The goats at the sanctuary managed to win everybody’s hearts. I had never imagined they were such affection-seeking animals, but the owner of the refuge said they were in fact very dog-like in their behavior.

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The Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary is a 400-acre nonprofit refuge in Poolesville, Maryland, that offers care, rehabilitation and permanent sanctuary for neglected, abused or abandoned farm animals as well as providing a protected habitat for wildlife. They promote compassion and the humane treatment of all animals by educating the public on farm animal and wildlife issues.

A husband and wife team along with 100 volunteers and 8 staff care for more than 300 rescued farm animals, each with a name and a story of their rescue, and most of them quite friendly to humans. They’ve been in operation for 21 years, receive no public funding and survive only on donations.

For more information on the refuge, go to http://www.animalsanctuary.org

Inquisitive starling, posted earlier: