This Year's Project: The Big Barn
About Our Organization
Shepherd’s Rest Goat and Sheep Rescue exists to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide sanctuary for goats and sheep in need, to educate the public about goats and sheep as therapy animals, to provide qualified animal assisted therapy and to train others to provide qualified animal assisted therapy with sheep and goats adopted through our program.
Current Project: The Big Barn
This year, more then ever. We need your help. Currently we have 25 goats we cannot assist, coming from a home where the owner is passing away. Our focus is always taking in animals from people who are terminally ill, disabled or have passed away and their families need a home for the animals that have been their pets. We also take in cruelty and abuse cases as we are called to do so by local and National agencies. We have animals from as far away as Houston, Texas
Simply put, we need to build a barn, now. These people and their pets cannot wait. We are looking at approximately $25000 to build what we need any help you can provide to help us help the owners and their animals would be greatly appreciated!
We currently care for 79 goats, 9 sheep an llama and a mini horse. 90 animals who call our rescue their forever home. We work closely with the community, providing community service opportunities for students and others who need them. We also provide animal assisted therapy, and have been featured on Nat Geo for our work with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients.
Adoption and Education Center
Project Details
Animal Assisted Therapy is a key component of what we do at Shepherd's Rest. Our goal this year is to create an education center where we can train adopters to utilize their goats in this capacity. Our therapy work has been featured on Nat Geo's Unlikely Animal Friends. As wonderful as that is, we want to provide this therapy opportunity to more people, and the only way to accomplish that is provide eduacation and training.
Veterinary Care, Feed and Housing
Project Details
Shepherd's Rest Goat and Sheep rescue is the only rescue of it's type in the Midwest. In addition to Nebraska, we have taken in goats and sheep from Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
Because of Covid 19, the need for rescue is great. Due to job loss, people are unable to care for their goats and sheep. Without us, the only option is a sales barn, and the boys fate is most likely slaughter. In the past 6 months, we have taken in 10 boys alone.
Additionally, because of long term health consequences of early wethering (neutering), boys remain at Shepherd's Rest until they are at least 12 months old, at which time they are wethered and placed for adoption. The cost of wethering alone is $100 per goat, and is done under anesthesia in the most comfortable way possible.
Shepherd's Rest also provides sanctuary for goats that cannot be kept either short term, or long term by their owners. Owners assist with taking care of all the goats, in exchange for room and board. We currently have 62 goats on premises. They will consume 500 bales of hay, at a cost of $3000 this winter and $3720 in goat feed and beet pulp.
Please help us to help those with no voice, and no other safe haven.