BB’s Animal Rescue & Nature Sanctuary

08/16/2026

Hi everyone, quick update from all of us here at BARNS. We wanted to apologize for our lack of posting and activity lately. We have been busy as ever trying to continue a high standard of care of the 140 residents here but unfortunately our mom, Kathi, has recently been dealing with some very serious health issues and has been in and out of the hospital for a few months now. We are finally seeing some progress after several surgeries 🩷 Right now we aren’t having any volunteers out or able to do many tours or events as all of our free time has been dedicated to our mom and being with her. We will continue to update about all the happenings at the sanctuary as often as we can. Thank you everyone for all your support and love! 💕 Kisses from our favorite boys, Lotfi and Asim, pictured here 🫏

-Gretchen and Gabriela

07/13/2026

🐱Jenny is one of our wonderful animals available for adoption or fostering! She is approximately 9 months old and as sweet as can be.

She is:
✅Spayed
✅Up to date on Rabies and FVRCP vaccines
✅Current on flea/tick/heartworm/other parasite and worm prevention
✅Microchipped
✅Litter box trained
✅Great with dogs and cats

Please check out her profile on our Adopt a Pet page to inquire about an application to adopt! 🩷

https://www.adoptapet.com/shelter/266217-bbs-animal-rescue-and-nature-sanctuary-bushnell-florida

07/04/2026

⭐️🇺🇸Happy Independence Day from all of us here at BARNS and from miss Moo-lan (pictured below) too! 🇺🇸⭐️

Today is a day we celebrate 250 years since the adoption of an important historical document, the declaration of independence 📜. Some of the bravest, most intelligent and important writers and signatories of this document continue to influence our country to this day. One of which, Benjamin Franklin, we give a special mention to for his dietary choices made from an early age. Benjamin Franklin recognized the intelligence and beauty of animals, including those typically used for food, and also recognized that a meat free diet allowed for greater clarity and quickness of thought. He is known to have adopted a vegetarian diet from age 16. He is also one of the first Americans to ever write about tofu, back in 1770!

On a day that many are celebrating with barbecue, we are so thankful for those that have decided to leave animals off their plate and choose kindness and compassion instead 🩷

06/23/2026

🐶Interested in fostering or adopting a cat or dog?🐱

📣Check out all of our cats and dogs currently available for adoption: https://www.adoptapet.com/shelter/266217-bbs-animal-rescue-and-nature-sanctuary-bushnell-florida

Looking for a rescue in Bushnell, FL? Adopt a dog or cat today! Search for local pets in need of a home. Adoptapet.com can help you find directions to your closest rescue and allows you to browse pets for adoption before you visit.

06/18/2026

Huge thank you as always to our amazing farriers, Have-A-Heart Hoof Care 💕, they always do amazing work and keep our pigs in need comfortable. This past Saturday they did 5 pigs (the last 5 piggies of the post: Esteban, Peaches, Ryu, Foxy, and Panini) that needed either hoof trims, tusk trims or even teeth trims for our under/overbite babies that have uneven growth that can cause discomfort and injuries.

06/13/2026

⚠️Anytime water troughs are being dumped, scrubbed, refilled or even just topped off and water overflows, please expect significant delays as the pigs must inspect the quality of the wallow before you can proceed ⚠️

Thanks to Henrietta and one of the Meishan boys for demonstrating the proper techniques for adequate quality control testing 🙏🏽

06/11/2026

We just received the final report for Willow’s necropsy. It confirmed that the initial findings were accurate, Willow’s heart was weak and damaged from likely a genetic defect and eventually this led to a heart attack.

We find solace in knowing that Willow likely passed quickly and while our time with her wasnt as long as we would have hoped for, her heart condition could have claimed her at any time and we were lucky to have had her in our care for the last 2 and a half years of her life 🩷

Rest in peace Willow. We have missed you every day since your passing and we will always remember your fluffy, gentle, and loving presence 💕🌈

Thank you so much to everyone that has written such loving messages about Willow and sent their condolences. To know she was loved by so many makes the pain of losing her a little less.

06/05/2026

We are heartbroken to share the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved livestock guardian dog, Willow. 💔

We found Willow on Tuesday laying in one of her favorite spots under an oak tree, overseeing the front barn area. She appeared to be sleeping and we were devastated to find out she had passed away sometime overnight or possibly in the early morning. Willow had a normal evening prior and did not show any sign of distress or being unwell. She was likely only about 6 years old.

We have taken her body to the Animal Diagnostic State Health Lab for a necropsy so we can get some answers on what happened. As of right now we only have the preliminary report with the gross findings that seem to point to something cardiac being the possible cause of death.

Willow stole many hearts and was loved by everyone that crossed her path. She was a gentle giant at about 90 lbs, made of pure love. She was never anything but kind, patient, and gentle with all the animals here at the sanctuary. She was the only dog that we noted could seemingly get along with our VERY dog selective dogs that had lots of trouble making canine friends.

We are all mourning her loss and still in disbelief. We have close to 140 animals in our care but Willow somehow seemed to be the main character of many days. She was terrified of storms and needed rescuing from the scary thunder quite often. She loved to dig holes (as most livestock guardian dogs do) that we would sometimes fall into when we didnt realize she’d been working hard digging halfway to China.

She came to us in late 2023 from Wild Horse Rescue Center along with her mama (who crossed the rainbow bridge in later 2024 after a battle with renal disease). Willow and her mama both took a little while to adjust but when they did, they were right at home. We are so grateful for the time we had with both of them. 🩷

We will miss you beyond words, Willow. We know that Mama and your other friends that have passed away here at BARNS, are waiting for you on the other side of the rainbow bridge. 🌈💕

05/24/2026

Miss Petunia 🌸 FINALLY got her first heartworm injection this past week! She is doing great so far after the treatment. 👍🏽

This sweet girl was diagnosed as very Heartworm positive when she first came into our care back in August 2025. When we found her, she was running stray in the road, no ID/tags/microchip, infested with fleas, about 20 lbs underweight, missing patches of hair, and as dirty as can be. Since she was a stray and under the care of our local animal services, we had to wait until they had availability to start her treatment and unfortunately, we waited for over half a year but they were not able to follow through. So we now have her officially in OUR care and got started on treatment through our vet right away 🎉

Her medications alone will total around $305 during this process and each of her 3 heartworm injections will cost about $220. Our total is looking to be close to $965 😮 Petunia is on the road to recovery now and she is such a sweet happy little soul that loves every day with all her heart. ❤️ She is available for foster at this time and will be ready for full adoption after her treatment is complete!

As always, any likes, comments/engagement, shares, or donations are immensely appreciated 🙏🏽

💰Zelle to [email protected]

💵Cash app to $BARNSnonprofit

📲Venmo to

✅Mail a check to P.O. Box 193, Bushnell, FL, 33513

And you can always donate via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3LQL8DUGE7FNA&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

05/17/2026

Wilbur’s 🐷 favorite way to drink water from the trough is with the hose on full blast and the trough overflowing with cool water straight from the well 🚰

With most days now in the low 90’s, who can blame him?! ☀️