People love an animal-rescue story, and one creature delighting viewers on TikTok at the moment is Rhea the blind rescue goat.
In a video posted by Ash Shore, 34, her partner, Alex, can be seen floating around in their pool with Rhea draped across his lap, living her best life. "Just your typical Sunday shenanigans around the sanctuary," reads the caption of the video, which has been viewed over 5.7 million times on Instagram.
The couple run The Shore Sanctuary in Eucalyptus Hills, California, and are full-time animal caregivers while also running a pet-care business called Green Paw Grooming.
"Rhea the blind goat is soaking up the San Diego sunshine with her favorite human Alex," Shore told Newsweek. "We run The Shore Sanctuary, which is a non-profit animal sanctuary and rescue center focused on birds and farmed animals in need of ongoing medical care. We have 50 residents at the moment, with many different species of birds, cats, dogs, pigs, ducks, and goats."
The couple have a background in animal medicine and started the sanctuary to rescue as many animals in need as possible.
"Knowing the need of permanent placement for abused, neglected and discarded animals is one of the main reasons why we opened this organization," Shore said. "Though it wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't spent time volunteering at other local sanctuaries before founding our own little but mighty organization."
Some 10 billion animals are slaughtered for food each year in the U.S. Around 99 percent of them are raised on factory farms, and an additional 47 billion aquatic animals are killed as well, according to the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition.
In May 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Proposition 12 in the state of California, a law that prohibits pregnant mother pigs from extreme confinement. The law, which was enacted in 2018 by voter initiative, also bans the use of veal crates for calves and battery cages for egg-laying hens. Proposition 12 prohibits the sale of products from such inhumane systems in California, marking a small victory for the state's farm animals.
Users on TikTok loved the video, with one writing, "Livin La vita goata."
"I love how content the goat looks haha," posted another.
"Every animal deserves this kind of a life," commented a third.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more
