Meet the herd

Irish

As thoroughbreds go, Irish is one of the most graceful movers. He’s also a complete goofball who thinks the world will surely eat him at any time!

He was sold to unsuspecting people under the pretense that he’d never been raced. However, thoroughbreds in the US are tattooed inside their bottom lip, which allows you to research their racing record. Irish had in fact raced 14 times. He wasn’t very good at racing by all accounts. What lead him to be sold on ultimately is that he was injured. The injury was hidden from the buyer by a steroid shot which eventually wore off.

After x-rays we were able to determine a bone fragment floating in his knee joint. After his experience he developed a mistrust and fear of rough handling. He was deemed a ‘crazy horse’.

To avoid having him be passed around from one unsuspecting owner to another, we stepped in and gave him a forever home.

He’s a problem child for sure but we love him.

Sky

Sky is a Percheron cross who is actually my personal horse. I went to Wisconsin in the dead of winter with snow up to my knees to pick him up. Upon arrival he was much bigger than I had anticipated for his age. At 9 months he was already bigger than his mother and my Arabian mare Dolly. He had never had a halter on and hadn’t had much interaction with humans. I had to invest a lot of time and money in training to be able to handle him. He’s a big playful goof who has a sweet nature but is stubborn when he feels like it.

Sky has taught me so much about handling horses and learning to form a partnership rather than having a battle of wills. He is no longer able to be ridden due to a bone growth in his foot which was operated on in 2018. He’s still my big baby at 15 years old and I suspect he will be a juvenile delinquent until the day he crosses the rainbow bridge.

Allie

This beautiful little Arabian mare came to us via Georgia. She had been passed through 6 different owners before we heard that she was part of a large group of horses heading to Mexico to be meat.

This little girl has been through so much in her short life. Being a spirited and smart Arabian, she had been labeled as a difficult horse. Previous owners used her for barrel racing and when she arrived she had severe problems in a rear leg. This has left her very fearful of anyone getting on her back. She will never have to worry here and is promised a quiet retirement being a gorgeous pasture ornament.

Ally is very weary of men – especially if they are wearing any kind of hat.

She’s a sweet, highly intelligent girl who has really come a long way with her trust issues in her time with us.

Freddie

Freddie is a very sweet and proud thoroughbred. He was bred in Florida with extremely good bloodlines. As a yearling he was sold at auction for $65,000. He raced in Florida several times and won his owners quite a purse.

However, in one of his races he was severely injured when his knee gave out. Because he was worth good money he did receive surgery to repair the knee. Sadly his racing career was not the same and he was sold on. Eventually, the day came when he was no longer able to keep up and he was sold for $200 to be a pleasure horse.

The person who bought him had no experience with an ‘off the track’ thoroughbred. He removed his racing shoes and took him out trail riding every day for several weeks.

Eventually this once prized horse was reduced to skin and bone and had developed abscesses on all four feet. He could barely stand.

Along with another concerned friend we took him on and set about the long recovery process.

Today he is a very handsome and healthy boy. His feet will never be great but he’s happy that he has a peaceful and easy life.

Dinky Donkey

Another friend of ours in the rescue world bought this little donkey from a huge horse auction along with some mini horses. All were terrified and neglected.

After seeing his photo, there was no question that he had to come and live here. I was advised that he wasn’t really socialized and couldn’t be led very easily. He was unsure and afraid. Underweight and rough looking, he had been through a lot in his short life.

He arrived here at 3 am in a huge horse trailer. The transport guy was a very tall cowboy type and as he led this tiny donkey off the ramp I knew we’d been given a very special little soul.

Everyone who meets him falls in love. He’s the best ambassador to promote our mission of kindness and patience.

He makes everyone smile. Every day.

Kevin and Smokey Bacon aka 'The Bacon Brothers'

The Bacon Brothers were my first foray into pig rescue. I had originally set out to pick up some chickens from a lady I met through a Craigslist ad. I actually sought out chickens instead of rescuing them – go figure!

When I arrived there were 2 young pigs that the lady had herself rescued at a flea market. I took my chickens and after making a new friend I left.

Some time later I got a message that there had been an accidental breeding and piglets were expected any day. Of course I drove there to see the little squealers as soon as I could – because there’s nothing more adorable than piglets! There wasn’t any chance of me not taking any in.

After they were weaned I brought Kevin and Smokey home and there began my love affair with pigs!

They remain my special boys; a constant source of laughs and smiles.

Kevin is a total drama queen who complains endlessly. Smokey is a cool and calm character with the most beautiful eyes.

I love them dearly; they have educated me well.

Jake

I got a call one day from the Humane Society saying that a stray pig had shown up at a farm a few miles away from here and the lady didn’t know what to do with it. He had made friends with her horse who didn’t seem to mind at all. So off I went to catch him – which was tricky! We cornered him in the horse barn after a mighty battle.

He was young but thankfully already neutered. Obviously he had been someone’s pet pig but he had wandered off. He has a physical deformity, which suggests that he might have been stepped on as a baby; potbellies are very clumsy and many piglets are harmed or killed accidentally by their mothers.

The lady who found him had already named him Jake so we kept the name.

He lives with The Bacon Brothers and the 2 Alpaca’s.

He’s a friendly but cautious guy. Humans have to prove they are worthy of his attention.

The Virginia Hams 'Bonita, Beamer, and Shirley

These 3 potbellies came from our friends at Rangers Rescue in Virginia.

Each one had been picked up by animal control separately.

Originally I had agreed to take 2 pigs that my friend thought were both girls. I told her to name them ‘Laverne and Shirley’ for their vet records. Sadly, Laverne died during her spay. Shirley turned out to be a boy but we decided to keep the name ie.

(‘Don’t call me Shirley’ from Airplane)

Bonita was in pretty bad shape with very long hooves and a ring in her nose. She was terrified of being touched. Today she’s very sweet and will gladly roll over for belly scratches.

Beamer was originally named ‘Moonbeam’ but his sheer size and personality warranted a change to ‘Beamer’. He’s generally friendly but sometimes can be food aggressive and want to bite. He keeps me vigilant while I’m in his pen.

2 pigs turned into 3 when some kind volunteers driving from Virginia to Ohio delivered them late one evening.

They are very happy here and we were happy to help our fellow rescuers out.

Rio

After Clovers’ piglets were adopted out in pairs little Rufus was driving his mama crazy. She did not want to play with him all the time so the poor guy needed a friend. We reached out to our friend at Belly Brothers Pig Rescue to see if she had a piglet of similar age who they were placing. Rio, named during the summer Olympics, was the only piglet in his litter that kept getting overlooked. He was a timid little guy who needed a little time to get over being scared of everything. He and Rufus became immediate buddies and Clover accepted him as her own. He was born a couple of months after Rufus but is much bigger than his friend now. He’s a very handsome and sweet guy who overcame his fears to become one of the nicest pigs here.

Spinderella

Spinderella is a Kune Kune who came to us from a breeder who was concerned that she was special needs. When she’s excited she spins in circles with her tongue out to the side. She’s a sweet girl who loves a good scratch from human friends. She is a little aggressive to other pigs but lives with little Hamish very peacefully.

Hamish

Hamish came with Spinderella as a tiny little guy. He is literally the cutest pig ever! He is very small for his age but he may have a growth spurt one day, who knows?!

He is very sweet and submissive prefering to avoid any conflict at all. This little guy can brighten up the worst day just because he’s so adorable!

Penelope and Prissy

These two girls were living in an apartment for the first year of their lives until their owner realized that they were quickly outgrowing their environment and were getting too heavy to carry down flights of stairs. They came to live here so they could be outside enjoying the dirt.

Visitors are warned when entering the pen that Penelope likes to nip at passing legs.

Rachel and Lisa

These two girls came from a breeder and were deemed not viable to continue trying to breed with them. Rachel is the older of the two. She had been bred a few times but her babies had been born with birth defects and did not survive. She was, and still is years later, very cautious of humans. Lisa is much more social although somewhat cautious. She had had a couple of false pregnancies before the breeder gave up on her. These girls live with the Bacon Brothers and Jake which seems to work well for all of them. The alpacas believe the pigs will protect them and the pigs get to sleep cuddled up with warm soft alpacas.

Gingers Vic and Sawyer

Vic and Sawyer are Kune Kune brothers who came to us through our friends at Rangers Rescue in Virginia. They were being bred for meat. These are such sweet guys although they have no spacial awareness and will barrel through your legs to get to where they’re going. At feeding time they are extremely vocal with a high pitched squealing.

Kune Kunes are a breed originating in New Zealand. They are fast becoming a popular breed to have as pets due to their laid back disposition.

Ewok Family

These pigs are a family consisting of a mum, dad and 3 babies. They were being bred to be meat. They also came to us through our friends at Rangers Rescue. They were all very frightened of humans. It’s taken a lot of gentle handling to get them to trust us. The dad still isn’t fond of being touched and all are cautious but they know they’re safe here.

They are such a cute family unit and we’re happy that we got to keep them together.

Kentucky Boys

Badger, Tonto, Hognob, and Walter.

These pigs are from the massive hoarding case in Kentucky that we worked on during the last months of 2018.

We took in some of the most sickly babies who were suffering with terrible mange and malnutrition. They are now healthy and socialized.

Babe

She’s a Yorkshire pig about 6 months old and has been part of a medical study for wound care.
Ordinarily the animals are euthanized after they are no longer needed. In Babe’s case the humans involved wanted to find her a safe place to live out her life.
She’s a sweet girl who’s wide eyed and innocent. She doesn’t know anything about being a pig outside of a lab.

Porky

Porky was living a happy life as an indoor pig until he needed to move outside while his human mama had surgery. The city that he lived in however, does not allow 'livestock' within city limits and so Mr. Porky was in danger of being confiscated. His human reached out for help and we offered to give him a safe place within. reasonable distance of his family so they could visit. When he arrived he was 210lbs and unaltered. He was extremely playful and had no idea how big he was - he is now around 600lbs and is still the same playful silly guy who thinks he is a lap dog!

Ophelia

Ophelia was picked up as a stray in Kentucky. The dog shelter was no place for a very large farm pig but permission had been granted by a judge to put her in foster. Legally she was a 'stray hold' for a year! We officially became her forever home after the year was up. She is a larger than life character who loves a good scratch. She will roll over for a belly rub as soon as you touch her fabulous floppy ears. She's a wonderful old lady who is always making us smile!

Drogo

Drogo had been purchased from a breeder and then when he was too rough with the family's toddler, they sold him at a yard sale. The person we got him from had already committed to adopting two other pot bellies so we went to get him. He needed to be neutered but he was absolutely adorable and is still a sweet guy.

Alvin

Alvin was rescued by a friend of ours. When she came to visit he hit it off with Drogo so it was decided that we would let them stay together as buddies. These two are always snuggles up together. It's such a great friendship!

Moonlight and Valentino

Valentino was our first cow resident. He was purchased from a live-stock auction by a “beef” farmer at 1 days old to act as a companion to an orphaned calf. He was bottle raised alongside her, but at 6 months she went back to join the heard to be bred and Valentino was no longer needed. To avoid him going back to a live-stock auction or worse, we were asked (and excited) to take him and give him his forever home.

Moonlight was given to a lady at the live-stock auction as a day-old calf. Due to him being sick and weak, he was free. She bottle fed him for a few weeks and then reached out to find him a home. Valentino bonded with him immediately. They’ve been best buddies ever since.

Jaxson

Jaxson came to us as a youngster from NC. He was given as a gift to a young man who didn’t tell

his parents. Once they discovered him in the house, they tried very hard to make it work but

quickly realized they couldn’t keep him.

After calling many rescues all over the south they were put in touch with us. We agreed to help.

We’re super glad we did because Jaxson’s family loves him and visits often.

In fact, most of our beautiful pig houses are built by Jaxson’s dad.

"Mad" Max

Max came to us through another rescue after being surrendered to a county shelter as a

youngster. He has always been pretty antisocial; preferring not to interact much with humans.

Unfortunately, his longtime girlfriend died, and we have yet to find him a new friend that he will be nice to.

Sometimes we sneak a scratch whilst he’s eating – he secretly enjoys it.

Jack Jack

Jack Jack was originally purchased from a breeder who, of course, said he would stay small. He lived as an inside pig but became aggressive towards the family’s small dog and teenage son. He was an intact male with raging hormones which was causing all his behavioral issues. Once we took him in he got neutered immediately which settled him down. He’s around 130 lbs now so he didn’t stay under 50 lbs as the breeder promised.

Bam Bam

Mango

This little guy is around 3 months old and has already been through 5 different homes.
There’s absolutely nothing but sweetness about him. Maybe it was the usual ‘hyper’ puppy energy that got him passed around so many times.
Here he’s having a great time with Grayson our special needs Bulldog.
They’re wearing each other out - which is great!

He’s been wormed, had his first vaccines and will get neutered this week.

Please adopt and don’t shop for dogs!
There are so many in our shelters that need a home.
Older dogs are sooo much easier than puppies.
Puppy training is hard - you must have patience.

If you’re not willing to commit to them for life perhaps don’t get a dog or maybe you could foster if you’re not able to keep them for long.
They deserve a great life. We owe them that.

Gordon

This guy wandered up to a business and wanted to be invited in to hang out. The area is industrial so it’s a mystery how he ended there.
He sure picked the right people to ask for help.
The kindness of a group of creative people who design and build skateboards saved this guys life.

They named him Gordon and brought him to us so he can live out his life without worry.
It’s clear he’s been raised around people; probably was a 4H project who was no longer wanted.

Gordon loves treats but what he would really like is a monthly sponsor.
If you’d like to be his best friend please send us a dm

Cole

This handsome male cat was found at a feral colony. He was not originally part of this colony, volunteers discovered him while they were taking care of the regular colony cats. To their dismay, he had both of his ears and tail cutoff. Scar tissue in his ears has impacted his hearing significantly. Which, in turn, has made him very frightened. He does not trust anyone. However, we are working on being able to interact with him so he knows he's safe. It is going to take a lot of time, patience and kindness to earn his trust with humans again. We're able to scratch his head with a back scratcher, he tolerates this well. He loves cat treats and canned food. No one will ever be unkind to him again.

Please consider sending him a gift through his personalised Wishlist on Cuddly: https://cuddly.com/donate/4907995/feral-cat

Wilbur

My name is Wilbur. I was living as an indoor pig for 9 years and was surrendered to the Brown County Humane Society before coming to ROAR. I'm in rough shape. I've been neutered and am recovering in my new home! I'd love for someone to send me treats from cuddly so the food lady can give them to me.

He's a fabulous pig and has been adjusting nicely to his new surroundings. He will need ongoing medical attention with skin products, arthritis medication, good nutrition and lots of treats. You can send him, or any of our animals, products they need via Cuddly, Amazon, Chewy or monetary donations.
We also welcome donations of pig food (or any food for animals we have here), blankets, pillows and bedding such as hay and shavings. As we learn more, keep an eye out for updates here and our other media pages.

Wilburs Wishlist: https://cuddly.com/donate/4907998/wilbur

Ace

This handsome guy is 4 years old. He was a loved pet until he developed issues with his urinary tract. After ending up at the vets office with a blockage and getting the prognosis for lifetime issues needing a special diet; he was surrendered.
Ace is a large handsome, friendly guy. He’s front de-clawed (sadly - it’s a barbaric thing to do to a cat!)

He needs to be on a urinary tract diet for life. This doesn’t mean he can’t find a wonderful home as long as someone is willing to pay attention to his needs.

If you’re interested in giving this sweet guy a great home, please reach out.

In the meantime, please consider sending him lots of treats and items we need to keep him healthy: https://cuddly.com/.../4908124...//cuddly.com/donate/4908124

Churro (and Sloopy)

These two sweet girls came from a small dairy farm in Wisconsin that closed down. They are the sweetest little things. They live a happy life with their friends.

Whitney

Whitney isn’t very happy however because we have just ran out of canned cat food!

Whitney came to us through Brown County Humane Society after being brought in as stray. She was in bad shape because someone had given her Meth. Yes, peeps it does happen. Probably more than we know sadly.
At the shelter she was unpredictable with volunteers, causing them to be afraid of her.
Since coming here she lives harmoniously with our other feed room cats. She can choose if she wants human interaction - which she seeks out quite often.

If we don’t get her some canned cat food her moods might not be so great!

Please help fill our shelf if you can

Fancy Feast or Sheba are preferred brands.
These can be purchased from our wishlists on chewy.com

https://www.chewy.com/g/red-oak-animal-rescue-inc_b78163726

Duncan rooster

This handsome vocalist was brought to us by a nice lady who found him as a stray.
Unfortunately a lot of roosters find themselves abandoned. During the first year of Covid so many people thought it would be great to have backyard chickens. Once they matured, many turned out to be roosters - the problem with that is you need to be zoned to have roosters. They can’t help yelling at all hours and some people get upset at that.

D'Artagnan

1 of three peacocks

Louis

Roosters

Vincent and Jules

Vincent and Jules came to us the summer of 2020 from a small farm in Massachusetts. They were two weeks old when they arrived. Vincent (white with spots) was a sickly baby. With much veterinary care, these two sweet boys have grown up to be big grass puppies. They love to play and get neck scratches.

Grayson (Potato)

Lil Tim (Kim)

Ingaa and her son Laars and the beautiful Baabra

Our little herd of sheep; Baabra, Ingaa and Laars.
These funny characters came to us through a rescue situation coordinated by our friends at Jenkins Forever Farm.
These sheep had been part of a large group that had multiplied over the years from unsupervised breeding (ie. inbreeding)
They were untouchable but curious upon arrival. Laarswas the first to warm up because he’s a baby. His mother Ingaais still hesitant to interact. Auntie Baabrais a wise older lady who makes you earn her approval.
They are such silly creatures that it’s been fun to help them adjust to their new life.

Uma

In January of 2022, we traveled two hours away to save a free goat and came home with 3 goats and a very very sick calf. Our vet told us to not get attached to her because she was unlikely to make it. Through a tremendous amount of effort and stress, Uma is now a happy healthy young lady.

Fun Fact: The only reason you’ll find a female dairy cow at a live-stock auction is if they’re born a twin. Being born a female twin makes them sterile and unable to produce milk, these are called freemartin.

Mojo

He’s a silly, carefree little fella, who’s way more mischievous than our dear Phil, ‘the Baad Goat’.
Mojo has earned the nickname of ‘the really Baad Goat’!

Augustus

Bella and Benicio

These beautiful polar bears were gifted to us from our friends at Rangers Refuge.

They are less than a year old but are already enormous and very serious about their jobs.

Blackie

Blackies previous owners raised him as a baby, had him for 10 years as an indoor pig.

They then advertised him on Craigslist to go in someone’s freezer.

He came to us in 2021.