Jacobs Ridge Animal Sanctuary

06/01/2025

How is Hotey?

Back in October, Hotey had a tough time with laminitis (a painful hoof condition). After X-rays (which thankfully didn’t show anything severe), medication and rest, Hotey has made an amazing recovery. He’s now pain-free, happily roaming with his donkey friends, and enjoying life as he did before 🫏

A huge thank you to everyone who donated towards his vet costs- you made his recovery possible. We’re also incredibly grateful to Pat for generously donating a balancing feed that has been helpful for Hotey’s ongoing health ❤️

❓What is laminitis❓
Laminitis is a serious condition that affects the hooves of equines. It involves inflammation of the sensitive tissue inside the hoof (the laminae) which can be incredibly painful. In donkeys it is unfortunately quite common and is often caused by:
•Overeating rich foods, like grass or grains
•Obesity
•Underlying health issues, like Cushing’s disease or metabolic disorders
•Inactivity and hard surfaces leading to reduced circulation.

Managing a donkey’s diet and weight is crucial for preventing laminitis, and early intervention is key to recovery.

As we are always very careful with the donkey’s diet, we aren’t sure exactly what caused his laminitis so we are keeping a close eye on him for signs of underlying health issues such as EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome).

Hotey’s incredible recovery wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support of our community! You can help us continue caring for animals like him by joining our Patreon:

💚 By signing up at www.patreon.com/jacobsridge you’ll directly support the care, feed, and vet treatment of all the animals at Jacobs Ridge. Plus, you’ll get behind-the-scenes updates, exclusive content, and the chance to be a bigger part of their journey.

Thank you all for your support ❤️

Would you like to learn more about how to care for donkeys? 👇

04/01/2025

Macario and Barry coming out for their daily explore. They are housed together at night but Macario is still a lone wanderer and likes to explore the sanctuary on his own.
Barry can usually be found trailing behind Steve and Dotty or getting up to shenanigans with Hotey whilst Ronnie and Charlie almost always go into the horse paddock and then conveniently can’t find their way out again at bedtime.

One of our missions at the sanctuary has always been to give the animals the space and freedom to be who they truly are. The way the donkey’s characters shine through feels like a testament to this.

As we prepare the space for the goats at the new sanctuary, we are excited about making this dream a reality for even more of our residents 🐐

Want to become a part of our extended family? Join us on Patreon for firsthand updates and exclusive content: www.patreon.com/jacobsridge ❤️

04/01/2025

Do you remember us reaching out to you last year to find a home for a shelter dog?
Ramon, now Buddy, is living in well-deserved comfort with Paula and her family in the UK after being in a shelter for over 2 years where he was was struggling to adjust.

Paula says it was “love at first sight”. Buddy “has to explore everything and is a joy to have”. Paula is currently working with a dog behaviorist to help him with “recall and obeying safety commands.” “It’s good for our bonding and his mental stimulation” she said 🐕‍🦺

Thanks to our amazing community, to Therese (the volunteer who didn’t give up on Buddy and reached out to us initially), and all the volunteers at Asociación Fidelio Refugio de Perros Abandonados, to our initiative Animal Sanctuary Lottery for funding his transport and of course to Paula for opening up her heart and home to this senior lad.

If you too are thinking of welcoming a furry friend into your life, please consider adopting. There are so many dogs in shelters that are waiting for your love. Not sure where to start? We’re here to help. Just DM or email us at [email protected] for advice or shelter contacts.

Thank you all for sharing our initial post and for helping Buddy find his furever home 🐾❤️

03/01/2025

Gifts for the animals 🥰

Thank you to everybody who donated gifts and treats for the animals for Christmas. We were blown away by your generosity. You can see us unbox almost everything on our Christmas Eve YouTube Live special by searching for “Jacobs Ridge”.

Thank you all truly. There isn’t enough space to thank you all individually on this post but we hope you all feel and accept our gratitude. Any donation makes a massive difference to the animals and the Sanctuary ❤️
Whilst some items may not be specifically items for the animals, things like washing baskets, laundry racks and storage boxes still make a huge impact at the Sanctuary, allowing for a smoother and more organised day to day running.

If you wish to donate, there are lots of ways to get involved:

Donate Monthly: www.patreon.com/jacobsridge
PayPal Donate: www.paypal.me/jacobsridge
Donate with card: www.jacobsridge.com
Support us by buying merch: www.lifewithoutfear.org
Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.es/hz/wishlist/ls/L8MNSRZP67TK?ref_=wl_share

And if you can’t support us financially, you can still help so much by liking our posts, following us and subscribing to us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/?si=QczchwfntFtSHirK

Love you guys. Here’s to a great 2025 for all the JR Community 🤗

30/12/2024

Who could resist such a face? 🥹

We’ve been using Ami for our dogs here at the sanctuary. Not only do the dogs love the taste, but they’re also thriving on it – healthy, happy, and full of energy 🐶

Ami Pet Food has been crafting high-quality, plant-based pet nutrition since 2002. They make sure pets get everything they need to stay strong and healthy, all while keeping their commitment to sustainability and animal welfare 💚

If you’re curious about trying Ami for your furry friends, check out www.amipetfood.com to find a stockist near you or learn more about their products. By choosing Ami, you’re supporting a brand that truly cares about animals – just like we do 🥰

Thanks to Ami for being such a wonderful sponsor and helping us care for our gang 🐕🐈‍⬛

26/12/2024

Watch the full video at
https://youtu.be/GaoZaizgwGA

24/12/2024

Opening all your presents for the animals on Christmas Eve

24/12/2024

From Jacobs Ridge Animal Sanctuary, we wish you all a Merry Christmas 🎄

May your holidays be filled with warmth, laughter, and the same love you’ve shown to the animals here at the sanctuary. Here’s to a bright and compassionate New Year ahead 🦄

CHRISTMAS PERIOD LIVE SCHEDULE

Please see below for our festive live scheduling. Happy Holidays and catch you on the live! 🎄

🎊TUESDAY 24 DEC at 7.00pm—Christmas Eve Live on YouTube and Facebook 🎅🏼
Get into the festive spirit with us as we open all of your wonderful donations for the animals.
🎊WEDNESDAY 25 DEC at TBC—Enjoy a recorded video of the animals receiving their treats.

There’s still time to gift treats for the animals! Head to https://www.jacobsridge.com/shop and click on Carrots 🥕 (Don’t worry, the carrots won’t be sent to you- we receive the donation and then will buy carrots, apples and all yummy things for the donkeys, horses, pigs, goats and sheep 🤗)

Thank you and see you soon! ❤️💚

20/12/2024

Happy Birthday to a very special person! 🎈

Jacobs Ridge exists because of Julian’s determination, compassion and dedication and he continues to work endlessly to ensure its continuation and growth.
The past year has been very stressful as we take Jacobs Ridge from a small animal sanctuary into something even greater and Julian has been steering the ship through endless seas of complicated administration and paperwork. Things are starting to come together and we can’t wait to share more with you all 🤗

For now, join us in wishing Julian a Happy Birthday and a year filled with happiness and love ❤️❤️❤️🥳🎂

18/12/2024

An update…

We forgot to update you on our pump situation. It’s a bit of a boring story 😆 but as many of you donated, we wanted to let you know what’s going on and teaser…it’s still not fixed!

You may remember in August, yes in the height of summer, our well pump broke. This is a very important part of the day to day running of the sanctuary as it delivers water from our well to all of the animals. Just 1 horse alone can drink 50-60 liters of water per day in hot weather and the pigs need lots of water for their mud baths to keep cool in summer.

As an immediate solution, we put in a temporary submersible pump. This wasn’t going to be strong enough to deliver water through our irrigation system but would pump the water up so we could fill an IBC tank and deliver the water to the animals using the car and trailer. For the horses we ran a hose from the garden tap at the house. This is potable water so of course has a cost, unlike our well water which is free.

The pump failed after not even 2 months and we were still unable to get anybody to come to the sanctuary to repair or replace to old pump.

We bought a second temporary pump- a more powerful above ground one. This has been working well but still isn’t powerful enough to replace the old one.

We have since been able to remove the old pump with the help of our plumber. However, the old pump doesn’t contain the plaque it should have which carries the specifications of the pump. Our plumber took it to different pump specialists but nobody can determine the specifications of the pump so nobody knows what to replace it with 🤦🏼‍♀️

We are now waiting for our plumber to come and take a series of measurements so the specialists can (hopefully) work out the power of the pump we need.

As always, things like this are be very easy or quick in Spain! Thankfully the weather is cooler and the animals are drinking less so our temporary solution is manageable.

Thank you everybody who donated. It has helped with our temporary pumps and IBC’s an extra cost of potable water for the horses 🥰

We will let you know when we have news on getting the pump we need!🤞🏻 Were a bit exhausted from all of this malarkey so are happy to let our plumber take the reins 😆 At least we know it’s not just us as even a plumber whose native language is Spanish is struggling to get sorted 😅

MAN DOWN! 😥

This here is a very important part of the day to day running of the sanctuary. It is the pump which pulls water up from the well and sends it around different points of the sanctuary to give water to over 120 animals 💧 And on what is to be one of the hottest days of the year so far, it’s given up the ghost.

All of the animals have water for now but time is ticking as they will soon drink and dirty their waters and the pigs’ mud baths will evaporate. In summer we replenish their water and mud baths 3 times a day.

In previous years when the well ran dry, we had to cart tap water from the garden hose at the house to all of the animals using 25 litre containers. Not only is this ridiculous hard work in the heat (with the help of volunteers of which we have none right now), it made the water bills extortionate!

The old pump is badly corroded and the impeller has stopped working meaning it won’t fire up. We’re not even sure we can remove it completely due to the corrosion in the bolts securing it to the ground!
We are currently trying to source a new pump which will likely be in the region of €1000 and then Julian will have a job on his hands today fitting it.

Any donation would be greatly appreciated at this time for this unforeseen but (very urgent) expense. We will put an update in our stories when we find a pump and know the final cost:

PayPal: www.PayPal.me/jacobsridge or DM us for bank details (Spain or UK account).

Thank you so much ❤️🙏🏻 We will keep you posted! By 10.30 this morning it had already reached 34 degrees Celsius and it’s due to reach 40 by 2pm 🥵

15/12/2024

Check out our new feed store, kindly donated by Jayne Fisher 🤗

This shed will keep our cat and dog food, from our generous sponsors , protected from the elements and animals. It will also free up some space in the cat and dog food preparation area so we can make the area more workable!

Thank you Jayne ❤️

It seems our little wishlist elves have been busy donating items for the sanctuary! We will update it soon but you can see what we need for the animals and sanctuary at the moment by going to:
https://www.amazon.es/hz/wishlist/ls/L8MNSRZP67TK?ref_=wl_share

All items donated between now and Christmas will be put under the Christmas tree and opened on our Christmas Day Live 🎄

13/12/2024

Tag someone to let them know you are thinking that they should get you this as a gift 😇

Because sometimes we all need to BE MORE DONKEY.

🇺🇸For USA & CANADA🇨🇦: https://lifear.org/collections/usa-collection/products/usa-be-more-donkey-unisex-college-hoodie

🌎FOR REST OF WORLD: https://lifear.org/collections/be-more-donkey

*Other colours, garments and mugs are available in this design*

12/12/2024

Donkeys at dusk ❤️‍🔥 Love these winter afternoons 😍

📸 by Megan Nicholson

10/12/2024

A couple of recent gifts for our newest residents 🤗
Thanks to:
Nancy for the Liquid Snacks for Zorro 🐈‍⬛
Myra for the puzzle bowl for Sam 🐕

So many of you have been responding to our 🎄12 days of wishlist🎄 campaign and sending gifts for the animals. We can’t wait to open them live with you on Christmas Day!

Come back later today to see who is behind Door Number 10 of our 12 Days of Wishlist🚪🎁

10/12/2024

Get out 2025 Jacobs Ridge fundraising calendar!

Support the animals of the sanctuary while keeping organized with our 2025 Wall Calendar. Each month features a heartwarming image of one of our rescue animals. Perfect for animal lovers, this calendar serves as a constant reminder of the importance of compassion. Your purchase directly contributes to the care and support of these beautiful creatures at the sanctuary 🐈‍⬛🐕🐑🐏🐐🐖🐎

‼️IMPORTANT:
🇺🇸🇨🇦For USA & CA click here: https://lifear.org/collections/2025-calendar/products/jacobs-ridge-wall-calendars-2025-us-ca

🌎For rest of world click here: https://lifear.org/collections/2025-calendar/products/2025-wall-calendar-for-jacobs-ridge-animal-sanctuary-rescue-animals-featured

09/12/2024

Woody at sundown 🧡

08/12/2024

Little Barney Bear having a siesta earlier 🥹💤

Barney is now 12 years old and has been with at the sanctuary since its inception. He came to us as a tiny puppy after being dumped in a bin.

Barney is obsessed with balls (as our volunteers will attest to!). Over the years, he’s also become a bit of a grumpy old man. Despite being small, Barney likes to believe he’s the boss of everyone!

Thanks to the support from Barney is living his best life in his golden years 💛