Update

Hi,


Well it has been awhile since our last update.  We were honored to be invited to participate in the " Virginia City Heroes Parade", honoring all Veterans.  Of course we were only invited if we brought  one of the Honored Guests with us - "Soldier", the military war dog who now lives at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang.  To make it possible for us to attend, along with the invitation was a generous gift of the fuel needed to attend.  Soldier was once again a big hit with the Veterans that were not only in the parade, but watching on the sidelines.


We were in the Nevada Day Parade with him last year, riding on the Wild Horse Preservation League float, and when he was announced, you could see people tearing up as we passed by.   After the parade we took him to the travelling Vietnam Memorial Wall.  One of  our "heroes"  (a veteran), asked if he could buy Soldier a cheeseburger.  Of course we said yes while our eyes filled with tears, and Soldier chowed down.   Well,  I could not believe it when that same Soldier - Hero, was at the parade in Virginia City.  It made a very special day even more so.  Soldier did well in the parade, although he still has very prominent PTSD.  Unfortunately, although it is not talked about too much, many of the canines that have returned home from service have PTSD.  It can make them so unsettled that they cannot always be saved.  However, we are blessed with Soldier and each day he gets more and more comfortable.


Rocky is settling into his new home in Las Vegas, and Robin and Denise are as happy as can be.  They have been working  really hard to make his transition as easy as possible.  However, coming from the mountains to the blasting heat of Las Vegas can take a little toll on a baby, especially one that arrived with a full winter coat.  Denise and Robin have been working with their vet to find the perfect combination of feed for him, as he can stand to gain a few pounds.   He may also be in a new growth spurt, as when any of the critter kids start "growing up", they can often look like they are too skinny.   Then they look too fat when they are growing out.  Poor Chilly Pepper didn't figure out her perfect look until she was about 5 years old and stopped growing for the most part.  


The vet said that Rocky  is one of the most well mannered "bottle babies" that he has met, and that most bottle babies come in two categories - the worst or the best.  He said that as long as they keep up the good work, Rocky the Rock Star will be one of the best horses anyone could ever have.  You go Rocky!!!  We want to thank Denise and Robin for taking such amazing care of our beloved Rocky.  


Chilly Pepper is doing wonderfully at her new place, although she is now the one "pushing" up front to get all the loves.  When she was here Dakota was the boss and she would be pushed aside, so she is truly enjoying being the lead mare and getting to be in the front when it comes to the attention.


Collins is doing fabulously and you can barely see his scars.  They have healed up so well.  Doc Lydon did a wonderful job stitching and patching him up.  It was a pretty long recovery and took a lot of time and care, but he seems to have recovered and is back to hopping right into the trailer when we go any where.  You just tell him to "load up" and he hops right in.   He is extremely bright and behaving very well.  I know that being in with Romeo, who will definitely let Collins know when he is out of line, has helped tremendously.  He realizes that he is not the king and has been much more polite.  We are pretty sure that Collins has an adopter, a wonderful young woman who seems to be getting to know him pretty well.   She does't let him get away with being disrespectful and I think they are going to do very well.


Honey Bandit is growing like crazy and getting so tall.  His 3RD BIRTHDAY is coming up on July 3, 2013.  Looking back on all he has been through and all of the wonderful folks who are now in our lives, well, it is simply overwhelming.   We have such an amazing group of people that are not only part of Honey Bandit's life, but are also part of  the rest of this rescue and all the babies we have saved together.  I am so grateful that this is what God has chosen for us and even though I get scared sometimes about where the next flake of hay might come from, He always provides for these animals, and he does it through our wonderful "extended family".  We are planning Honey Bandit's 3rd birthday party/Open House, but have not set the date as of yet.  We will let you know as soon as we can so y'all can come and visit and see the miracles that you have worked by being part of these horses lives.  I promise it will be a fun day, and much much cooler up here in the mountains than it is down in Redding. 

Click picture to enlarge.