Help me keep my babies, Lucy, Ricky and others

This is Sir Ricky, He still has a grin on his face but he is looking out for his family and mine. He is such a good boy. He always has a grin on his face and if that is not enough his back end is wiggling like crazy. If I could harness that energy I could power my whole house.

Poppy is one of my Dwarf goats that was born here and I had to help deliver. She is one of the sweetest goats you could ever meet. Please help me to keep her and all my other babies.

I never thought I would be one of those unfortunate people asking for help from total strangers, but I find myself in that situation and must swallow my pride if I am to be able to keep my beloved pets. I am permanently disabled from chronic hand, wrist, and elbow conditions, living on disability and social security income. I lead a very frugal lifestyle, never traveling or eating out, never driving flashy cars, never buying clothes. My little house in the woods surrounded by my pets is my entire world and life; my pets are my chosen family.

My pets consist of five wonderful dogs (Lucy, Ricky, Catherine, Zoe, and Sophie), 9 of my miniature goats, one full-size goat, many chickens, geese, ducks, pheasants, guinea hens, and turkeys. My chickens are so loving and tame they jump into my arms so I can carry them around when I am walking in their pens. They nuzzle against me in the pit of my arms while I make my rounds. We have better conversations than I do with most people I know! My goats always beg for my attention and love to be scratched and talked to. At night when it is time to lock my birds in their enclosures to protect them from foxes and other animals, they all line up and march straight in, quacking and clucking the whole time.

I have rescued several of my goats as babies, having bottle-fed them for weeks at a time. I have used heat lamps and jury-rigged incubators to keep my baby chicks warm and secure. I try to nourish all my animals with good feed. I would rather spend extra on quality feed for them than buy more expensive food for myself. I try to keep them all safe, well-fed, and loved. But I have found that providing for them has stretched my limited income past the breaking point. Veterinary bills are incredibly expensive and feed for all of them has become expensive. Recently, one of my dogs (Zoe) injured her eye and she has become blind in that eye; the eye needs to be removed, but I cannot possibly pay for the operation. Lucy, my oldest dog, has developed severe arthritis, and I must help her whenever she gets up. I cannot afford arthritis medication; I don’t know why these things must be so expensive.

I cannot give up my chosen family any more than any of you could give up one of your biological family members. It would kill me. I am doing everything I can to provide for them, but I cannot give them the care and support they deserve without some help.

I am asking all of you who know how much love and trust can exist between a pet and its owner to help me and my family stay together. I think that $12,000 would be enough to help me feed them and to get them the medical attention they need. I am devastated to be asking for help, but I am willing to live with the embarrassment and shame of my inadequacy and inability to provide for them and ask you for your help. Please help. On behalf of my family, thank you for taking the time to read this and consider us in our time of need.