CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – In 2023, Matthew Boyer moved his small farm and goat-cuddling business out of Culpeper County, where he said he faced harassment from neighbors and a lack of support from the county, 20 miles north to Amissville.

Now, Boyer and Charming Hill Farms are enduring an even more striking hardship. But this time, their community is rallying around them.

On Feb. 10, a pair of loose pit bulls attacked the farm, killing six animals and mauling others. Since then, Boyer has received messages of support from all over the country, including from the Charlottesville, Albemarle County and Culpeper area where his farm once operated. One GoFundMe page launched to help with veterinary bills and farm repairs over the weekend had nearly raised its goal of $30,000 as of Wednesday morning. A second GoFundMe page had raised nearly $3,000 of its $4,000 goal.

Donations are also being made directly through the farm’s website.

“We went from being in a very dark place, completely overwhelmed with the tragedy, to a place where there was a lot of light and we were once again overwhelmed, but this time in a very positive way,” Boyer told Cville Right Now.

The outpouring of support, Boyer said, is why he and his husband are determined to keep the farm and goat-cuddling business open to the public moving forward.

“The thousands of notes that we’ve received of encouragement have really made us just realize that what we’re doing is important,” Boyer said. “And it’s greatly loved by many people. So, we are going to continue doing what we’re doing.”

The dogs that attacked Charming Hill had previously gotten loose and caused issues in the area before, including once chasing animals at the farm and another time killing another farmer’s goat on Jan. 20.

“The dogs had been a menace in the neighborhood for a while,” Boyer said. “Since this incident, I’ve heard more stories.”

Boyer requested the dogs’ owners not be named publicly. He said he received a sincere apology and believed the owners had been actively trying to rehome the dogs. He said his understanding is they don’t have the financial means to help with the massive veterinary bills Charming Hill Farm is facing. The owners took the dogs to be euthanized this week. Boyer and the farmer from the January attack paid the costs.

According to the Rappahannock District Court website, the dogs’ owner pled guilty to 13 misdemeanors related to the two attacks on Jan. 20 and Feb. 10.

After attending a court hearing about the dogs Tuesday morning, Boyer said he doesn’t believe the owners are facing any further criminal charges in relation to the incident, since they had their dogs put down.

The Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Department did not return Cville Right Now’s request for comment on the case.

Three of Boyer’s ewes, female sheep, are recovering at a veterinary clinic. Two of them had lambs and the babies – unharmed – are at the clinic with their mothers.

“They were mauled by the dogs. They had puncture wounds all over their faces, the bones in their faces were broken. Their ears were ripped off,” Boyer said.

Boyer feared the trio would have to be euthanized, but said he is now cautiously optimistic about their recoveries.

“They are doing remarkably well,” he said. “They all seem to be doing better. The swelling wasn’t as severe as it could have been.”

A calf, a family pet named Martin who Boyer and his husband bottle fed, had 3/4 of his tongue ripped out in the attack. Veterinarians found the tongue in the woods nearby but could not reattach it.

“We are waiting to see if he is going to be able to eat,” Boyer said. “He’s trying to eat now. I’m hoping that he just needs to learn how to eat without a tongue. We’re going to have to probably have him on a special diet for the rest of his life, something that he can actually get into his mouth and keep in his mouth. I’ve noticed when he’s trying to eat grain, it just kind of falls out of his mouth.”

The dogs killed a ewe who was actively in labor.

“She died with the baby sticking out of her,” Boyer said. “The baby couldn’t be saved either.”

A baby lamb, less than week old, was killed in that attack, as were four goats, including one that was a family pet for Boyer and his husband.

“His face, he was so badly mutilated that I didn’t even know which goat he was when he was laying on the ground,” Boyer said. “I had to look at his ID tag to figure out., The dogs ate the faces of all four of those goats.”

Boyer said he doesn’t want the dogs’ owners to face any negativity from the community. He also praised the Rappahannock Sheriff’s Office, saying animal control laws limit what they could do.

“They’ve done everything they can do,” Boyer said. “The laws are the problem. And the officers are just following the laws.”

Boyer said he moved the farm from Culpeper after neighbors began complaining about the traffic the business attracted on its rural road. He said that situation came to a head in 2023 when Charming Hill Farms participated in the Culpeper Harvest Days Farm Tour. He said neighbors protested by firing guns near the farm and blocking up the road with slow-driving tractors.

Shortly thereafter, Boyer and his husband made the decision to sell the farm and move to the current location in Amissville.

Since the move to Rappahannock, Boyer said farm life had been idyllic, with his business thriving and the surrounding community embracing the farm and its animals.

For now, Boyer said he’s focused on helping his recovering animals heal.

“They’ve been through hell and back,” he said. “We love these animals. So, we’re going to do everything we can, whatever we need to do, to make sure that these animals, are secure and live out a happy, healthy life for the rest of the time they’re here.”