SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Animal sanctuaries across the United States are now gearing up for The Goat Games, kicking off on Sept. 5, and Springfield’s VINE Sanctuary is hoping to snag the win as greatest of all time. Its team is “headed” by Patches, a charismatic and athletic leader who hails from a small dairy herd. After bravely escaping slaughter, Patches lived on her own for several years before finding a new home at VINE. Now, she’s known for her boundless energy and love of play, often seen showing off her skills on the sanctuary’s goat play equipment.
So what are The Goat Games? Contrary to what you might think, goats haven’t been training for years to compete. In fact, no animal will be asked to do anything, as this event is a friendly fundraising faceoff between 16 sanctuaries across the United States. “The Goat Games are designed to inspire friendly competition, raise critical support, and instill hope in people who want to change the world for animals by providing them with a tangible way to help animals in need,” according to Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties, N.Y., which sponsors the games.
Individuals can participate by donating directly to their favorite sanctuary. They can even dedicate their donation to an animal or person in their life. With each dedication, a digital player card with the photographs donors submit will be displayed on the sanctuary’s team page.
The fundraising event is a bracket-style competition, meaning that participants are paired in matches, and winners will keep advancing through the rounds. The initial round runs from Sept. 5-7. Winners from that round will advance to the next round (Sept. 12-14), a third round (Sept. 19-21), and the final round (Sept. 26-28), where the champion will be declared.
Fortunately, sanctuaries that lose in the first round aren’t eliminated. They’ll move into the second chance bracket. The winner of that bracket will be announced after a Sept. 26-28 round.
There will also be special Power Hours during the games that give sanctuaries a chance to win additional funds by pulling in more donors.
Sanctuaries with the most donations stand to win additional cash prizes. Yet every sanctuary will be a winner in these games. Sanctuaries are currently being hit hard by rising costs as well as decreasing donations, so any dollar to fund the lifesaving work for rescued animals these sanctuaries are doing will be a victory. “We’ve seen a drop in donations while costs for caring for our animals have been rising, so we’re hoping the Goat Games can give people a fun way to support our residents,” says pattrice jones, cofounder of VINE.
This is the second year VINE has participated in the Goat Games, which began in 2020. In 2023, the Goat Games raised a total of $108,948, which was distributed between 14 sanctuaries to provide food, shelter, and medical care for their residents. The goal for 2024 is to raise $250,000 between all 16 sanctuaries.
To learn more about the Goat Games, and to donate, tune in to www.thegoatgames.org on Sept. 5, and select VINE Sanctuary. Individuals can also donate directly to VINE Sanctuary at www.vinesanctuary.org.