In Memorium...

From Jim: We lost Ann-A-Belle Sunday. She took a fall, hit her head and died in an instant. Donna and I will miss her a lot. She was a brave pony that coped with her disabilities quite well and had a very nice way about her. We had recently lost Jonathan and Dobbin, our two very senior donkeys. Reaching back, we remember the over 70 wonderful animals that have gotten their wings here at the sanctuary. The population we work with, very old, injured, diseased, starved and so on pretty much guarantees that we'll have to accept losses. It isn't easy. Our critters are pets and part of the sanctuary family. When they pass away, they are missed. It is the hardest part of what we do. We know that on any given day, we may have to face the death of one or more of our animals. We've had some for years. We've lost others after only a few months. They all touched us. We hope that their time here with us was good and that they had the peace of being home, at last. Ann-A-Belle was special, because they're all special. Her "defects", a severely cleft palate and a fractured knee that had become arthritic were not her defining characteristics. Her sassy personality and intelligent eyes, her friendly ways with Juan and Bucky, her sweet face, that's who she was. This borrowed computer does not have the ability to let us post pictures. Too bad, she was a beautiful paint pony. We'll have to wait for another computer to do that. We want everyone that helped us with Ann-A-Belle to know how much it was appreciated and that she left this world quickly and without suffering. Thank You! You should never miss an opportunity to express your love and appreciation for those in your life. Life is a fleeting thing and the moments dwindle down. Take some time to love on your pets. It's nice to have the chances to do that!