Horse Shelter Heroes – S6E23
Life at Horse Plus Humane Society is a beautiful, unpredictable journey. One day we are celebrating a sweet pony finding her forever home, and the next we are rallying to save a stray animal found on the side of the road. This week brought a whirlwind of emotion, highlighting the dedication of our vet team and the power of our rescue community!
A Goat’s Fight for Survival
Our team member Micah was on his way to work when he spotted a heartbreaking sight: a sweet goat on the side of the road who had been hit by a car. We immediately rushed out to bring her back to our vet building as gently and stress-free as possible.
Affectionately named Gertrude, she proved to be an incredibly brave patient. Our amazing senior veterinary student, Dr. Alex alongside Dr. Lydia quickly got to work on diagnostics. As diagnostics continued, the veterinary team worked tirelessly to stabilize her condition, provide pain relief, and locate her owners. Although there was initial hope that her injuries could heal with time and supportive care, additional radiographs later revealed a second pelvic fracture, dramatically worsening her prognosis.
Thanks to our community, we tracked down Gertrude’s original owners! They were a lovely family, but unfortunately lacked the capacity to provide the extensive medical care she required so they legally surrendered her to us.
After careful evaluation and discussions with her owners, the difficult decision was made to provide Gertrude with the Last Act of Kindness. While heartbreaking, the team ensured she was comfortable, loved and surrounded by compassionate care during her final days.
Dawn & Ayani Find Their Family
Another exciting adoption took place when a family arrived searching for horses that could grow alongside their children! After learning about the shelter’s mission and following the stories of adoptable horses, they chose Dawn and Ayani. The family was especially drawn to the opportunity to continue their training journey and build lasting bonds with these remarkable horses.
Watching horses leave for loving homes is one of the most rewarding parts of the work done every day at Horse Plus Humane Society!
A New Rabbit Finds Safety
A small rabbit also found refuge at Horse Plus this week after being discovered wandering without an owner.
Sweet Oreo found an amazing home with Megan from High Forest Humane Society, joining a happy family of fellow bunnies and guinea pigs. With experience caring for rabbits and other small animals, Megan provides the perfect home for Oreo, giving him a wonderful future filled with companionship and care!
Four Retired Horses Get a Fresh Start
Four owner-surrendered horses completed their intake evaluations and are already showing great potential!
While a few additional diagnostics are needed, the veterinary team is optimistic that all four horses will eventually be available for adoption. Their previous owner made the difficult but compassionate decision to ensure they would have a safe future rather than risk entering the slaughter pipeline.
We Need Your Voice & Support
Next week is a buyout week and we anticipate taking in between 20 and 30 horses arriving in horrific condition. Many of these animals have multiple auction tags glued to their bodies, showing they’ve been passed around the slaughter pipeline.
Alarmingly, we are detecting zoonotic diseases like diphtheria in these horses. Our ongoing, deep investigation into the horse slaughter pipeline has revealed dangerous cross-border operations involving human trafficking and drug smuggling, where horses are exposed to sick humans in cramped trailers.
We are in the fight of our lives to end this brutality, but we cannot say “yes” to these horses without your financial backing. It costs roughly $1,000 to rescue, intake, and medically stabilize just one horse.
If you want to help us protect these animals and continue this vital investigation, please donate today and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel to stay updated on our upcoming rescues!
Thank You for Standing With Us
From emergency rescues and medical care to adoptions and second chances, none of this work would be possible without supporters who believe every animal deserves compassion and hope.
Thank you for helping us rescue, protect, and care for animals when they need it most. Together, we continue changing lives one horse, one goat, one rabbit, and one family at a time!
Want to help more horses like the ones in this episode? Visit the Horse Plus Humane Society website to learn how you can support rescue, rehabilitation, and healing.
Your donations and shares truly make a difference — one horse, one rescue, and one story at a time.