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Brian the Steer - June 2nd 2016 - Gold Charolais
Brian has quite the personality, and will actually pose for selfies! He's the most social animal we've ever met, curious and loving toward all beings. Brian loves all animals, but is especially fond of our barn cat Walter White. Brian was abandoned at birth, on a beef farm near St. Jacobs ON. He was bottle fed and hand raised by a very kind farm worker, who recognized early on that Brian had a special attachment to humans. He wished Brian could live out his life, and sought out a family situation where Brian wouldn't need to watch his family members be shipped off to market every year. Through the magic of the internet, the farm worker found Jaime who was working for someone else's sanctuary at the time, and just had a dream to rescue one cow. We truly didn't know at the time, that Brian would inspire a whole farm sanctuary! |
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Blossom - April 2009 - White Charolais Cross
By Summer of 2017, it was apparent that Brian needed a friend. Jaime had a hard time finding another cow in need of rescue, which sparked the idea that maybe we could be that missing link, a sanctuary for cows... Blossom was abandoned at birth on a beef farm, just like Brian. She was found shivering in a field by a woman who was looking after the property during the farmer's vacation. She took the calf home, and her health quickly declined from not receiving the crucial nutrients from her first sips of mothers milk. At one point, Blossom was paralyzed and could only blink her eyes. She didn't give up on her, built a sling and eventually she regained use of her legs and began to learn to walk. When the seasons changed and she could wobble outside, her rescuer noticed the trees were in bloom, and named her "Blossom". |
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Simon Cowell - December 12 2011 - Holstein
In May 2018, Jaime met Beth and Tobias - a vegan couple who owned a farm just up the road from where she worked. They came together to plan a sanctuary, and fenced a space for Brian & Blossom on their beautiful 50 acre property. Now we had a bigger dream, and space for one more cow! This tall, dark handsome man was hand raised just like Brian and Blossom. In Summer of 2018, we became aware of someone looking for homes for several adult cows - the owners were moving to a smaller property and had to downsize their herd. Jaime drove to Burlington to assess the herd and fell in love with all of the gentle giants. Luckily all 15 cows were saved by various rescues, but we only had space for one. Simon is a 6 foot tall (at the shoulder!) bundle of loving, playful good humour. The only time he gets impatient is when the brushing stops, and he will nudge you with his head to communicate "more, please!". |
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Nelson - April 26 2020 - Black Angus
We were called about a twin calf, whose mother had not only rejected him, she also attempted to kill him. Nelson was about 10 days old when he came to live out his life of freedom at LOBFS. He overcame a persistent case of joint ill within his first month and due to his much smaller stature, spent his first six months with the goats. Nelson was a free range steer until Fall 2020 when he was formally introduced to the rest of our herd! |
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Sapphire - 2016
Sapphire was a child's 4H pet, who had been scheduled to go to auction (most likely for slaughter). Luckily for her, she found her way to our rescue. Sapphire and Licorice were brought to us together, when they were both under 1 year old. Sapphire takes our name, Love of Brian, literally and is Brian’s not so secret girlfriend! |
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Licorice - 2016 - Alpine Cross Goat
Licorice came to us around 4-6 months old, from the same farm as Sapphire. They were downsizing the herd and planning to send these girls to auction until they came to live at the Sanctuary. Licorice is by far the most mischievous of the bunch, she used to parkour off the barn wall and escape the enclosure through a small space about 4ft off the ground, until we boarded it over and ruined her fun! She has an autoimmune disorder and takes lots of supplements to stay healthy, but she does have flare ups every now and then. |
Theodore Roosevelt Junior - March 9 2017 - Boer Goat Cross
Teddy’s mom Jitterbug, was brought in from a breeding operation. She was underweight and unknowingly to us, pregnant. Teddy loves a good snuggle and we often refer to him as the sanctuary "greeter" as he will be the first to welcome you in! Teddy has the rare experience of staying with his mother his entire life, as in the industry he would have been long gone by now. We have to lock the stall doors during the day, or Teddy will open them all and eat the prepared supper - he's quite crafty!
Jitterbug - 2014 - Alpine/Nubian Goat
This soft soul was brought in from a breeding operation as a two year old doe. She was underweight and unknowingly to us, pregnant! Jitterbug is very maternal with the entire herd, she keeps the older goats out of trouble and still dotes on Teddy - he'll always be her baby!
Ricardo - January 2018 - Saanan Goat
Ricardo and Emilio were saved from a goat dairy farm, in the industry male babies are "useless" and discarded. Ricardo was just 1 day old when he came to live in freedom at LOBFS and he has lived a lifetime of mischief already! Ricardo still prefers to think he is more human than goat, and can be found right next to us while we do chores. In his younger days, he would jump into the muck bin to "help" us! Ricardo has chronic bladder stones and has undergone many corrective surgeries, the last one including somewhat of a gender change, to make him more comfortable!
Emilio - January 2018 - Saanan Goat
Emilio came with Ricardo, who were saved from a dairy goat farm in the wintertime. The boys grew up in the house, bottle fed every four hours. They developed ORF outbreaks within 48 hours of coming home and needed 3 weeks of complete quarantine and treatment for the zoonotic virus. Emilio is a curious boy who would yell as a kid when he couldn’t see his humans! He would just stand and scream until you walked up to him - he was such a funny and dependant kid. We’d often just pick him up and he would fall asleep in our arms. Emilio is inherently sweet and will go anywhere with you - he'd rather have your company on a walk, than find the good snacks off the trees.
Emilio, Like Licorice, also has an autoimmune disorder and he receives special vet care and treatments every Spring to control his skin flares.
Emilio came with Ricardo, who were saved from a dairy goat farm in the wintertime. The boys grew up in the house, bottle fed every four hours. They developed ORF outbreaks within 48 hours of coming home and needed 3 weeks of complete quarantine and treatment for the zoonotic virus. Emilio is a curious boy who would yell as a kid when he couldn’t see his humans! He would just stand and scream until you walked up to him - he was such a funny and dependant kid. We’d often just pick him up and he would fall asleep in our arms. Emilio is inherently sweet and will go anywhere with you - he'd rather have your company on a walk, than find the good snacks off the trees.
Emilio, Like Licorice, also has an autoimmune disorder and he receives special vet care and treatments every Spring to control his skin flares.
Little Orange Lawrence - July 2015 - Orange Tabby
Little Orange was one of five kittens that showed up at the property in August of 2015, near the road. We suspect they were dumped at the bottom of the driveway, and it took several weeks of coaxing to convince the kittens that humans were okay. Lawrence has asthma, and receives preventative medication for it.
Little Orange was one of five kittens that showed up at the property in August of 2015, near the road. We suspect they were dumped at the bottom of the driveway, and it took several weeks of coaxing to convince the kittens that humans were okay. Lawrence has asthma, and receives preventative medication for it.
Atticus - Tabby
We found Atticus at the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. He had been picked up as a lost/found cat and lived at the shelter, unclaimed for about three months. He came to LOBFS in Fall 2020, and fit in with the crew almost seamlessly! Atticus is vocal, handsome, a little pudgy (affectionately known as Fatty Atti!) and he is definitely one of the friendliest barn cats you'll ever meet!
We found Atticus at the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. He had been picked up as a lost/found cat and lived at the shelter, unclaimed for about three months. He came to LOBFS in Fall 2020, and fit in with the crew almost seamlessly! Atticus is vocal, handsome, a little pudgy (affectionately known as Fatty Atti!) and he is definitely one of the friendliest barn cats you'll ever meet!
Reese - Senior Dwarf Bunny
Reese has a face that will melt your soul. He is the most adorable, friendly little bun who loves carrots, lettuce and cucumber the most. He's curious of the other residents, and likes to say hello to visitors from his three floor condo! The bunnies live in seperate enclosures, right next to each other and have outdoor spaces for daytime as well as the full run of the goat's enclosure at night when they are in bed.
Reese has a face that will melt your soul. He is the most adorable, friendly little bun who loves carrots, lettuce and cucumber the most. He's curious of the other residents, and likes to say hello to visitors from his three floor condo! The bunnies live in seperate enclosures, right next to each other and have outdoor spaces for daytime as well as the full run of the goat's enclosure at night when they are in bed.
Steven Tyler - Silkie Rooster
Steven came to us as a bonded pair of "hens" with Marilyn in Fall of 2020. He immediately began crowing when he settled in the quarantine area the first night, and we knew she was a fluffy little he, instead. His feathers were reminisce of Steven Tyler's highlighted haircut in 2020, so we named him after the star singer. Steven takes protecting his lady friends very seriously, and will use his 3lb body weight as a weapon toward any human foot he deems threatening!
Steven came to us as a bonded pair of "hens" with Marilyn in Fall of 2020. He immediately began crowing when he settled in the quarantine area the first night, and we knew she was a fluffy little he, instead. His feathers were reminisce of Steven Tyler's highlighted haircut in 2020, so we named him after the star singer. Steven takes protecting his lady friends very seriously, and will use his 3lb body weight as a weapon toward any human foot he deems threatening!
Helen - Polish Crested hen
This partially blind, neurologically affected hen has since passed, but she came to us after she was rescued by a friend of ours in 2019. Helen spent months living in my home in quarantine, I wasn't sure she didn't have Mareks Disease which is contagious and progresses to leg paralysis rather quickly. When the condition didn't progress, but I noticed she moved around much better outside in the sunlight, I brought her to the barn to meet her "husband" Henry! He guided her to the outdoor pen using vocals, put food at her feet so she could find it, kept her safe from walking into items and taught her how to perch at night. One day, our cow chiropractor suggested taking a look at her spine. It turns out, Helen's atlas was pinching her spinal cord and she felt instant relief and improvement in her symptoms. She received routine chiropractic adjustments to continue living her best life after that. The most unique and special thing about Helen, was the presence of one spur, which is typically only found on roosters! We miss Helen dearly, she taught us so much about what it means to care for a specially abled soul. Though she is no longer with us, we like to keep her story visible on our site because she was such a unique resident that we will never forget!
This partially blind, neurologically affected hen has since passed, but she came to us after she was rescued by a friend of ours in 2019. Helen spent months living in my home in quarantine, I wasn't sure she didn't have Mareks Disease which is contagious and progresses to leg paralysis rather quickly. When the condition didn't progress, but I noticed she moved around much better outside in the sunlight, I brought her to the barn to meet her "husband" Henry! He guided her to the outdoor pen using vocals, put food at her feet so she could find it, kept her safe from walking into items and taught her how to perch at night. One day, our cow chiropractor suggested taking a look at her spine. It turns out, Helen's atlas was pinching her spinal cord and she felt instant relief and improvement in her symptoms. She received routine chiropractic adjustments to continue living her best life after that. The most unique and special thing about Helen, was the presence of one spur, which is typically only found on roosters! We miss Helen dearly, she taught us so much about what it means to care for a specially abled soul. Though she is no longer with us, we like to keep her story visible on our site because she was such a unique resident that we will never forget!
Krumm - June 2021 - Runner Duck
Someone attending a petting zoo with ducklings for sale, was concerned about this little one's very crooked neck. She purchased her for $4, brought her home where the neighbours complained about improper zoning in a subdivision. We had no ducks, and intended to foster her through recovery from what looked like a broken neck, in hopes a sanctuary with duck experience could give her a forever home. Well, after months waiting due to Covid delays for her CT scans and specialist appointments, we obviously fell in love with this adorable little duckling. We found the most fitting name - "Krumm" means "Crooked" in German. She did have a broken neck caused by a severe deformity she was born with, with physio her neck has straightened some but Krumm continues to live quite a happy life with her special neck!
Someone attending a petting zoo with ducklings for sale, was concerned about this little one's very crooked neck. She purchased her for $4, brought her home where the neighbours complained about improper zoning in a subdivision. We had no ducks, and intended to foster her through recovery from what looked like a broken neck, in hopes a sanctuary with duck experience could give her a forever home. Well, after months waiting due to Covid delays for her CT scans and specialist appointments, we obviously fell in love with this adorable little duckling. We found the most fitting name - "Krumm" means "Crooked" in German. She did have a broken neck caused by a severe deformity she was born with, with physio her neck has straightened some but Krumm continues to live quite a happy life with her special neck!