Another Happy Ending! Remember little JR?

Happy Endings just make my day!

Happy endings are especially important for all of you who are involved with rescue or the wild horses or neglect cases… the list goes on and on.

So, here is a follow-up happy ending story about a little colt whose life started out badly.

Newborn JR at Alaqua

BACKGROUND TO THE STORY

A while ago I wrote about Alaqua Animal Refuge and all that they do to help horses, especially Champ. I’m sure you remember Champ…

Anyway, at the time that we were fundraising for Champ, Alaqua got a call about a few horses that someone had just jumped in the woods behind the shelter. Nice.

Of course the folks at Alaqua went about rounding up the horses which was no easy feat. After a few days, they finally caught 2. Rose and Gypsy.

ROSE AND GYPSY

If you remember, Rose was very pregnant and gave birth to JR a few days after being rescued by Alaqua. That baby was JR.

Sadly, Rose took sick almost immediately and passed very quickly. It was determined that she had liver failure from eating bad plants while she was out in the woods.

Immediately, everyone rallied around JR to find him milk and to bottle feed him. They also brought him another little orphaned friend, the pygmy goat, Sugar.

(You can read the story of JR here.)

JR and his Mama, Rose, just before she passed

SECOND TRAGEDY

Almost immediately after losing Rose, both Gypsy and JR started to exhibit the same symptoms as Rose. They were going into liver failure. Gypsy didn’t make it. JR did.

JR was sick from his mother's milk...

JR survived with the help of ’round the clock care. And since JR is so adorable, his ’round the clock caregiver volunteer could not stand the idea of him being adopted by anyone but her.

JR's 'round the clock nurseMom, laying with him in his stall at Alaqua...

So, when the time was right, this wonderful volunteer adopted both Sugar and JR!

Alaqua was thrilled since they couldn’t fathom adopting out JR to anyone but this very special volunteer.

It all worked out!

So Adorable!

TOO DARN CUTE!

I saw these photos of JR frolicking in his new home and I had to repost them here.

Meeting friends in his new home...

First though, I wanted to relay a message I received from JR’s new owner. I was asking about the incredibly marked black-faced mare who is seen running with JR in the photo below.

Frolicking with his new horse mama! (Look at her incredible marking!)

Here was her response:

Princess Serenade is an eight year old Friesian Sporthorse. My friend Nancy found her in Raleigh Durham, NC, when she was three. We took a road trip to see her, and immediately fell in love with her. We brought her together, and about a year later I bought Nancy’s half interest in her.

She’s the sweetest tempered horse I’ve ever had. Lots of personality and absolutely craves human attention. She was rather slow accepting the baby, but gradually she came around and now she seems to think of him as her foal. They are lovely together. I still put JR and Sugar in their stall at night, but he’s in the pasture with Serenade all day.