LIFE IS JUST ABOUT TO GET INTERESTING, I THINK........!!

Yesterday, we took Boaz and Lynn to their dental appointment.  Dr. Debra comes to our area once a month and does appointments at the local horse sale barn.  When we got there she was working with a horse and 2 women were there.  There was also a cute little white something or other in a pen.  At 1st I thought it was a foal, then a mini horse.  Come to find out it was a mini-mule named Snowball.  He is about 15 years old and we don't know his life story.  But he's been thru the Mike's auction 3 times in recent history, because he doesn't play well with other animals.  He was very studdy acting and also hard to catch.  The woman said once he is caught you can work with him, lift his feet and lead him.  The last trip thru the auction he sold for $385 (told you he was cute) and this woman lost the bid, but told the bidder if it didn't work out to call her.  After 2 weeks, she got the call, picked him up and found out his behavior left a lot to be desired.  She brought him in for Dr. Debra to examine to see if he had been gelded properly.  SURPRISE......!!! he's never been gelded.......!!  I guess no one cared enough to help him be social and no one ever bothered to check to see if he had been gelded, they just passed him around, poor little guy.  

I tried to stay out of the fray, but John went over to "visit" and decided he needs to be gelded and socialized............SIGH....!!  The woman was more than happy to give him to us, BUT first considering his history with other animals, we have to build a stud pen, for the little guy.  That means something he can't put his head under a corral panel, lift it up and take off.  So John has some supplies to buy and get installed on Pancho's pen.  We never have an empty pen for very long it seems.  Today John called Adobe Vet Clinic and they can't geld him until the 11th.  

Rather than pick him up, put him in the pen, drag him out of the pen a few days later to haul him to the vet, we made arrangements with the people to pick him up the 10th and we will leave him in the stock trailer overnight, he has to be in Tucson at the vet clinic at 8AM, then bring him home and start getting acquainted. 

Poor little guy, I hope this gives him a chance at having a less stressful life.  Being a mule is going to make it a little different.  Mules have their own rules and relationships are usually on their terms, not yours, especially if they have been abused or passed around.  

Didn't have my camera, so no pictures yet.  In the interest of him starting a new life, we thought a new name might be a start.  Snowball doesn't do anything for me, but I've always wanted to name a white donkey Casper, after the friendly ghost.  Maybe the name Casper will be a good change for him. 

Lynn got her snaggle tooth pulled and Boaz got his overly long wolf teeth ground down.   They both needed other stuff done too, but those were the biggies.  This morning Lynn was diving into her hay and more than happy to take treats with her lips, something she hasn't been doing for the last month, while we waited for our appointment.  Boaz never had problems eating, but I'm sure he feels a lot better with those wolf teeth being shorter and a couple of nasty hooks gone.