When you sponsor an animal for a month you will make a HUGE impact on the animal’s life by helping provide food, bedding and vet care. With your donation, you will receive a special downloadable certificate of sponsorship as well as a coupon for one free Sanctuary Stroll to be redeemed upon arrival. Come out and meet the animals you’ve sponsored—so they can thank you themselves!

Buddy’s not only the most handsome guy you’ll ever meet, he’s also the sweetest. Buddy was born with only three legs, which ultimately saved his life. Because Buddy was unable to nurse easily from his mother, he required bottle feeding. The farmers who bottle fed Buddy fell in love with him, and were distressed at the thought of sending him to slaughter. After connecting with IFS, they made the easy decision to send sweet Buddy to our sanctuary instead. 

While Buddy’s uniqueness led to his freedom, it also has serious implications. Buddy’s missing limb is in the rear of his body, which is the worst-case scenario as far as limb differences go in cows, since they carry the majority of their body weight in their rear legs. At first, we were determined to find a brace, a prosthetic, or a cart for our sweet boy, but after exhausting every potential option, we finally understood that it wasn’t to be. 

While Buddy is currently mobile, surprisingly agile, and completely independent in meeting his needs, he is a growing steer, and eventually his remaining rear leg will not be able to carry the weight of his body. Because of this, Buddy’s time with us will never be long enough, and every day is a precious gift. 

Our goal with Buddy is to give him the best life possible while he is with us. He has his own house and pasture, which he shares with his best friend, Harpo. He receives a special diet to help control his weight, but we never shortchange him on healthy treats! We shower him with love and affection, which he returns tenfold. Buddy is the type of guy who loves to cuddle, and his human companions often curl up with him for naps after chores are done. 

It’s impossible to put into words what Buddy means to us – he’s a tremendous source of joy and inspiration for all who know him, and he always has love to give away. 

To gift this sponsorship to someone you love, see the instructions below.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: This sponsorship includes a certificate for download. No physical item will be shipped. You will automatically receive an order confirmation email, followed by an email containing a link to your certificate and information about your sponsored resident. You will then have 24 hours to open and download the sponsorship packet. You are welcome to print anything in the packet, or you may download it and send it to your gift recipient by email. The Sanctuary Stroll pass included with the download may only be used once.