser! Our goal was to generate $2500 in donations, as a very generous donor offered to match this amount. WE ARE JUST $400 AWAY FROM OUR GOAL!!

This money has gone to immediate good use; it has covered the insulated shelter that is being built and some of the fencing material costs for the expected inhabitants. 🐽

Can you help us close the gap? 🙏🙏

30/12/2023

This little guy was introduced to Fat & Happy in the most unusual way. His first time visiting the farm was meant to reunite him with his mother, the elusive Amy Winehouse. Unsure of these new surroundings, he escaped from his transport and wandered the surrounding property until captured by some ropers on horseback – then happily reunited with mom.

We could not be more thrilled to have our first mother-son combo at the sanctuary, and we are pretty sure they are happy about it as well.

Off on your way, hit the open road�There is magic at your fingers

Welcome to Fat & Happy Geddy Lee!

30/12/2023

Keeping the dream alive! We still need about $1650 more to take advantage of the full match opportunity! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

28/12/2023

As 2023 winds down, we are making a final fundraising push! I can’t believe I actually get to say the words that we have an incredibly generous donor who is willing to match up to $2500 in donations… can you please help us make the most of this amazing opportunity?? You can donate through FB/IG, or donate directly on Venmo or PayPal (links in the comments). As F&H is a 501c3, donations should be tax deductible.

We started the year quietly, with no new intakes (unless you count Layla, the Great Pyrenees we fostered after pulling from a local ACO for AGPR and then adopted… I typically exclude the dogs from rescue posts but technically, they are rescues!).

In August, we welcomed Stew-boo, followed by Lady Gaga and the Beatles in September, and Amy and her baby in October (his introduction is coming shortly, I promise! I know my Canadian family will be extra thrilled when his name is finally revealed). In November, we welcomed the first pigs to Fat & Happy, Christie Brinkley and her two daughters, Iman and Cindy Crawford.

We certainly packed a lot into three months!

Thank you so much for your support, whatever that looks like. Donations are incredibly helpful as running the rescue is expensive between food and vetting, as well as enclosures and shelters. For those that don’t or are unable to contribute, we appreciate you just as much! It’s so rewarding to see the post likes and comments and know that our babies have touched others, and they have a fan base rooting for them.

For upcoming posts, we will introduce Amy’s baby, and I also want to post about some of the upcoming projects Tim is getting ready to tackle. Are there any animals you’d like to see an update on? Comment below!!

25/12/2023

It has been just over two months since Mamma Cow showed up at Fat & Happy. We weren’t totally convinced that she wasn’t going to try to jump our fence and return to a life on the run, but thankfully she has stayed and seems to be more comfortable.

I don’t believe we shared the detail that in order for her and her baby to stay, we needed to purchase them for $2,000. Clearly not an expense we planned for, but how could we let them leave when we knew what their fate would be and she had quite literally chosen us when she showed up at our farm? We couldn’t, obviously.

We have them in with the younger cows since we didn’t want the baby in with the adults, and baby is still nursing. I think Freddie Mercury is quite smitten with her, and it seems like Lady Gaga has embraced Mamma and Baby as her family.

She wasn’t immediately trusting of us, but it has been improving and I have been able to give her a few brief pets (once). It will take time but I know we will get there.

This was another name that was being reserved for the right cow. We needed someone strong-willed and defiant, and who could be more fitting than Mamma who jumped a 5’ fence to spend five days on the lam, looking her for calf, and show up at our farm five miles away?

Our day will come
And we'll have everything
We'll share the joy

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Amy Winehouse!

12/12/2023

How cute are Ad-Rock and Bowie? Besties forever. 🥰

03/12/2023

The final Beatle introduction is a boy with confidence and personality for days. He is the most outgoing of the group, and it’s been that way since we first picked them up 2 months ago.

It must be said that he has zero concept of personal space. There was a day where he was trying to eat my shoes, which was equal parts hilarious and daunting as being stepped on is something we try to actively avoid (he is the reason I asked for steel toe boots for the holidays).

He will actually come running along the fence line for pets and smooches. He is extra, extra special.

I smile just thinking about him.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Paul McCartney!

30/11/2023

Our next Beatle introduction might be the most reserved of the group, although that may be a bit of a stretch because they’re truly all so sweet and friendly.

When we did the initial vetting after they came home from the cruelty case, this was the only boy whose blood work was not within normal limits but it thankfully wasn’t too far off. Their follow-up vet appointment is today so we are eager to rerun the panels in hopes that consistent access to nutritious food and a stable environment have addressed the issues.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground

Welcome to Fat & Happy, John Lennon!