Unity Animal Sanctuary

09/01/2026

This little guy has already been adopted, and he definitely enjoyed getting outside for his walk!

But while we celebrate every adoption, there are still so many other animals at Hillside SPCA waiting for their turn. They have plenty of dogs looking for homes, and they are especially full of cats right now who need families. 🐱❤️

If you've been considering adding a cat or dog to your family, please consider adopting. If you can't adopt, you can still help simply by sharing these videos. You never know when a share will put one of these animals in front of the person they've been waiting for.

🐾 Hillside SPCA:
https://www.hillsidespca.com/

❤️ Support Unity Animal Sanctuary on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/cw/UnityAnimalSanctuary

❤️ Help with our rescue and travel expenses
Even $5 helps us continue getting where animals need us.
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/unityanimalsanctuary

08/31/2026

🎂🐢 MY 51ST BIRTHDAY REVERSE FUNDRAISER — I WANT TO HELP ANIMALS, NOT GET PRESENTS!

My birthday is September 4, and this year I want to do something a little different.

I don't want presents.

And I definitely don't need a bunch of people reminding me that I'm turning 51. 😂

Instead, help me help animals for my birthday.

I'm doing a Reverse Birthday Fundraiser. Rather than asking you to give me something, I'm giving back based on what YOU do.

🐢 OPTION #1 — FOLLOW US & HELP A BABY SEA TURTLE

As of today, our pages have:

🐾 Unity Animal Sanctuary — 4,558 followers
https://www.facebook.com/UnityAnimalSanctuary

🎮 UAS Gaming — 380 followers
https://www.facebook.com/UASGAMERS

📢 ACT — 214 followers
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576569217518

For EVERY new follower any of these three pages gains through the end of September 4, I will donate to give ONE endangered baby sea turtle a chance at life.

🐢 1 new follower = 1 turtle helped
🐢 100 new followers = 100 turtles helped
🐢 250 new followers = 250 turtles helped
🐢 500 new followers = 500 turtles helped

Following costs you absolutely nothing.

And here's something crazy: roughly 90% of the people seeing content on our Sanctuary and Gaming pages aren't followers.

So hit that Follow button! You can follow us and never look at the page again if you really want to. 😂 Your follow still helps our pages grow—and during this challenge, it also means another baby sea turtle gets help.

❤️ OPTION #2 — JOIN OUR PATREON & MULTIPLY THE IMPACT

Our Patreon is brand new. We currently have only one member, but we've already been adding exclusive content, with a lot more coming.

You'll find additional videos, photos, rescue stories, poetry, behind-the-scenes content and other things you won't necessarily see anywhere else.

Patreon members also get more opportunities to vote and have a voice in what we do, with additional benefits depending on the membership level.

For every new Patreon membership through September 4,I will make an additional donation to help endangered baby sea turtles based on the tier you choose:

🐢 Tier 1 = 10 turtles helped
🐢 Tier 2 = 20 turtles helped
🐢 Tier 3 = 30 turtles helped
🐢 Tier 4 = 40 turtles helped
🐢 Tier 5 = 50 turtles helped

You absolutely do not need to choose a higher tier just for this challenge. Even joining at our lowest level means 10 more endangered baby sea turtles get a chance at life.

❤️ Join us on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/UnityAnimalSanctuary/membership

🐾 WHY AM I ASKING FOR FOLLOWERS?

Because followers aren't just numbers.

As these pages grow, they create more opportunities to reach adopters, attract supporters, spread information, promote petitions and eventually generate revenue that can go back into helping more animals.

🐾 Unity Animal Sanctuary focuses on animal rescue, foster and sanctuary work, wildlife, conservation, environmental projects, education, advocacy and finding new ways to make a difference.

🎮 UAS Gaming uses video-game content as another avenue to help animals. Sometimes we even run challenges where achievements inside a game result in real animals being helped.

📢 ACT focuses on petitions, advocacy, awareness and giving people simple ways to take action for animals.

🎁 SO WHAT DO I WANT FOR MY BIRTHDAY?

Follow all three pages.

Share this post.

And if you'd like to do even more, join us on Patreon.

That's my birthday present.

For more than 12 years, Unity Animal Sanctuary has worked to help animals. We've helped thousands upon thousands during that time, including more than 2,300 animals already this year.

So don't just wish me a happy birthday with words.

Wish me a happy birthday by helping another animal. ❤️🐢

🌎 STILL READING? THEN I HAVE ONE MORE CHALLENGE FOR YOU...

Don't just follow Unity Animal Sanctuary.

Become part of it.

Clean up trash at a park. 🌳
Help an animal in your community. 🐾
Volunteer. ❤️
Sign a petition. 📢
Share an animal who needs a home. 🏡
Make a video of yourself doing something positive and send it to us—we may share it and inspire someone else to act. 🎥

You don't need to run a sanctuary to make a difference.

Unity Animal Sanctuary doesn't have to be just something you follow. It can be something you're part of.

Let's see just how many animals we can help for my 51st birthday! 🐢🐢🐢

Cheers,
Mike and the animals we help at Unity Animal Sanctuary

P.S. Fair warning: If you post a birthday wish on my Facebook this year, there's a pretty good chance you're getting a link to this challenge instead of a traditional “thank you.” 😂🐢

You wished me a happy birthday—now help me make it a happy birthday for some animals too! ❤️

08/31/2026

I got to take this young guy for a walk at Hillside SPCA, and he is full of energy and incredibly sweet.

Sirue is waiting for someone to finally notice him and give him a chance.

Maybe the right person just hasn't seen him yet.

Please share this. Even if you can't adopt, your share could be the reason Sirue's future family finally finds him. ❤️

Hillside SPCA has information about its available animals and adoption process here: Hillside SPCA Adoptable Pets

08/31/2026

Busy day already—and there's still plenty more to do! 🐾

Today included dropping off supplies for animals at the Hillside SPCA, spending some time with an energetic little kitten, walking two shelter dogs, and doing a trash cleanup before heading home to get more work done.

I shared more about the day, along with a couple photos of one very uncooperative little kitten 😂, over on our Unity Animal Sanctuary Patreon.

Membership starts at just $3 a month, and members get additional stories, photos, behind-the-scenes updates, podcast content, and more that I don't always share publicly.

📚 We're also going to be giving away 5 copies of The Weight of Silence!

Once we've reached the five-month mark, five active Patreon members will be selected to receive a free copy. If you're one of them, I'll personally sign it—and I'm happy to write whatever message you'd like inside.

Most importantly, Patreon memberships help support the work we're doing for animals and the environment. ❤️🐾

👉 Read today's Patreon update / Join us

Even a $3 membership makes a difference. Thank you to everyone who continues to support what we're doing!

Supplies, Shelter Dogs, a Tiny Kitten & a Trash Cleanup 🐾 by Unity Animal Sanctuary on Patreon. Join Unity Animal Sanctuary's community for exclusive content and updates.

08/30/2026

Over the past two days, I recorded three Vegan Voices for Change podcasts—with Patrick Battuello of Horse Racing Wrongs, Gary Yourofsky, and Leonie Burt.

The video recorded. My microphone recorded. I could hear every guest perfectly.

OBS recorded none of their audio.

An audio setting had changed after an OBS update, and for the first time since starting the podcast, I didn't do my usual test recording before we began. Somehow I managed to make the same mistake THREE TIMES before discovering it.

I've found the problem, fixed it, and tested it.

Patrick, Leonie, and Gary are going to redo their conversations with me, and I can't thank them enough for being willing to give me their time again.

The podcasts will be delayed, but Vegan Voices for Change isn't going anywhere.

I'm also looking for more people to interview. You don't have to be famous. If you're vegan, an activist, rescuer, sanctuary worker, advocate, or simply have an important story or perspective involving animals, I'd love to hear from you.

So apparently today's lesson is:

When something changes, check your work.

Especially after a software update. 😂

Thank you for understanding—and especially thank you to my guests.

08/30/2026

This guy was happy as heck getting his belly rubs! 😂🐷💛

Just listen to those grunts. There wasn't much doubt about whether he wanted me to keep going.

But I also wanted to show you something I think is really cool—his white eyelashes! 🤍🐷

When you're able to spend this much time around the pigs, you start noticing all the little things that make each one different. His eyelashes are definitely one of my favorites.

Of course, I think he was far more interested in the belly rubs than showing off for the camera. 😂

❤️ Want to support Unity Animal Sanctuary and get exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more?
👉 https://www.patreon.com/cw/UnityAnimalSanctuary

If you are interested in helping the rescued animals through adoption, volunteering, transport, or support:
👉 blueridgeliberation.org

If you’d like to see Unity Animal Sanctuary travel and help more rescues like this, please consider donating even a small amount to cover travel expenses.

💛 Just $5 can help us continue this work
👉 https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/U4JEK3CWU43HGv

Every bit helps us show up when animals need it most.

08/30/2026

Fear can look like aggression.
Uncertainty can look like distrust.
Trauma can build walls.

But give an animal safety, patience, compassion, and time, and you may discover an entirely different personality underneath.

We've witnessed this firsthand while working with abused and neglected animals. Some arrived terrified of people or unsure how to react to kindness. Given the opportunity to finally feel safe, we got to watch their real personalities slowly emerge.

That's one of the reasons I love the message in this image:

"Don't let what others see define who you are."

The dirty, frightened puppy looking into the water may be what everyone else sees.

But inside? There may be a wolf's worth of courage waiting to come out. ❤️🐺🐶

Animals are individuals, just like us. Their past can influence who they are today, but it doesn't necessarily define who they can become tomorrow.

Never let the first chapter convince you that you know the whole story.

And once again, maybe that's something worth remembering about people, too. 💚

❓ Have you ever watched an animal completely transform after finally realizing they were safe? Tell us their story in the comments.

08/30/2026

Sometimes we forget the things we learned as kids: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

I wasted over 8 hours of my own time today, along with about 5 hours of other people’s time, only to have technology kick my ass once again.

So, it looks like I’ll be staying up all night trying to figure out a way around the problem. Because at this point, if I don’t find a way to fix it, all those hours really were wasted.

Technology may have won this round, but I’m not ready to let it win the fight.

08/29/2026

It sounds like one of the simplest parts of caring for a cat, but how you set up their litter box actually matters.

In this Animal Tips video, I show the proper way to fill a litter box, how much litter you should start with, and the commonly recommended guideline for how many litter boxes you should have.

A good rule to remember is:

🐱 Number of cats + 1 = number of litter boxes

So if you have two cats, ideally you should have three boxes.

For most cats, starting with around 2–3 inches of litter works well, although individual cats can certainly have their own preferences!

Sometimes good animal care comes down to getting the little things right. ❤️

08/29/2026

Think We're Forcing Our Views on You? Who Forced You to Come Here?

Who forced you to come here?

You don't have to agree with me. In fact, I welcome disagreement—but bring evidence, not insults.

If you think I'm wrong, step up. Let's have an educated conversation.