Zoey and Birthday

Thanks so much to everyone who has asked about Zoey. She is doing very well, and has claimed my love seat as her own. She sleeps, snores, and eats a lot. And she needs to - rarely have I seen an animal so very thin. The people who relinquished her to the shelter claimed that she wandered up to their house a month ago, and I am forced to wonder if she was in this deplorable condition when she got to their house or after she spent a month there! Every rib is visible and her little backbone is sticking up, so it's really hard not to feed her all the time. She patrols under the table every time we have a meal, and I've decided that any morsels that hit the floor are legally hers. She drinks a lot of water, and the vet in me is suspicious that she may have an underlying medical condition like diabetes. Hopefully I am wrong about that one! For the time being, we are trying to put enough weight on her that I feel safe putting her under anesthesia to have her teeth cleaned. Maybe we can do something about that dragon breath! Oh well, at least she will never miss another meal. As I write she is lying at my feet, basking in the sunshine and snoring like a chainsaw.
In surveying my animal population for a previous post, I can hardly believe that I forgot my new horse, Mr Birthday Dash! I'll blame it on mommy brain. I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders. Thank goodness for the alarm feature on my cell phone. Otherwise my kids might get left at school much more often!
I'm telling you, it's something about vets and mangled animals. When I decided not too long ago that I was ready for another open barrel horse, I never thought I would end up with another damaged animal. I read about a horse online, and my husband and I agreed that he was in our price range, but perhaps a little under priced for the kind of horse he was supposed to be. So we loaded up the kids and drove 5 hours to try him over in Alabama. When we arrived, the owner unloaded "Birthday" from the trailer and we began our inspection. A few nicks and scrapes, a little scar on a back leg. Normal wear and tear for a 12 year old horse. So far, so good. And then I walked around to his right side. His owner had neglected to mention on the phone that he had several enormous scars covering his abdomen and right hip. She quickly told us that several people who had looked at him passed immediately because of the scars. Apparently at some point in his youth he had been allowed to grow very thin and laid down in a burn pile in his pasture trying to stay warm.
Was it a coincidence that this animal came to me? I don't think so. He seems to fit right in around here. Thinner than I would have liked when we bought him, he has since put on fifty pounds or more and has filled out nicely. He has a knee that doesn't quite straighten out all the way and a scar on a back leg from an old injury. Add that to the scars on his body, and at least we knew why he was priced the way he was. Not just anyone was going to look at this horse. My immediate thought the first time I saw him was the line from "Seabiscuit" about how you "don't throw a whole life away just 'cause he's banged up a little." Fine, I admit it, I'm a sucker. But I just knew he was supposed to be mine.
And here's the kicker - this horse is fast. Really fast. Faster than any other horse I've ever owned. And he truly loves to run. He completely enjoys his job, and believe it or not he is sound. I haven't quite figured out how to run him clean yet, but I know that when I do, it will be worth it. Oh, and to top it all off, he's also one of the sweetest animals I've ever owned. He loves to be petted, talked to, and just generally fussed over. And while I truly hope we win a lot together, it doesn't really matter. We've already won. I got him and he got me.