Special Adoptions

Happy Trails to You

It was "All aboard the horse trailer" when five horses left Best Friends last weekend for a three-day trip to their new homes in Texas.

After two nights on the road, staffer Terry Morrison and volunteer Pam Williams arrived in Bryan, Texas. Soon, Abby and Sonny were munching happily on hay in their new home.

Abby (at right), a 4-year-old Arab born with a degenerative bone disease, came to Best Friends when her Salt Lake City owner found herself unable to look after her. Sonny, a 12-year-old Arab from Leona Valley, California, had a different problem: he just couldn't stop biting his owner, her daughter, and the family dog!

The two Arabs became fast friends here. Then, Abby was featured in Best Friends magazine and reader Karen Hall applied to adopt Abby. At the same time, a friend of hers decided to board Sonny at Karen's place so that the two could be together.

The next stop for Terry and Pam was at Arlene Nohilly's place, also in Bryan. Arlene had been looking for an older horse that she could ride from time to time, and Faxi, a 24-year-old Quarterhorse, fit the bill perfectly.

From there it was on to Kennard, Texas, where Cindy and Richard Hoyt eagerly awaited the arrival of Twig and Curry. Cindy and Richard had just retired to their 50-acre farm and were looking for "a couple of friendly pasture pals (horses that can't be ridden) that would accept all our love and friendship in return." That certainly sounded O.K. with Twig, an eight-year-old Quarterhorse who came to Best Friends from Wisconsin when a divorce forced his owner to give up her rescued horses.

Twig's pal, Curry, had had a pretty miserable 13-year life. Because of a deformity in his mouth, he had problems eating and drinking and had been abused in his early years. He was on the verge of going to a university to be used as a "teaching tool" (after which he would be destroyed) when a neighbor took him in. Soon after that he came to Best Friends. Here, Twig showed his new friend how to trust people again, so it was good for them to go to a new home together!

"It's like they've been here their whole lives," said Cindy, after two days of watching the two horses grazing together.

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