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"Price of Freedom" by Zakhar Valaha
Lara’s soulmate took his life when he was 24 years old. As a spiritual, creative person, she is able to “hear” inner guidance and was led, many years later, to a petting zoo where she met Patches, the wise, elder goat. He put his head on her heart for four glorious years and removed all of her grief. Her journey with goats began with Patches.
Although Lara’s interactions with goats have been miraculous, they were riddled with numerous difficult challenges from various people. The workers at the petting zoo wanted Lara to stop visiting. They separated her from Patches and he died shortly after. It was devastating. Lara lost someone who meant the world to her.
About a year before Patches passed, Lara was asked by a horse rescue to take care of a goat named Rocky whose mom got killed by dogs. He became her son as the bond they established was “herd strong.” After Patches made his transition, Rocky picked up Lara’s shattered heart and healed her grief. Many months later, Sunshine, a three-month-old baby goat, was taken in by the horse rescue as a companion for Rocky. Lara became his mom as well. Rocky, Sunshine and Lara were a herd of their own as their bond grew extremely “herd strong.” Eventually, the horse rescue wanted Lara and the goats to leave. She was told that they were going to put the goats up for adoption and that she would have five minutes to say goodbye to them. It felt devastating.
Luckily, Rocky and Sunshine went to someone’s backyard sanctuary where they ate as much hay as they desired! It was a 45 minute drive and Lara was only allowed to visit three days a week. Soon Rocky became gravely ill and Lara had to say goodbye to another family member who was impossible to lose. Sunshine saved Lara’s shattered heart as their bond grew even more “herd strong.”
Since Sunshine was mostly alone, Lara found a sanctuary that accepted him into their herd. She moved to be near Sunshine and visited him four days a week. It was at this sanctuary where Lara met Gerard, a goat who had been saved from slaughter. Goat jealousy aside, Lara and Sunshine became great friends with Gerard. After two years, Lara was asked to leave that sanctuary. She was told that Sunshine could stay, but she could not. It was devastating.
Lara began the arduous process of finding another place for Sunshine where she would be allowed to visit. Finding a decent place for goats to live is very difficult. Most people who have goats have their own land. While she was looking for a suitable place, the farm animal sanctuary where Sunshine and Gerard lived announced that they were closing their doors and needed to rehome their animals. Lara was asked if she wanted to adopt Gerard and so Lara acquired another son. This was a great relief to her because she had no idea of how she was going to part from him. Thankfully, instead of saying goodbye, Gerard became part of her family.
After a tumultuous search and many people’s prayers/positive intentions, Lara was able to find another rescue that would accept Sunshine and Gerard, allowing Lara to visit. The amount and timing of visits were very limited, the boarding was expensive and required physical work as well, but Lara was still able to have her beloved boys in her life.
However, after a short while, Lara was told that she needed to find a new place for Sunshine and Gerard. They would have been dropped off at a shelter in a neighborhood where people ate goat meat. She felt desperate.
Most rescues and sanctuaries were full or only took in sick goats or ones dealing with catastrophic emergencies. The places she looked at that would allow her to visit were not safely set up for goats. This was, yet again, a very difficult situation.
Finally, Lara found a place that could work. There were some challenges, but she didn’t have much choice at that time. Lara’s goats are picky eaters; they protect the sensitivities of their four-chambered stomach. The hay was thrown on the ground instead of being put in a container. This can cause parasite growth. They usually don’t eat the hay that touches the ground, only the hay at the top. They were hungry. Lara made the mistake of asking for them to be fed more hay. The next day her boys were moved to another area of the ranch where there was no shelter, no shade, no water and flimsy, temporary fencing. It was a very hot summer and Lara was afraid for their lives. She knew the woman was angered and she needed to act quickly. They needed to be moved before sundown when predators roam.
She desperately called many places but was again turned down. There was one place left to call. Lara had spoken to the woman in the past; she knew her terms, but she felt desperate. That day, Sunshine and Gerard were loaded onto a horse carrier and driven to their new place. There, they would have a safe shelter, quality hay, fresh water, minerals and friends (some of the goats that they knew from the sanctuary that closed its doors were rehomed there). But, what it didn’t have was access to her beloved boys.
Lara was told that her boys were welcomed, but she was not. However, Lara was allowed to take them back if she could obtain goat-zoned property. Lara fed her boys the fruit and vegetable treats as planned, told them that true friends meet again and drove away, determined that one day she would be reunited with her beloved boys.
The current situation is devastating to Lara. The ranch where Lara’s beloved Sunshine and Gerard were living was sold. Her boys were included in the sale of the ranch. Lara was told that her goats were no longer hers. Lara wrote letters to the new owner but was ignored. The new owner gave Lara’s beloved goats away and would not tell her where they were. She had to get a lawyer, but the new owner ignored the lawyer’s letters. Eventually the lawsuit ended with an agreement. Lara was finally given an address to the person her beloved boys Sunshine and Gerard were given to but that did not lead to them. They went to an area where the people eat goat meat. She was told he had given them away. Lara is devastated.
She had thousands of post cards mailed out with their photos, offering a reward for their return. It has been a while, but she still has hope that her beloved goats are still alive and will be reunited with her. Rather than dwell on probabilities, she is focused on possibilities.
Regardless of how dire this situation is, Lara is determined to continue this fundraiser for the rest of her life to help animals in need and to be able to create a sanctuary that would also be a healing center for war veterans and other people with PTSD and severe depression.
She will be filing for non-profit status to create a foundation in the near future. The name of that foundation was “divinely given” to her many years ago before all of these challenges happened.
Thank You for visiting FundraiserForAnimals.com. Let’s transform the lives of many animals everywhere.