Success Story Part 2

Some of the animals who come to Home At Last have serious physical injuries. Juan the mule came with a back hoof that was completely upside down. The bottom of his hoof pointed up toward the sky and he walked on his leg.
We don't know what happened to him, but most probably he caught his hoof while he was in motion and tore the ligament. That left his foot unsupported and he had to make do as best he could. It must have been terribly painful.
Juan is an older boy in his late 20's or 30's. The tendon was still barely attached at the hoof level, but Dr. Darling felt that if we couldn't do something for him we would have to put him down. Once the ligament completely detached there would be nothing left to do.
Farrier Aaron Hamon, Dr D and Jim spent a lot of time talking about what to do. Finally, they decided on a specially made set of shoes to help his foot return to a more normal stance. Aaron fabricated the necessary shoes.
The shoes were made with a rocker and spikes on the bottom so Juan could begin to roll his hoof over. It took many months and many shoes, but now Juan walks almost normally. He trots and canters if the mood strikes him. He is not in pain. He has gained weight and loves to be petted.
Often he'll stand with his head against our chest, eyes closed and just soaks up all the love he can get. He is one of the "loose" critters in the back yard.
Juan is one example of why we have a sanctuary. He deserves, as do all the others, to live a pain free, peaceful and well-cared for retirement. He has great dignity and is so full of love that almost every visitor gets a warm mule welcome. Those long ears invite scratches and that graying face needs lots of gentle rubs.
We often hear, "I've never met a mule before. I thought they would be stubborn or hard to be around. Now I love mules."
Juan has a good life. You have helped him and others to continue to live the life they deserve. Thank you. We need your support to do what we do.
There is a serious equine virus on the rampage and after last year's terrible epidemic of strangles we are taking no chances. The sanctuary will be closed for an unspecified time until the vet tells us it is OK to reopen. No new horses will be allowed in and we will not be moving any to other pastures. We will not have visitors, either. After having 30 horses sick last year and 3 dying we take any illness seriously.
We are looking at a golf tournament as a fundraiser. How many of you would be willing to spend $65 for a round of golf and dinner? How many would rather just send us $30 and call it good?
Thank you for your support and caring. Because of the bad economy and rising gas and therefore hay prices, the need is becoming critical to find homes for more and more unwanted horses. Many of the horses are not unwanted, but their owners are no longer able to care for them
One of our critics told us we were foolish to spend money-actually waste was the word used, on old, injured, useless, unwanted horses. When we see Juan and his friends enjoying the good hay, the warm sunshine and each other's company we don't feel foolish at all. We feel blessed to have them in our lives. They may be old. They may be injured. But they certainly ARE NOT useless and unwanted.