Bella is the princess of our barnyard. She sits on her throne, with a smile on her face, inviting us to visit with her. She loves treats of any kind and asks for more so thoughtfully that we cannot resist her charm. She loves the attention of her human friends but is a bit of an introvert with the other animals. She is usually off doing her own thing, not wanting to draw attention. If the others try to play with her, Bella cries to us to help her be left alone. Bella is polite, sweet, and always happy. But she has had to work hard to get to where she is now!

Before we brought her home, Bella was attacked by a dog and left untreated for almost two weeks. Once her leg was rancid with infection, she was brought to the animal shelter to be euthanized. Thankfully a shelter staff thought to call us the night before she was to be put down. We picked her up immediately and rushed her to the hospital. The veterinarian brought her into surgery right away to clear the infected tissue. Once in recovery, we were told that there was nothing more the veterinarians could do to help her, and warned that she might not make it, or might lose her leg. We brought Bella home and prayed for a miracle.

The miracle came in the form or Puremedy salve which we packed her shoulder with three times a day. The salve produced good blood flow and circulation which slowly started healing the tissue and warding off of the infection. As her wounds started healing, Bella embarked on the long and difficult process of learning to forgive and letting go of her past. She was so angry! She was angry at the dog that attacked her; she thought they were friends. She was angry at the people she trusted, wondering why they didn’t care for her. She was angry at being abandoned at the shelter, with no one, afraid and alone. And she was angry at life for dealing her such an awful hand. Bella would bite me, kick at me, and run from me, refusing my affections. And each time she did, I would look her in the eye and tell her that she was right, she had every reason to be angry, that it wasn’t fair, and that I was so sorry. I allowed her to bite me, taking all the anger and pain she needed to give me. And over the first several months the more she released her anger, the softer and sweeter she became until she felt seen, heard, witnessed, and set free.

Once her heart and shoulder healed, Bella took her rightful place among the other animals as our family. She basks in the sun with her eyes closed, in complete bliss. She rests in the shade, her golden eyes aglow with peace. And she walks into a crowd during tours and open Sundays, lifts up her leg, and says, “did you see what happened to me?” and glories in all the attention! Bella perches on her favorite spot in the barnyard, a round table top, one leg up and one leg folded under her, and with a big grin, she receives guests and adulation all day long. She poses for pictures and would hand out autographs if she could. Without any scars on her shoulder or on her spirit, she has made a full recovery at The Gentle Barn, her forever home. From now on Bella can be sure that she will get the care fit for royalty for the rest of her life!

If you would like to have your own queen goat, consider sponsoring Bella today! We’ll send you monthly, emailed, behind the scenes updates on how she is doing, along with new pictures each time that you can share with friends and family. Be part of Bella’s life for the rest of her life and become part of our gentle family!