Sadly we have had to say goodbye to little Dante due to
ongoing problems
with his legs which were causing him increasing pain.
He has soldiered on for almost two years with terrible Arthritis in his
stifle (back leg) joints which very slowly became worse. When it became
apparent that he could barely keep weight on one leg and the other one was
beginning to bow under the weight of his body that we would be cruel to keep
him going on in such constant pain. He had been on high dose of painkillers,
herbs and mobility supplements and there was no more we could do to ease his
pain.
Dante was a sweet little old man who has been at the sanctuary for at least
26 years. He arrived as a cheeky young boy who was said to enjoy nipping
people, he'd been living as a pet in someone's house but they could no longer
cope with keeping a pony as a pet.
He leaves behind his best friend, Thelwell who has been his pal since he
arrived 26 years ago. It is heartbreaking to see Thelwell now alone when it
was rare to ever see him without little Dante by his side. He seems a little
lost but we are giving him plenty of extra fuss and treats. He is now back in
with the main Shetland ponies herd which seems to have helped him settle.
We have fond memories of Dante and Thelwell, such as when we first had Dante
clipped and had to put him a little rain coat on for the first time. All the
other ponies were curious to see Dante looking different so began to chase
after him for a sniff. As Dante was worried about all this attention and
galloped away, Thelwell placed himself between Dante and all the other
ponies and ran along next to him to protect him.
Dante was always a pleasure to care for even though he acted grumpy a lot of
the time. He stood patiently whilst many a young child practiced grooming
him, forgiving if they made any mistakes or touched under his tummy which he
disliked.
We will all miss his cheeky face with his lovely long beard, and his gentle
greetings in the mornings when it was breakfast time or bedtime when the
weather was bad, he hated the rain and would always much rather be stood
inside.
Rest in peace Dante, your memory will live on in the minds of us and all the
children you made friends with in your life.
Click
here to read about Dante |
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