Fat & Happy Rescue

15/01/2025

Big news drop, coming soon!

08/01/2025

It’s been a week and I still don’t want to talk about it.

I know we don’t share enough on the social media pages as it is given there’s no leftover time after taking care of the animals and our FT jobs. And then there are some things that hurt so deeply that it’s hard to talk about them in a platform like this; especially when I haven’t been able to talk about it with the people closest to me.

On Sun. Dec 22, Tyson Beckford went down and wouldn’t get up. Over the next nine days, we had our vet make two emergency house calls and there was an immense amount of daily care and touch points.

We were managing but he wasn’t improving so on Tues. Dec. 31, Tyson went to VA Tech for diagnostics. They were able to quickly identify that he had bladder stones, which are uncommon in pigs. We gave the green light for surgery, understanding that it would necessitate him remaining in patient for 10-14 days post surgery and there was the possibility that his urethra may never heal. When they ran the pre-op bloodwork, it was determined that the situation was too advanced and there was only one humane option. Our perfect, beloved little boy had hid his pain until it was too late for us to try to help him. At 5:45 pm on NYE, he left us.

Devastated. Heartbroken. Angry, at myself. Second guessing every decision we have made. Weighed down with guilt and responsibility.

Tyson was one of my very most favorite parts of every day. The joy he brought was immeasurable.

RIP sweet baby. We will love and miss you forever.

07/01/2025

Stewie has been getting a little apprehensive about approaching the bunk feeder in the morning; I suspect it’s because as the cows are all getting bigger, they’re getting pushier. It should hopefully resolve itself once the third pasture is finished in the coming weeks and we can redistribute this group.

In the meantime, Stewie gets his meals personally delivered. 🥰

24/12/2024

We had planned to introduce the first of the bottle boys on his namesake’s birthday yesterday, but we are a bit late between the holidays and a situation with one of the kune kunes, which we will share in another post.

This cutie has been with us for around 1.5 months. He was posted on Craig’s List in what appeared to be discard from a dairy operation (he was living in one of those itty bitty huts 🥲 and was estimated to be about ten days old).

He is bold and vivacious, and no one can take down a bottle faster - it’s a good thing he won’t be college bound because I expect he could be a funnel champion!

Oh, I’m a lucky man
To count on both hands
The ones I love
Some folks just have one
Yeah, others they got none

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Eddie Vedder!

23/12/2024

Annie Lennox playing with her food again…

22/12/2024

Carlos is working on his Tinder profile…

15/12/2024

Learning to eat grain…almost got it!

11/12/2024

Looking for the perfect gift that will inspire and entertain the kiddos in your life this holiday season?

A beloved member of the Fat & Happy family recently published the first book of the series, “Winston’s Wonderful World.” It’s the story of Winston, the lovable rescued American Bulldog who’s ready to take children on an uplifting journey filled with love, adoption, family, and friendship. He shows how to overcome challenges with courage and humor, making every page a heartwarming adventure.

This story isn’t just entertaining; it’s a wonderful way to spark conversations about kindness, resilience, and the importance of relationships.

Animals, rescue, and lessons on being a better person? We are all in!

A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to rescues, including ours. We couldn’t be more appreciative of her thoughtfulness and generosity.

We picked up our copy and hope you’ll do the same!

Winston's Wonderful World: Chapter 1

05/12/2024

Action series of our beloved Pat Smear, coming in hot for some pets! 🐮

26/08/2024

We are so behind on our social media posts, as I often acknowledge and I do know we need to do better. The last 5 months have been busy - we’ve welcomed 12 new faces and said goodbye to 2, one of whom was heartbreaking despite being expected and one was quite tragic and not at all expected. I promise we will catch up on it all this week.

Back in late March, as some of you may recall, I drove to WV to pick up four goats who were looking for their happily-ever-after - a mom and her son, and two brothers from a different mom. Now, the three boys are nine months old and all are thriving.

Lionel Messi with his gleaming white uniform is the friendliest and most confident of the group. He is first in line for treats and demands head scritches and pets. He’s quite the lucky boy being able to stay with his momma!

Charles Barkley, affectionately known as Chuck, is our shyest boy. He’s always by his brother’s side, and is definitely still wary of us. But, for the right treat, *sometimes* he may muster up a little bit of courage. He has some fainting goat in him, which his brother has been known to take advantage of when he’s trying to get to the hay first.

Lastly is the ever-handsome Rob Gronkowski. I don’t know how a specimen like he was even made, with his flowing hair and frosted tips. Like his namesake, he is king of the smack talk and is quite vocal letting you know when there’s something he wants.

The boys remain the best of friends and their shenanigans are always a delight to witness!

Welcome to Fat & Happy, Messi, Chuck, and Gronk!

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…