WHY WE RESCUE

I woke up this morning with this weighing heavily in my heart and felt it was time share her story.

This is a true story I hope everyone reads all they way through.

Rescue  is about saving lives, loving for and caring for animals (in our case  special needs Great Danes and wild pregnant mares bound for horrible  deaths)

Sometimes, things happen differently and this is a story about *Saving a life*

We  were called into the mountains, many know about the famous Artie  starved horse who made a miraculous recovery but few know the story of  his partner and friend up in the high mountains with him. 

When  we arrived to look at the "starving loose horse" we were originally told  it was one and did not know if it was a wild or domestic.  Upon  arrival, we were told a second horse had been "found" but one of the  people said it was injured and they could not go over and see it again,  too horrific.  Most times very graphic injuries can heal so we went over  to her.  

We've seen alot, we've saved ALOT that were given a death sentence but this was different.

PLEASE PICTURE THIS IN YOUR MIND:

Here  stood this incredible beautiful emaciated mare, she tucked her hind  legs a couple inches forward and her left front leg inches forward, but the right front leg was stuck in place: why?  She had been attacked by likely a cougar, from her should down to her knee the skin, tendons and  muscles had been torn away and she stood there on a stump of just a  bone.  This sweet angel did NOT understand WHY that leg wouldn't move with  her to greet us. 

She nickered and we shook our heads at  each other, her colour was pale, she'd been going in circles fending off  predators for God knows how long, the ground soaked into a bloody worn  dust bowl and she wasn't going to make it another night.

I  gently pet her and whispered, "maybe..........." she was so very sweet  but I knew and my partner in rescue knew the truth of her fate: he  gently stroked her forehead, she placed her head into his chest and he  loved on her, rubbing her ears and neck, but it was getting dark: her  fate was sealed.  She was in incredible pain, her eyes begged for an end  to her incorrigible suffering.

He backed up, brushed her  forelock away with one last loving gentle touch, the sun set, the  hunter handed him the rifle and he whispered to her "I am so sorry you  special lady, you deserved better in life."

The shot rang out  and she went down instantly.  My friend gently pet her and moved her  head kindly saying he was "so sorry" and "Goodbye"

THIS WAS A  RESCUE - a dying horse with pleading eyes that would have been eaten  alive by predators over night, but these are the stories no one talks  about. 

I wrote down the notes from that night and put  them away.  It took me many months to write this, it still makes us cry  to think what happened to her and knowing there was no way to save her  life but to let her go to Rainbow Bridge, gifting her freedom. 

I  thank God for the people who found her and notified us, took us to her.  I thank God she didn't suffer any longer... but our hearts will always  hurt, she is forever a part of what we do and WHY WE RESCUE.

We later found out, she was Artie's sidekick for many years.