HI Y'ALL,It's been quite crazy the past couple of weeks.  Rock is now safe at his new home with Mustang Robin and Denise, and Collins is doing very well.He gets his stitches out tomorrow and is healing fabulously.  Normally we would take out the stitches, but he is tired of us messing with him and since he has so many we need to take him back to the vet.  It's a bummer, but will be way easier on him.   Will be sending some pix of him soon, and a cute video which shows just how spunky he is feeling, in spite of his owies.Just got home yesterday.  Made a little side trip to drop off a couple of wild mares and a couple of babies at a private ranch in Northern California.  Tried to move there but they said no.  (just kidding).  What an amazing anonymous angel the woman is that purchased this land for the horses.  May God bless all she touches and the folks that are caring for the place and the horses.Been a very long trip, about 1500 miles, and we are a little bit wiped out.  Hope all is well with you and your families.God bless 
P--
THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!Matt, Palomino & The Gang
Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang
Equine Rescue & More -
Rescue/Rehab Project LRTC
 
www.chillypepper.weebly.com
www.whmentors.org

Hi y'all,

Just wanted to give you an update on Collins.  He is doing well.  He was pretty sedated for quite awhile, which was really nice for him.  After the sedation wore off, our "Collins" was back.  :)

He stomped his feet and told me in no uncertain terms that I was late with his milk.  (He always says that!).  It took everything he had to "stand and wait" for his milk.  He does that pretty well although his head is always moving about 100 miles an hour and he is verbally voicing his impatience.  But those front feet stay planted.  He munched all night on his "yum yums" and is feeling pretty frisky, so PTL for that and thank you for all your prayers.  Actually, he is feeling a little too frisky and I am hoping he doesn't pop his stitches.  But you know Collins.

There are times when it is hard to understand "why" things like this happen.  I know we have to trust in God and that everything happens for a reason.  I have to say I have a hard time understanding things like this.  One dear friend mentioned that maybe this happened now, so it wouldn't be a small child that was injured down the road.  I don't know, but all I can do is keep praying.

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers, and I pray that this helps and no one else ever has to go through this again.  Unfortunately I spent two days, not too long ago,  cleaning up the carnage with a dear friend after a couple of other dogs who turned into "sport killers" had massacred her mini's.  We spent two days euthanizing and treating those poor little ones.  The dogs were terrorizing the neighborhood and would attack, then stay quiet for a few weeks and then do it again.  When we arrived at her place they were laying in the sun, waiting for another round, calm as could be.  As much as we hated losing our girls, I couldn't risk that happening to someone else.  I truly believe they are wrapped up warm and tight in the arms of my beloved mom.  She will take good care of them, and I know that someday the tears will stop flowing and the pain will ease.

ON A MUCH BRIGHTER NOTE - Robin and Denise arrived last night and Robin and Rocky finally got to meet.  Rocky was being kind of a little goober, so we took him into the round pen.  Robin did fantastic, and made sure that Rocky was paying attention to her.  The meeting was as wonderful as we could have hoped for, and I think they will be best friends for life.  I am so excited for them and their future together.

Today they will spend more time together and we will try to get some pix up tonight.

Again, thank you for all your support.  God bless!

I think this is one of the hardest things I have ever written.  However, you have to tell the truth, and that means the good with the bad.  I made a huge mistake today and our life changed forever.  We never ever leave the babies unattended, that is why we literally move in with them.  It never occurred to me in a million years that what happened today was even possible.  I would never ever leave any of the babies or critters in a situation that I thought could be dangerous.

Today started out fabulous, as we were getting ready for Robin & Denise to arrive for the big introduction to Rocky.  I fed Collins his breakfast, (or whatever meal of the day it was) and then I opened the door to the baby yard and let him outside.  That simple action changed our lives forever.  After I let him out, I was heading inside to use the restroom.  I stepped into the kitchen and heard a horrible noise.  This all happened within a minute, or so it seemed.  I never even made it to the bathroom. I opened the door and Collins had been attacked by two of the dogs he had grown up with.

I feel beyond horrible, as the first rule of taking care of these babies is to never leave them alone and to ALWAYS have someone watching them.  That is why life stops when we get them.   If we go somewhere we take them with us.  That is why he is so good in the trailer already.   However, I made the mistake of thinking I could just run to the bathroom.  I had zero, absolutely no reason to be concerned about the dogs as far as I knew.  We raised them from pups, they have spent time with us in the nursery and they sleep beside our bed every single night.  They have slept with Collins and at least two babies before, although always with us there.

But for some reason they snapped this morning.   I am sure Collins was probably bucking and kicking and chasing around, but for some reason they attacked him.  When I heard the noise, I ran back to the door and he was standing there and the dogs were attacking him.  

We immediately took him to the vet where he was examined and given antibiotics and some banamine to relax him.  Doc had us bring him back to the warm nursery so he could calm down and relax, before he was sedated to the point where he would be as comfortable as possible while being treated.  

Doc said that we were lucky because the wounds were not on his legs and joints, and he is sure that he will be fine.  He said it was obvious the dogs didn't know what they were doing as they missed the critical areas.  Doc stitched up the areas he could and left a couple areas to heal open.  He then gave Collins some meds and us instructions for his after care.  He felt he would be able to travel, but we will take it a day at a time.

Unfortunately, after this kind of attack, we had very little choice but to put our beloved pups down.  They went quietly in our arms, and I know my mom was waiting for them in heaven.  Once dogs start this type of behavior, you simply cannot guarantee that it won't happen again.  We tried to save a shepherd that had acted in a similar manner before, and she continued to kill.  Most often, they don't normally stop going after the blood.

Collins is resting quietly at this moment, and we are just taking it an hour at a time.  It was hard to share this, first and foremost because I feel responsible.  Even though I would have bet my life on the fact that this couldn't possibly happen with these dogs, Collins is my responsibility and I let him down, and ultimately I let my  dogs down also.  We will never understand what triggered it, or why it happened.

So now all we can do is give Collins the best rehab possible, and move forward, while waiting for the heartbreak to subside.  We appreciate lots of prayers as Collins needs them.

God bless!

p.s.  We are waiting for Robin and Denise to get here so she can meet Rocky.  As much as our hearts hurt, we need to be there for Robin and make this occasion as special as she is.  But I wanted y'all to know about Collins and how a few minutes alone can change an orphan's life.  

It's Monday, and tomorrow Robin and Denise arrive at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang to meet Rocky, get some training and start their new lives together.

I took the truck down to get the tires rotated, and get it aligned, just to make sure we were ready to go.  That's when it all started to go down hill.  I need inner and outer tie rod ends, as well as shocks.  Hmmmmmmmmm  was only going to be about $1200.

PTL we were able to get the parts for a bit less at Napa and then our friend who is a mechanic told Matt he would help him with the labor.  So they are currently outside in the cold fixing the truck so we can get Rocky down to Las Vegas with his forever mommy.  It was snowing when I got home tonight, not sticking but enough to make it not a fun night to work on a truck!

I am truly grateful for the help that our friend is giving us, and for my husband once again stepping up to do whatever we need to for the horses, but would also be so grateful to not have any truck repairs for awhile....  Once again though, I do have to remember that God protected us and we were not on the road with a trailer loaded with our beloved babies when we found out about the faulty parts.

However, we would really appreciate your prayers to help us get the truck finished tonight, so I can take it back down to town tomorrow and actually get it aligned.  These repairs are not unusual for a truck with around a 100 K on it, it was just not a very convenient time for it to happen.

Robin and Denise will spend approximately 3 days with us and it should be a wonderful opportunity for Robin and Rocky to bond.

Looking forward to new beginnings, (although there are always tears involved) and to seeing Rocky's new home.

Please send us your prayers for the truck tonight and for a safe journey for Robin and Denise tomorrow!

God bless!

Hi y'all,


It's been about about a month since we brought Collins home, and his "tum tum" is finally improving.  We went from weeks of scours to bouts of colic to finally being close to having a healthy digestive system.  We are so grateful that he is feeling better and that his "tum tum" is nearly normal.


I want to thank all of you for your prayers and for helping us get through these times.  Collins is growing so fast and is as energetic and feisty as ever.  He still spends major time on his hind feet, and loves to buck and kick.  He has attitude to spare and there is never a dull moment around him.  He is learning his manners pretty well though, and can plant those front feet firmly in place when he wants his milk. (Don't you just love his "GOT MILK?" pix?)


He has already had several trips in the trailer, and is quite the big shot.  He handled it extremely well and like all the babies that start so young, it becomes second nature and is just another "nursery".  He met Honey Bandit through the gate, although HB wanted to run in and chase him.  Dabubbles, Romeo, and Rocky all spent time together and all went very well.


We will be putting the Rock Star and Collins together for the rest of the time before we start our travels.  Robin and Denise should be here on either Monday or Tuesday, and Robin will be meeting Rocky in person for the very first time.  We will try and make sure we document it as much as possible.  At the end of the week we will all be heading back to Carson City for the YEA "YOUTH EQUINE ALLIANCE" EARTH DAY CELEBRATION!, and after that we will start Robin and Rocky's journey back home to Las Vegas.  Robin is still raising funds to make sure that the fuel for Rocky's trip home is covered, so if anyone wants to help him get to his forever home, go to the YEA website and help her out. :)  Robin is an amazing young woman and is fighting the good fight for our beloved wild horses.


I had another great lesson in faith this last week.  Was down to about 2 bales of hay, and stressing about the upcoming trip.  Came to my senses and simply said a prayer.  I know that God is behind everything we do and He is the one that is planning this journey.  Sure enough, a wonderful friend and donor contacted us and sent us money to go and get hay.  As usual, we are blessed and as long as we keep the faith I know that God will continue to provide for us and the critters here, and to show us the direction we need to go.


Thank you again for all your support.  Will keep you posted on Collins and the rest of the crew.


God bless & take care!