In the fall of 2015, multiple sanctuaries rescued over 120 animals from a backyard butcher in Montgomery, NY. These poor animals were kept in horrendous conditions — crammed in barns with little food and living space. Woodstock Sanctuary took in five sheep, six pigs and nine goats, who were by far the sickest of all those we rescued. Most of the goats had pneumonia, lice, and worms and little did we know, a few were also pregnant.

One of the goats who came from this rescued, who we named Lou Lou, was a pygmy goat who tested positive for pregnancy. Because Lou Lou was a pygmy goat and we didn’t know how big the father was or how big the babies would be, we knew the pregnancy would be high risk. Our caregiving staff worked around the clock and even kept a baby monitor on to make sure Lou Lou was okay. On February 20th, Lou Lou was taken to our vet for an emergency c-section and sadly passed away from us during the procedure. We named her two babies Louie and Luna after her.

For the first few weeks of their lives, Louie and Luna needed around-the-clock care. We bottle-fed them and gave them lots of attention so that they would still feel the love and nurture that Lou Lou would have given them.

All these years later, Louie and his sister are doing great in sanctuary. Louie loves to meet people and loves a good head scratch.