David was found on Long Island in December of 2014. He had a numbered USDA tag punched into his ear, so that means he was destined to be killed for meat. Somehow he escaped, ran through the streets, and the local police used mace to subdue David. Then they tied him by his legs for the trip to the local animal shelter. Neither the police nor the shelter were equipped to handle farmed animals at the time. Thankfully the shelter reached out to us for help and soon David was on his way to his forever home in sanctuary.

His eyes were extremely irritated from the mace—on top of being underweight and anemic from parasites. When he first arrived here, David was so scared he was able to hop over the 4′ high treatment pen he had been placed in! But a few years later, David has learned that he can trust humans again, thanks to our compassionate caregiving team.

In early 2024, David suddenly lost his eyesight after an unexpected stroke. After multiple attempts to regain his vision, we got news from our vet that David’s blindness would be permanent. David took a couple weeks to adjust to this new experience, but has been doing so well! He is now snuggling with his best friend Benny again and comes us to caregivers when they call his name. While he’s still reserved, he spends his days with his friend Benny and enjoys life to the fullest.