Forever Home Donkey Rescue

Rescuers are Special People at the Rainbow Bridge

Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold & gray, damp as a swamp & as dismal as could be imagined.  All the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never experienced a day like this before.  But the animals that had been waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was going on & started to gather at the pathway leading to the bridge to watch. 

It wasn’t long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung low & tail dragging.  The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far too often.  He approached slowly, obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness.  Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth & made healthy & vigorous again.  As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all the other animals watching him.  He knew he was out of place here & the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be.  But, Alas, as he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who apologized, but told him that he would not be able to pass.  Only those animals that were with their people could pass over The Rainbow Bridge.  With no place else to turn to, the elderly animals turned towards the fields before The Bridge & saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly & infirmed.  There weren’t playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge.  And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway & waiting. 

One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn’t understand what he had just witnessed & asked one of the animals that had been there for a while to explain it to him.  “You see, that poor animal was a rescue.  He was turned in to rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying & his eyes clouding.  He never made it out of rescue & passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existence.  Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge.  The first animal thought about this for a minute & then asked, “So what will happen now?”  As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted & the gloom lifted.  Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person & among the older animals, a whole group, was suddenly bathing in a golden light & they were all young & healthy again, just as they were in the prime of life.  “Watch & see” said the second animal.  A second group of animals from those waiting, came to the pathway & bowed low as the person neared.  At each bowed head the person offered a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears.  The newly restored fell into line & followed him towards The Bridge.  They all crossed The Bridge together. 

“What Happened?” he asked.  “That was a rescuer” the second animal answered.  “The animals you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of his work.  They will cross when their new families arrive.  Those you saw restored were those who never found homes.  When a rescuer arrives, they are allowed to perform one final act of rescue.  They are allowed to escort those poor animals that they couldn’t place on earth across The Rainbow Bridge”  “I think I like rescuers”, said the first animal.  “So does GOD”, was the reply.

Author unknown

BEAU  2009:  Beau was the young jack in the group of 4, & responsible for the jennies being PG even though he was just a baby himself.  It isn’t a good idea to geld in the summer because of the heat & flies, so he was in a pen until the weather cooled off.  The girls roaming around outside the pen were making sure he knew they were there & he was rearing up on the corral panels trying to get out.  I went out one afternoon & found him hung up with a front leg caught between a panel & a gate.  Although he didn’t break any bones, he destroyed all the tendons & ligaments in the leg & was euthanized Sept 19, 2011.  What a waste of a gorgeous young healthy donkey that with some training would have gone to a forever home of his own. 

SHA’BA:   (an Arabic word of respect for an old man) Sha’ba is probably on the wrong side of 40.  He has had a broken fetlock, is blind in one eye, has had a hole thru his nose that lines up with scars on his mouth.  We assume a cord, chain or something was ran thru the hole to lead him or maybe even tie him up.  He had also shut down mentally, like Cisco.  Someone in his life had cut his ears off.  His teeth are worn off to the gums, & he was very thin when we got him.  He had been in with other donkeys, so he probably had a hard time getting anything to eat.  He was part of a 5 donkey package deal, & we were asked to take him since he couldn’t be resold or used for anything.  It is surprising how trusting he has become, considering the stories he could tell. 

UPDATE: Sha’ba was euthanized September 27, 2011, due to probable cancer in his stomach or intestines.  He was very special to a lot of people that appreciated how much adversity he had in his life, but he still managed to be very gentle & special.

NOELLE:  < 1990 to 3/2001 When Noelle didn't show up one morning for breakfast, John went out & found her dead in the big wash.  She had been walking along the top & it caved off or she had a heart attack & fell.   She had only been here a few weeks & was just starting to enjoy being around the other donkeys.  She also had started talking to us when it was feeding time.  No matter how long or how short a time they are here, they will always be remembered.

 

LUCY: +/- 1989 to 3/2011:

Lucy was euthanized March 10, 2011 due to pedal osteitis.  Inflammation of the coffin bone had caused major internal damage to her feet, & she could no longer stand without terrible pain in both front feet.     

Lucy came to us when she was going to be put down because her feet were very bad & she was wild.  She had a nasal discharge when we picked her up, & after treating it, we found a home for her & her daughter.  After a few months the discharge was only getting worse & she had lost a lot of weight. We brought her back to the sanctuary & hauled her to the Equine Clinic at Gilbert for evaluation. She was diagnosed with guttural pouch disease, which is treated with surgery. Her owner couldn’t afford the expense, so we took her back permanently & had the surgery done.  She enjoyed the rest of her years here.

 

 

MAX:

The morning of August 9, 2009, John went out in the morning and he found Max dead.  He was laying in his resting place beside the pens, although there was a little blood from his nose, he had not struggled.

Max came here in 2002 after being diagnosed with a neurological disorder called EPM.  He had been thru 2 owners, 3 vets & never been tested.  He had problems with his hindquarters & the "assumption" was EPM, although there are many other neurological problems that present with similar symptoms. 

After being here 5 years & starting to have more problems, we had him x-rayed & discovered he had an old break in his neck, & the ensuing time & arthritis was causing major problems.  We were afraid he would get down or fall & break a leg & we would have to make a decision.  I guess he made it for us. 

 

SHAG:  

Shag came to us in June 2008 from a good home, although he had been eating too much & was very overweight, which is not unusual for mini horses.  He was born clubfooted, & had problems with his right rear leg, which we had planned on having diagnosed & hopefully treated. 

Shag was euthanized 11 days after he got here, due to a broken rear leg.  He had blended into the herd & during play probably lost his balance & either fell or twisted that leg.  Equines are not made to walk on 3 legs & with the additional weight he was carrying, there was no way the break could have been fixed. 

Although he was only here a little while, he had already become part of the family & will be missed by all, especially Rusty the mule, that had chosen Shag as his special little friend. 

 

CISCO I:

We bought Cisco from a horse trader in Marana in May of 1999. He had been sold thru a local auction & had at least 3 owners in a short period of time. He had been used for roping & had many summer sores caused by habronema larvae. Our Vet had little experience with habronema, & we had none. He was very distrustful of people & was very difficult to doctor on a regular basis. The sores itched so intensely that he would bite himself & cause horrible ragged sores. In January 2000, he had bitten his sheath so badly, that because of lack of Vet surgical facilities in Cochise county, our only option was to have him euthanized.

 

MURIEL:

Muriel, the mule, had a very bad accident at sometime in her life. Her pelvis has been broke, & the muscles on the inside of her rear legs are no longer connected. She uses her hamstring muscles to move her back legs. Her jaw has also been broke, probably at the same time. The consensus of opinion is, probably a horse trailer accident, or perhaps she was hit by a car. She has been passed around, & is very distrustful of adults. She likes children & the rescuer we got her from said little kids can climb her legs & do just about anything with her. She will finally take carrots from us, & will stand still for us in the corral. But if she is loose on the property, she will not let us get close to her. She is an unusual color called Claybank.

Muriel coliced on November 30, 2005, & after 2 1/2 days of treatment, had no gut sounds. She was euthanized on December 2, 2005.

 

SNOWY: 

Snowy had been in a small pen for 7 years with very little exercise. She was suppose to be 24 years old, but the equine dentist said she only has 3 teeth total in the back of her mouth, so she could be older. She can’t eat hay, so her meals consist of low starch & sugar feed pellets, timothy hay pellets, beet pulp & rice bran. Everything is mixed together, water added to make a mush, which she seems to enjoy very much. She has been here since July 2005, & has put on weight. Her hair is longer & much thicker than it should be, & has been diagnosed as insulin resistant.

On April 21, 2007 Snowy was down in the morning when we went to feed. We had been watching her day to day all winter, as she became more frail & unable to lay down to rest. Even if we could have gotten her up, chances are she could not have stayed up. So the call to the vet was made & she was euthanized.

 

TRUDY: 

We got an e-mail from another rescue in Cochise County about a donkey that was going to be confiscated by the livestock inspector because of neglect. The inspector had called them about taking her, but they do rehabilitation. This was an older donkey & whatever the outcome she would probably not rehabilitate. We were told she had arthritis & didn’t walk very well. The owners had been given 2 choices, either they euthanize her or the inspector would confiscate her & then euthanize her. Or if they could find someone to take her, & there would be no citation or court order by the county against the owners. We agreed sight unseen to take her. When we went to pick her up, when we first saw her I thought her fetlock had been broken & turned backwards, causing her to walk on the top of her foot.  X-rays showed no break, so we thought it probably was a contracted flexor tendon, that had shortened & drawn the foot backwards. Made arrangements with the Equine Center in Gilbert to cut the tendons. Once the tendons were cut, we realized the fetlock joint was fused in the backward position, & there was nothing else we could do. She was euthanized August 8, 2007.