Pearl & Fig
Meet Pearl and Fig. Pearl and Fig, mother and son. They came to the Sanctuary in 2014, they were our very first ever rescues. Pearl, 12-15 years old was suffering from a miscarriage while she had a tiny 6-7 month old colt by
her side.
Fig, her colt had issues with his stifle. He was taken to Amber Glen Equestrian Center for treatment. There he received therapeutic shoes, intensive physical therapy, laser therapy, and aqua therapy. He spent 3 months in rehab before returning.
Pearl like her son also had a leg injury, hers was located in her shoulder. She continues to suffer from muscle atrophy. Over her time here she has under gone multiple therapies and continues to require medication on a routine basis.
Figs medical bills alone came out to over $10,000. Donations from our supports will continues to help us help animals like Fig and Pearl.
xylia
Meet Xylia! Last October we received a call from another rescue telling us that they were trying to catch a stray goat in the Westchase area of Tampa. The primary rescuer Ronda, had already been trying to catch her for weeks. The goat was hanging out in a large densely wooded area but was also seen running in and out of traffic on the busy roads. LBFS and the other rescuers worked for months to bring her to safety. We called a professional humane trapper, a professional drone company, we left out food and crates and used every kind of net trap system we could think of. We had trail cameras and even brought our little goat Rosie to try to lure her out. Over the months, Ronda had set up different feeding stations throughout the neighborhoods and would check them all everyday. During this time we decided that we couldn't keep calling her "Goat" so we asked the couple that originally saw her and alerted rescue, John and Janice, to pick out a name for her . They decided to name her Xylia, which means "Of The Forest".
After more than five months everyone was getting discouraged and wondered if we would ever be able to save her. But then, on one lucky Wednesday afternoon, Ronda was out checking the feeding stations when out of the woods came Xylia running as fast as she could to get away from a coyote that was chasing her! Ronda jumped between Xylia and the coyote to haze the coyote away while a group of workers that happened to be close by grabbed her! We had our girl!!! We want to send a huge thank you to Ronda Lang, Brian McEwan, Ellen Diaz, Steven Miqueli, Bronson Cheeks and his drone business partner Mike, Juan Carlos, Javier, Leah and all of the residents in the Westchase community that helped! Her rescue truly required the stars to align just right that day as that day was her day to either be killed by a coyote, or saved to live a long happy life...
Once at LBFS we discovered just how bad her condition was. We knew that she had a clogged udder that practically dragged on the ground but we had hoped that it was something that could be treated with medication and removing fluid. Unfortunately, that was not the case, Xylia required a full mastectomy. Since then, she has recovered from her surgery and is in the process putting on weight and loving life at LBFS with all of her brothers and sisters! She smiles all of the time and will now live happily ever after...
Red & Venus
Meet Red and Venus! Red and Venus are both retired race horses that are approximately 27 years old. They were both originally rescued by our friends and neighbors at Wildlife Haven Rehab, where they were loved and cared for for over 15 years. Unfortunately, John, who was their primary caregiver passed away in May. His wife was not able to care for them by herself. We were honored to build a barn for them on property that adjoins ours so that LBFS can now care for them. With the help of Red and Venus’ long time volunteer caregivers we have made it a group effort to continue to give them the best possible life for as long as God blesses us with them. Venus Crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022 after a terrible bout of colic, she underwent surgery and did not pull through.
Stanley
Meet Stanley! Stan came to the sanctuary in August of 2018. He was rescued from a slaughter house in Pennsylvania. A few months after arriving to LBFS Stanley was treated for breathing difficulty. He underwent multiple rounds of antibiotics, and then needed to be treated at Ocala Equine Medical Center. There is was discovered he had a large mass in his neck that was closing off his airway. They exhausted all options there and it was decided he needed to be transferred to the University of Florida for further treatment. After extensive testing and scans, it was determined that he had a large abscess wrapped around his carotid artery and he needed surgery. Thankfully surgery was a success. After recovering he was able to return to the farm, where he continues to thrive. We think Stanley is the bees knees! He’s just adorable!
Nugget
Meet our sweet Nugget. A neighbor of LBFS had a goat, that they loved very much. Due to unforeseen circumstances they unfortunately were not able to take care of her anymore. After befriending the neighbor and many conversations they agreed to let LBFS take her in. Nuggets biggest challenge was over grown hooves. After many weeks of farrier work she was finally was able to walk normally, and could actually run. Nugget had a huge personality, she smiled all of the time and loved her treats. From what we know, she was about 12 when we she came to LBFS. We were only lucky enough to have her here for eight months, but she made us laugh every single day! We are so thankful that her previous family allowed us the opportunity to make her last months the best that they could be. Nugget was one of a kind and will never ever be forgotten. You can find a video about Nugget on our Facebook.
Parks
Meet our handsome Parks. In May of 2020 a little seven month old puppy was found abandoned in a cattle grate in Texas by a wonderful family who took him in. They immediately realized that he had no eyes so they took him into a vet to be assessed and checked out for any other medical issues he may have. They learned that he was blind and also deaf.
One of the family members of the person that found him was a gal named Diane Wolf. Diane and Kris had been friends for many years when Diane was married to a dear friend of Kris' named Bill Parks. Unfortunately, Bill had passed away a year earlier on April 1, 2019. Diane had become a fan of Ladybug Farm so when it was decided that her family was not in a position to keep the puppy, Diane reached out to Kris. Everyone involved quickly worked many angles to put together a plan to get the puppy from Texas to Florida mid-pandemic. During this time it was decided that the puppy would be named Parks, which is very fitting because Bill Parks was also legally blind. We owe a huge thank you to all of those that helped with the rescue, especially Di Wolf, Sharon Burns, Ellen Diaz and Robin Mitchell!
Parks' disabilities do not slow him down one bit. He loves to run and play and have a good time.
It took several weeks to coordinate transport after the initial inquiry, but on May 31st, 2020 Parks arrived at LBFS!
Since coming to LBFS he’s had neuter surgery and a procedure to correct a urinary blockage.
Due to his special needs, Parks goes to doggie daycare during the day where he loves playing and wrestling with his K9 friends.
We did not originally anticipate that Parks would be a good candidate to permanently live at LBFS. We initially took him in hoping we would find the perfect home for him. However, he quickly showed us that this little farm, in Odessa, Florida, was the perfect home for him, and he is now our sweet boy. We couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Tebow
Meet Tebow! Tebows story echos the ring of many others at LBFS. We were contacted January 2021 about a goat who was to be euthanized due to a broken leg. We stepped in and got Tebow to our favorite Large Animal Hospital , UF. It took about 3 months for his leg to heal. After recovering he is now a forever part of the sanctuary . We are so glad we got the chance to help Tebow heal. You can find more photos of Tebow and his leg on Facebook.
Georgie
Meet Georgie. We were reached out to on September 15th 2021 about this handsome boy. He has a fractured leg and vision impairment, in addition to muscle atrophy due to his fracture. We welcomed him home on Monday after he was cleared from surgery. Additionally Georgie has some weakness in his left rear leg. This can cause pain and put him at increased risk of serious injury. With the help of Bionic Pets we were able to have a custom brace made for him. We are thrilled with how Georgie has done so far.
Georgie is Sponsored by Monster Reservations.
Tucker
Meet Tucker. This handsome boy just arrived to the farm April 2022. He made the long ride down from Kentucky and stopped by the University Of Florida Large Animal Hospital to get checked out. Unfortunately as a young calf he was exposed to the cold which caused damage to his back hooves. His previous family did everything they could to help him thrive, but knew he needed more help. We have developed a care plan and have made significant progress. To date Tucker is has the highest daily care needs of any animal we have had the opportunity to rescue.
Duckalina
Meet Duckalina! What a beauty! She just arrived at LBFS today. This morning, in St. Pete, her sister was shot and killed. A police report was made and the devastated owner’s surrendered Duckalina to LBFS to better insure her safety. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
Stella
Meet Stella. Stella is a 4 year old beautiful girl who was surrendered to us last week. Stella suffered a terrible break in a rear leg. A break so close to the joint that casting and plates weren’t optimal or promising. Her best chance at a comfortable life was to have an amputation. Stella underwent surgery, and was able to come home. She’s adjusted well and was able to be adopted!
Clover
Meet Clover! Clover is LBFS’s most recent addition! Clover was brought to our attention through a local animal rescue partner. Clover was alerted to us with a mass protruding from her external reproductive region. The mass was a huge cause for concern and needed to be removed right away. In addition, she had apparent old injuries to her face that needed to be evaluated. Clover endured her lengthy procedure and recovered well however, a couple of days later her sutures pulled out and she needed an additional procedure to close the wound again. She has now healed beautifully and is feeling great! We soon after received her biopsy results and are thrilled to announce that our lucky little Clover does not have cancer!
Oakley
Meet Oakley! Oakley came to us from a local student who purchased him from a petting zoo hoping to use him for a show animal. Unfortunately, he was castrated way younger than what is recommended. Additionally, it was not done properly. He also came to us with a touch of pneumonia and not eating. We are happy to say that he made a huge amount of progress after a course of antibiotics and tube feedings. He was then fostered by the Long family, before finding his forever home!
Lamb Chop/ Lamby
Meet Lamb Chop, or affectionately known as Lamby. She came to LBFS after her family called and was totally distraught about their six week old little lamb that had been attacked by their dog. Both ears had major injuries. They asked if we would take her and of course, we had to say yes. After a few days the family was still heart
broken and wanted her back. After many long conversations about what they needed to do to keep this little lamb safe, getting to know them and seeing how much they love little Lamby, We agreed to let them take her back. We understood that the family made one mistake that allowed a terrible situation happen, but did the right thing and immediately removed the lamb from the home until they could make sure that something like that could never happen again. However, that was short lived. The family decided it was best for Lamby to live out her days here at LBFS. We think that their decision was admirable. Sometimes being a parent, or in this case pet parent means making decisions that aren’t always easy but in the best interest of our loved ones. Lambys family truly loves her just as much as all of us here at LBFS.
Lucy
Meet the cutest rescue goose , Lucy. Lucy came to us in critical condition. She had serious wounds and was hardly able to move. It appeared she had been attacked by an alligator and made it out within seconds of loosing her life. She was treated locally at Citrus Park Animal Hospital and has made a full recovery. We were all amazed by her resilience.