Meet Chief

 I’m sure you have seen the posts about Chief, our new horse. I found him on a kill pen site. I just knew that was our second horse. Jeb needed a friend that could teach him the ways of a horse. Now he has one. Chief is a 14 year old paint horse that came off an Indian reservation. He is the sweetest horse. He unloaded really well of the trailer. He was able to be tied. He was able to be led with no problem. He stayed in a stall on his own for a week while getting antibiotics. He is so good, the gate to his stall was accidentally unlocked and he did not even try to get out of it. He shared his hay with Noma and Cracker Jack. He would ‘talk’ to Jeb also while in the stall. He was so friendly even from the beginning. I feel like I hit the jackpot with this horse. It’s been several weeks and he is still amazing. This guy will be here for the remainder of his life. 

Wind Storm

 A couple of weeks ago, we had an awful dirt and wind storm. It was awful. I mean, give you a dirt facial, dirt still in your hair after washing it. It was awful. Trying to feed and water in that was downright disgusting. The animals didn’t seem to know what to do. I was shocked. None of them, not even the chickens went into a shelter. Those poor chickens seemed to be going in the wind. It was really an awful day. It went on for hours. This does happen often in West Texas. I guess we should all be used to it by now. 

Life

 Not long ago, someone mentioned to me that they loved my life. I love it when people see that my life is so happy because it normally is. I love my life, also. However, what people do not see is dealing with sick or injured animals. People do not see us having to bury a beloved animal. They don’t see when an animal needs meds and they do not want to take them, there is usually a fight that breaks out. They do not see when animals fight and the stress that comes with that. There is so much work with keeping animals healthy and warm in the cold weather. There are multiple trips to the feed store a week. The dirt under my fingernails constantly. The straw in my hair and the hay in my bra. The bills for a new barn. The beloved pets getting older. The heartbreak when you couldn’t save one we were desperately trying to save. The tears after something goes wrong. Having to separate the sick from the well. The dirt on my face and in my hair constantly. The heavy bags of feed. The straw we have to spread. The amount of poop we pick up. This list goes on and on. Rescue is hard. It’s rain or shine, hot or cold, snow and ice. Trying to rehabilitate animals that don’t want your help. Trying to get the sick ones to be well. All while trying to tell myself there is hope here. I do love my life. I love these animals and what we are trying to accomplish. I pride myself on the work we put in around here. It can definitely be exhausting. I show the good parts because that’s what people need to see, but it is hard. It’s rewarding but is still hard. 

Amazed

 I am amazed when things start getting darker earlier how the animals react. To me it’s because they are so smart and they know what is going on. They really do amaze me though. So, it is getting darker earlier. The donkeys usually stay out until dark, but they are coming in earlier to the barn. The chickens are getting ready to roost earlier. The pigs are going in their houses soon after they eat. I’ve seen the pasture goats going to the barn earlier and the other goats go in their house. The cats leave at dark normally. The horses have been going in the other barn and the cows have been getting in their shelter also. Noma and Cracker Jack have a shelter, but for some reason, they do not use it. I don’t have to do anything, they do it all. They know when the sun is setting and they go where they are supposed to. 

Skippy

 Poor Skippy. His health had been declining. I don’t know what was going on with him. We tried meds. He seemed better for a little bit and then he started declining again. He was still limping, so I wrapped his foot but he wasn’t having it. I knew the day I had to pick him up from the barn to the food that things were not looking good. He had stopped roosting with the other chickens and he had stopped being around the other chickens. He has been gone now for several days, almost a week. I am sure he is gone. He will not be coming back. It breaks my heart. There was no sign of him. There were no feathers or anything. I knew I should have quarantined him in the chicken coop but the last time I did that, the chicken died soon after. I’m so sad about Skippy. He was a funny chicken. I know things happen and animals die but it still hurts. 

Emotions

 Peanut Butter and Jelly have been together in the same place for a long time. When Jelly took off, Peanut Butter was sad and depressed. When Peanut Butter went missing Jelly was sad and depressed. You cannot tell me animals do not have emotions. You can see it all over them when they are sad or even when they are happy. After Peanut Butter was gone 5 days, Jelly did not leave his side. Neither of them were out of the shop at all for a while. They stayed together. That is worn off now but when they are both in the shop, they do stay close to each other. They are like brothers. They love each other and fight also. I’m glad they came together but when one of them disappears for awhile, it stresses me more because the one left behind is really sad. It’s hard to watch. It will all work out though. They are more comfortable here now and come and go as they please. I am not used to it and don’t like it, but it will be okay. 

Could it be??

 There was a night not long ago where I had to run back to work right before it got dark. Not a big deal. Here’s the story. As I was driving home, I was getting close to home, but I live in a big rural area. I was almost there and I see something. It was a cat close to a house by our house. It’s not far but it’s far enough. I know there are wild hogs and other things that live out here. I wasn’t sure what it was. As I got closer I see that it’s a cat. Now, we had a cat that went missing in May of this year. I might have been wrong, but I swear that cat I saw was Rona. I swear it was her. When I got home, I was telling Ronnie about it, knowing it was a long shot and I was probably wrong. Maybe I was hoping it was her. Anyway, Ronnie said, I swear I have seen her, too. It looks just like her. I haven’t seen her again but next time I do, I am going to call her name and see if it’s her. She is the only cat I have even had that actually comes to her name when called. I look for her every time I pass that house. Maybe it is her. If it is then I know she is okay.