What we do know is how they looked when they emerged.

Emaciated. Lice-ridden. Weak and scared. Though the three small goats were in bad shape, their condition was heads above that of the other animals found by authorities on the property in central New York.

The corpses of 43 goats were strewn around the rural farm, all in various states of decomposition. Necropsies performed indicated that the animals had starved to death.

When Allene, Dorothy and Cathy were pulled from the transport trailer, they appeared well on their way to joining their peers. No water or food was in sight, and they were found standing in feet of feces. Three dead goats were later discovered in the same transport truck underneath the muck.

But they survived. And now they finally have the happy ending denied to their tortured peers.

Allene, Dorothy and Cathy are the newest goat residents at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter. Upon their arrival, the trio landed in our Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, where they will be kept for a short period of time before being placed in our main goat herd.

No sooner than they set hoof at our sanctuary, the ladies made themselves at home. Surrounded by caregivers and staff, the goats settled in to their new digs, munching on hay and receiving ample affection.

The goats have come a long way since they were found in the transport truck in early spring. After they were discovered by a neighbor who heard animal groans coming from the property, the goats were kept in foster care and nursed back to health while the cruelty case progressed against the person believed responsible for their condition. Misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty were brought against the accused, but, despite a letter from Farm Sanctuary urging the district attorney to more aggressively pursue the case, that charge was not increased to aggravated animal cruelty-a felony offense.

But, no matter the outcome of the legal battle, Allene, Dorothy and Cathy are in loving hands now and for the rest of their lives. At our New York Shelter, the animals will be provided with everything they were denied at their previous residence.

Now, the curious, playful goats are in need of loving sponsors to provide for their daily care-including feed, straw bedding and ongoing veterinary care to ensure they lead a happy, healthy life.

With your sponsorship support, the neglect and abject cruelty these animals experienced will be all but forgotten as they grow older.

Please, call 607-583-2225 ext. 225 or click here to sponsor one of our sanctuary goats today through Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt-A-Farm Animal Project and help to provide the loving care every goat deserves – and a life safe from harm, forever.